arg2222

my boyfriend and i are traveling to costa rica the first week of march. below are the specifics thus far:

we arrive in san jose at 12noon. we are renting a car and we would like to do the following in 7 days.

the question is in what order?

pacuare river
monteverde
arenal volcanos (is this something that can be done in half a day?)
last 2-3 days on south pacific coast (dominical, uvita)

is this possible in our time frame?

thanks!

hipvirgochick

I suggest you choose 2 places, plus rafting. Otherwise just too much travelling. Not positive on drive time between Arenal and Domincal, 6 hours maybe? Bumping to the top so others can help with this. Arenal is worth 3 nights at least. Plenty to do there and there's no sense in going for a 1/2 day to see the volcano is clouded over! Maybe try the following: Arrive SJO, pick up rental car and head to Arenal, stay 3 nights. Depart early for Dominical, stay 2 nights. Depart to San Jose for rafting trip, either dropping off rental car beforehand or not, depending on what's most convenient and economical.

tully

That's a lot of travel for only 7 days. I would cut out Monteverde and either change your beach to Manuel Antonio, or at least to Dominical. That would still be a lot crammed into a short time, maybe if you're able fly between destinations which would make it a little less hectic.

volcanogirl

I agree with hip and tully - it's just too much crammed into too little time. I'd drop Monteverde since it's a bit challenging to get to; that's what we had to do for our first trip. Also Arenal has tons to offer - volcano, ziplines, natural hot springs, Cano Negro tour - I definitely wouldn't spend only half a day there. Like hip said, sometimes the volcano is enveloped in fog, and you may not even see it on a particular day. We spent 4 days there on our first trip and loved it.

shillmac

Agree with hip, tully, and vgirl. Your noon arrival is good as it will allow you to get to Arenal that day. Keep in mind that, if your departure flight is early in the day, you may need to stay the last night near the airport.

If you want to extend your beach time, you might even consider dropping Arenal from your itinerary. Head to the beach on your first day (Dominical a good suggestion), then return to the SJO area the last 2-3 days for rafting. You might be interested in an overnight rafting trip (the reason I mentioned 2-3 days at the end).

I rather doubt you can do Arenal, the beach AND rafting in a 7 day itinerary without a LOT of rushing around. You'll see some beautiful country on your rafting trip.

Just another thought. . . . .