Hi All,
I am hoping to get some ideas for planning a trip to CR this summer. I will be travelling with my wife and three active teenagers (13, 15, 16). We are very interested in wildlife viewing and adventure like zip lines, rafting, snorkelling, kayaking, hiking and or horses. We will probably have 12-13 days there. Any suggestions on an itinerary for that time of year would really be appreciated.

I see many adventure itineraries on the internet, but some seem kind of pricey. Can we arrange similar activities locally for less money?

How crowded are things during late July, early August? Do I need to make reservations now, or can I get better deals by waiting?

Also, having 5 people is often a problem for us as so many places restrict 4 to a room. Does anyone have suggestions for places that cater to families larger than 4?

This forum has a great deal of helpful hints and I really appreciate all those who take the time to make such posts.

I have done comparisons with tour companies vs. planning it myself for several countries so I'm a firm believer that with some research, some forum talk and guidebooks you will save money and know more going in.

The 5 people scenario has been posted here before so hopefully you'll get better responses than what I remember, but I do know there are several places in Manuel Antonio that can accomodate you. The least expensive option being La Posada, and 2 more expensive options being Buena Vista Villas and Tulemar Bungalows. There are more...

In Arenal I believe Arenal Observatory Lodge and Los Lagos (which I'm sure the teens would love) have family accommodations.

With the amount of time you could definitely add 1 or 2 more destinations, depending on your arrival and dept times and how much you want to move around. Also, if you post your approx budget on how much you want to spend on hotels you'll get more help too.

The Carribean side offers a lot to see and do as well, but adds a bit of travel time into your schedule. Osa Peninsula is a great way to experience some up close wildlife and is a unique area that's still unspoiled. Bosque del Cabo has cabinas and 2 houses, can seem a little pricey at first, but it's an amazing place and worth every penny. Do a search here and you will find many, many rave reviews.

I'm not familiar with the beaches closer to Liberia, except for reading all about the here, so I'll let others chime in with 1st hand recommendations on those.

Oh, something else you might want to consider is a 1 or 2 day rafting trip on the Pacuare. There are a couple of operations that provide lodging on the 2 night. I THINK Adventures Tropicales or Rios Tropicales, and then if you go to Pacuare Lodge that's the more spendy one.

Well, hope this gets you started anyway!

You might want to check out Hacienda Guachipelin in the Rincon de la Vieja area. They had a package for a stay with ziplining, horseback riding, hiking and river tubing. We did not stay there as they were full for the days we wanted in August when I tried to book in the spring. If you do stay there, make sure you get one of the newer rooms.

The most popular first time trip, especially for families, is Arenal combined with Manuel Antonio. That would give you volcano time and beach time both, along with Cano Negro, the park, mangrove tour, horseback riding, ziplines, hiking at the Hanging Bridges, and snorkeling, although the snorkeling in CR isn't great. With the popularity of CR, I'd say the sooner you book the better; popular places fill up months and months in advance.

We (me, DW and 2 teenagers) went to CR last Aug and spent a week in Manuel Antonio (stayed at Si Como No, which we really liked although I don't know their arrangement possibilities for 5). Was not crowded since it's the wet season. The opportunity came up rather quickly so we didn't make plans until June. Got some really good deals. Our research indicated that most places have reduced rates for wet season but didn't find any real specials beyond that. I'm not sure I'd wait too long to make reservations - especially if you're trying to accommodate 5 people - since CR is becoming very popular year round.

We didn't make our plans for adverture trips until we got there (couldn't make up our minds ahead of time) and arranged them all through the hotel. Had no problems getting what we wanted and thought all the rates were reasonable. We also didn't know until we got there that many activities are only available in the mornings during the wet season (eg, sailing, catamaran, mangrove tours, etc) so we were glad we waited to confirm what's available - somehow we just didn't pick this up prior to the trip.

Because you have a good amount of time, I really recommend the Osa Peninsula. It is one of the worlds most Bio-diverse areas and most lodges are solar powered as there is no electricity supplied by National Provider (ICE). The local population, and conservation experts want to keep the forest as pure as possible. It is rainy down there most of the year, July/August is a little tough but it should still be nice early in the day and rain about 3/4pm.


http://www.anywherecostarica.com/sou...ica/travel.htm

You can find really good snorkelling and nice beaches in Manuel Antonio which is north of the peninsula in the central pacific region.

Tour agencies are okay to book with, but purchasing tours once you arrive can prove to be cheaper because you can compare.

The best rafting trips are in the Sarapiqui valley which is another area of dense rain forest. These rivers can be accessed on a day tour from Arenal if you are planning to visit the volcano.

http://www.arenal.net/

This site will give you info on The volcano and allow you to view which tours are offered there.

Happy Trails

Lots of good ideas here. Take a second look at kencolian's post regarding the Rincon de la Vieja area and Hacienda Guachepelin. That area is much drier than the rest of the country in August and it's a great time to visit not only the Rincon area, but Guanacaste in general. Lots of good hotels.

Arenal is always a good choice.

The Osa may be a bit too rainy that time of year for max enjoyment. Not sure. We've had great luck down there in early July, but I think it cranks up pretty good around the first of August, increasing through Sept. and many places closed in October!

We'll be there at the same time--perhaps our paths will cross! We haven't started working out our trip yet, and probably won't worry about it too much for awhile. July and August tend to be considerably less busy than this time of year, even though the numbers have, as said, increased in recent years--and will continue to do so!

Xela59 - last July/early August we took a similar trip, but for some reason our report doesn't show up in using the search function. Hope it, too, gives you some ideas:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35045117

Wow. You guys are awesome! Thanks so much for your suggestions. I will look into these ideas and try to narrow things down some.

MRand - thanks for the link to your report from last year. I started reading, but will have to continue this weekend. It's getting late.

We are in a very similar situation. My 16 yr old daughter will be spending four weeks in CR with a group arranged through school with what sounds like a similar agenda as you described for your son. Her time there is supposed to end on 7/30. I was thinking about flying down with my wife and two boys on 7/26 and spending a few days with just the 4 of us before hooking up with her. We would then travel together and fly home on 8/9.

Does anyone have an idea about what a good price for roundtrip airfare from NYC to SJO would be? Are prices likely to come down or increase as summer gets closer?

Thanks again to all of you for your replies.

Re airfare question. I wouldn't expect things to go down much considering fuel costs, etc. But I've also seen reports that with the economy headed backwards, airlines are starting to predict some slowdown - which MAY mean some discounts this summer. FWIW, I do know that when we went last year, CO had a sale and some people were able to get tickets from EWR - SJO cheaper than IAH - SJO. So who knows!

Xela59 - your situation/itinerary/trip timing sounds almost exactly the same as ours. I'll be interested to read what you all decide to do.

Xela59 - we began planning our trip last year fairly late -- in May -- for our July/August trip and was surprised at the availability of accomodations. Nevertheless, I think as soon as you have a good sense of your intinerary you should make reservations. At each location, we rented two rooms for our family of 5.

I don't know how restrictive CR hotels are on having 4 vs. 5 to a room. However, if cost is a driving issue for you, I will say that generally our rooms were large enough that if necessary, we could have slept four (uncomfortably - we're a tall family) in two double beds and one on the floor on an Aero Bed: www.aerobed.com

Late July to early August should not be too rainy to visit the Osa. We have been there 3 times at that exact time. They are in a "mini dry season" at that time. It starts around the first of July and lasts about 6 weeks.

Xela59 - looking at www.kayak.com, there is a nonstop Continental flight available from Newark to SJO 7/26 returning 8/9 for $395. (Flights from La Guardia or JFK are a bit more and have a stop, unless you're willing to pay much more for a nonstop from NYC.)

It seems like a great price to me, especially considering it's a nonstop.

I just got back yesterday and kayak.com was recommended when I was down there too. Another thought would be surfing with 3 active teens. I took my then 17 yr old down to learn surfing and she said it was the best experience in her life(she had never tried before). She has been to 4 surf camps since and although I am home, she is still there for another 10 days with Jim Hogan's surf camp (the best one that she has found to date). He is in Hermosa (10 mins south of Jaco). He was the World Longboard Champ in 95/96 and did the world tour for 10yrs as well as trained the US team. Was from California, but now lives there with his wife and kids(ages 12 and 14 that often will come surfing as well). She(his wife) does horseback tours, and he arranged ziplining for us as well as took my daughter to Manual Antonio for a day. Really into photography and sends her home with a CD of pics (her surfing and all the wildlife they find). He put us up at Hotel Terrazas del Pacifico in Hermosa and the whole thing was quite reasonable. BTW, I like Terrazas .. very comfortable and clean and had 2 doubles per room.
My daughter is now 22 and developed a real passion for surfing. I liked that as a teen it kept her envolved for many hours straight, out of trouble and exhausted at the end. Snorkelling isn't big in CR due to the waves, but if you plan to go into Manual Antonio Park, I think it is the second or third beach in the trail has a lovely little area for snorkelling. BTW, with Jim, we paid less for everything we did. Ziplining was normally $70 .. our price was $36. Discounts on meals .. he took us to good spots that weren't costly etc.
You can see his web site at www.jimhogansurfcamp.com . I also like knowing that my daughter is really safe with him. Good luck .. you will love CR .. we keep going back

Xela59 -

We stayed at the Buena Vista Villas at Tulemar (Manuel antonio) last summer and loved it!!! We had a 2 floor "treehouse" style villa that slept 6 people (3 queen beds). Amazing views, monkeys on the balcony, and a great beach). We felt like we had the resort to ourselves, including the pool and the services of the concierge!! Highly recommended!!

About 90 minutes from MA (on terrible roads!!) is the Rafiki Safari lodge. This is a luxury tent camp that is hardly roughing it. Your "tent" has a wood platform, a full attached bathroom, and a thatch roof above. This is a very special place with horseback riding, hiking, and exceptionally beautiful class III rafting.

These we the two favorites on our two week trip!