Hello! Two of us are going to CR in January and need a little guidance:

We have our flights and hotels booked, but do we need to book tours now or can we wait and get assistance from the hotel staff and locals?

We are staying in Escazu for two nights, La Fortuna for two, and MA for four nights. What are the "must dos" that involve hiking, snorkling, nature, kayaking, wildlife, and adventure in each of these areas?

Any specific tour companies recommended?

What are the recommendations about renting a vehicle vs. using the interbus or some other system for traveling within and between our three destinations?

Thank you!

In Arenal, I'd hike the Hanging Bridges, go to Tabacon hot springs, take the Sunset Tours trip to Cano Negro, and go ziplining at SkyTrek.

In MA, hike that National Park to see wildlife, swim at the pretty beach inside the park, and maybe take the mangrove tour or go horseback riding or sailing.

You can wait until you get there to book tours.

In addition to Volcanogirl's list, I'd suggest you to hike in Arenal National Park to the old lava flow. We didn't go to Tabacon hot spring, but went to Eco themales instead. It was very nice & relaxing. I'd recommend it.

In MA, we went to the national park and hung out on the beach. We also did a half day horseback riding tour on the beach. We booked the afternoon tour to see the sunset. I enjoyed it a lot.

As for transportation, we rented a car. I'd suggest you to rent a 4x4. The drive in CR was adventurous. Roads are windy (many aren't paved, lots of potholes), but I enjoyed it very much. Definitely it was one of my best vacations.

Thank you! All of your ideas sound great. Our only hang-up now is the transportation piece. We are thinking of renting a car and driving from Escazu to the Arenal area, but maybe taking the interbus from Arenal to Manuel Antonio and from there to Escazu the day before our flight out. Any other suggestions given knowledge of the area, prices, ease of getting around?

My husband just wanted to relax on our trip, so we hired private drivers through the hotels where we stayed - booked it through them before we left, and when we got off the plane, the driver was there waiting for us; lots of people drive with no problems though. Interbus is very popular too.