We are headed to CR soon for a birthday celebration filled with tons of fun activities and are so excited!!
Our itinerary:
4 days in La Fortuna - river rafting, thermal pools and hot springs, La fortuna waterfall, Rio Celeste hike, and canyoning
2 days in Monteverde - ATV riding, ziplining, and skywalk hanging bridges
1 evening/morning in San Juan

All has been booked and reserved!!

A few random questions
1. Recommendations on places to eat in San Juan - safe areas - with vegetarian options?
2. Any really cool bars to visit in these places?
3. CR known for particular souvenirs that we should bring back - aside from typical stuff - for example when I went to Greece I got wooden cooking spoons made from olive trees, etc.
4. Tipping customs in CR?
5. Taxi/uber easily available in the places we are going?
6. Bug repellent needed?

Open to any other random tips and suggestions

THANK YOU

We really like La Fortuna/Arenal - that's one of our favorite areas. Rios Tropicales and Desafio are both good companies for rafting. We like Eco Termales and Tabacon for natural hot springs. Love the Fortuna waterfall - lots of steps down and back up, but you can go at your own pace. Really beautiful. Rio Celeste is gorgeous - a very pretty blue color; I wouldn't bother going if it's raining or has recently rained since the blue color won't show up. Loved canyoning as well. Are you doing a guided tour of the reserve in Monteverde? I would; it's a good place to try to see quetzals. It can get very chilly there at night so make sure you pack a jacket just in case. I don't think you're going to San Juan - do you mean San Jose?

As far as souvenirs, they're known for carved wooden items; we got a beautiful salad bowl and tongs, also have some leather and wood rocking chairs, of course coffee, and also Lizano salsa. A restaurant will usually add 10% onto your bill for a tip. Check to make sure it's there. If service is good, we leave a couple extra dollars on the table. We tip housekeeping a couple dollars a day. Tipping isn't really expected for taxi drivers, but we do tip private drivers and guides. I don't think Uber is technically legal in Costa Rica, but you can find it in some areas. You can get taxis in the La Fortuna and Monteverde areas by calling for one. In La Fortuna you can also see them sometimes waiting at the central park area by the Catholic church. We bring bug repellent but don't always need it. Always pack a cheap rain poncho and a pair of binoculars as well.

If you mean San Jose, we usually try to avoid it other than a first or last night near the airport if we need to stay due to flight times. For the most part, it's not a very charming city. Lots of razor wire, traffic, etc. I'd take a taxi if you go out at night. If you decide to rent a car, never leave anything in your car unattended. Also use the safe in your room. Petty theft is the most common crime. Happy birthday! Costa Rica is beautiful, and the people are really nice. They embrace the Pura Vida life.

I'm so sorry I think my phone auto corrected it to San Juan... Yes definitely should be San Jose!

Yes guided tour in Monteverde sky walk.
Actually everything we are doing is with a tour company aside from La fortuna waterfall. We plan to do that on our own. Is it easy to do on our own?

Great tip about Rio Celeste thanks!!! Is weather unpredictable there in December?

Thanks so much for these tips!

Yes, Fortuna waterfall is very easy to do on your own. It's a lot more organized than I expected it to be. There's a big parking lot and an organized entrance where you pay the entrance fee. If you want to, you can swim in the river there away from the force of the falls. The river was crystal clear when we went. There's a small set of steps off to the left when you get down to the bottom. I think the weather is always pretty unpredictable. We've gone in many different months, and we've had some rain every trip. Everything just goes on as planned, but Rio Celeste would just be a waste. In addition to not seeing the beautiful blue water color, it can get muddy on their trails. Sounds like you have everything booked, but if you need a tour company for anything, Desafio is always good.

Thanks so much! We are doing all the activities with Desafio so glad to know we chose a good one!

Yes, definitely a good choice; we've enjoyed everything we've done with them. Hope you have a great time.