we have 12 days ( including arrival and departure days) to spend end of sept/ beginning of oct, and other than a planned trip to Tortuga Lodge for the last 3 nights, we are unsure where/ when to spend the remainder of the trip. arenal is a definite, unsure if Monteverde is worth the drive from Arenal ( how long will it actually take at that time of the year?) We are considering Monteverde alternatives ( Selva Verde, Bosque de Paz or savegreLodge)...or is Monteverde a must. Rincon de la Vieja is intrigueing, but is it too far out of the way. We prefer to avoid super long drives ( max 4 hours).Any help will be appreciated. One more question....is it reasonable to arrive at 1:30pm and hit the road to any of these places before dark? I hate staying in/near San Jose.

Arenal sounds like a good addition to your itinerary as does the Selva Verde area. I would add one other destination just to get the beach factor in--southern Caribbean.

September-October are the driest months of the year for the Caribbean side. By virtue of that fact, I'd plan most of my days in and around that area. Selva Verde is on the Caribbean slope, so perhaps it might be a little less rainy there as well.

I'm thinking Arenal, 3 days
Selva Verde Area, 2-3 days
Southern Caribbean, 3-4 days
Tortuga Lodge, 3 days

You can play with the times/days at each destination so that it all works out with your arrival/departure needs. Absolutely you can get to Arenal that first day. You should be able to be "on the road" by 3:30 at the latest. It will take you about 2.5 hours through San Ramon.

From there, it is a 3-4 hour drive to Selva Verde (Selva Verde Lodge or La Quinta both good places to stay).

From Selva Verde to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (not to be confused with Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui very near to Selva Verde), it is another 4 hours probably. There are a lot of good hotels in this area, most of which are between PV and Manzanillo.

Of course, from there you are not so far from Tortuga Lodge in the Tortuguero area, and then back to San Jose. That would be my plan!

Good luck whatever you decide.

thank you....this sounds interesting. But what would we do with the rental car while at Tortuga.....do you think they allow drop off in Puerto Limon? or maybe Costa Rica expeditions has a place for cars there?

Could you leave it at the Moin Wharf? Is that where your Tortuguero pick up is? I may be missing something here. If you are meeting CRE at Moin, then you could leave your car there until you return. I know it would be sitting for a couple of days while you are paying for it, but how had you planned to get around? Hiring a driver to these locations (or a taxi) would be a heck of a lot more expensive, IMO. When we left for Tortuguero out of the Japdeva Wharf at Moin, it was an enclosed and guarded area that would have been fine for a parked car. And you would have it for transport back to SJO and to do whatever you have planned that last evening/morning in the country?

By the way, Savegre would absolutely be a great choice for you as well. I overlooked your comment earlier. Not sure just how much it will be raining there in October, but it is a great cloud forest alternative to Monteverde. People report having difficulty seeing any quetzales at Monteverde these days--they're all over the place at San Gerardo de Dota (Savegre River) near Hotel Savegre (formerly Cabinas Chacon).

Thanks again ....re: the car, the package with CRE is from San Jose, but I'm sure we could alter that and make it from Moin Wharf as you said.
If we decided on Savegre area, do you have a suggested order of destinations. Would we do Savegre instead of La Selva or beach?
One more question...re: late afternoon drive from airport to Arenal. Tabacon Resort website recommends driving up there earlier to avoid fog around San Ramon. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Thanks again

You will go through the Los Angeles Cloud Forest north of San Ramon, but with care it shouldn't be a problem for you. Just drive defensively as you would any time, of course.

As for the rental question, thanks for clarifying. It didn't register with me (and it should have) that your planned trip to Tortuga Lodge would be with CRE and include pickup dropoff in San Jose.

How important is beach to you? I double you'll want to drive to and from the Caribbean coast twice, and that time of year it can be pretty darned rainy on the Pacific side (of course you could catch a break there, too). So a couple of options:

If you don't mind taking a chance on the rain, head to Manuel Antonio for 3 nights (I'd suggest Playa Hermosa area because it is closer to Arenal, but it is too far for you to get to that first day, so you'd lose a night staying near the airport). Then Arenal, La Selva, back to SJO for tour with CRE. Drawback: the 6 hour drive from MA to Arenal. . .beautiful drive, though!

Option 2: If you don't mind foregoing the beach, head up to Arenal, then circle around to La Selva, back to SJO area (spend a night in town, doing a walking tour of the downtown sights in the afternoon). Next morning off to San Gerardo de Dota, Rio Savegre, Savegre Mountain Lodge for a couple of nights. I'm thinking 2 nights Arenal, 2 nights Selva Verde (one full day will serve you well), 1 night San Jose (tour the town--there really are some interesting things to see if you've not seen them before, such as the Teatro Nacional, Mercado Central, Gold Museum, Plaza de la Cultura, etc), 2 nights Savegre Lodge, 1 night San Jose for early pick up the next morning, 3 nights Tortuguero. The Savegre leg almost dictates that you spend the night before and the night after in San Jose if you are going to avoid the long drives.

If this is too many nights, just drop a location and focus on Arenal, La Selva or Savegre, and Tortuguero. Or the Pacific beach, Arenal, and Tortuguero.

Another option (if you can stand one more) is Arenal, La Selva, then return to the SJO area and spend 2-3 nights there just taking in the surrounding area. There are fascinating things very near that would make great day trips. For example, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Poas Volcano (can do both the same morning); Doka Coffee Estate Tour (also the same day); day trip to Volcan Irazu, Orosi Valley, Lankaster Gardens, day trip of white water rafting on the Pacuare River. OR an overnight on the Pacuare. Heck, you could even arrange 2 nights on the Paquare and enjoy the jungle lodge just a little longer. . .think about what you'd most like to do, and don't be concerned that you can't work it all in. There will be other trips, if you're anything like the rest of us!