Manuel Antonio or Osa?
 

Planning an 8 or 9 day trip in Mid June with our 3 sons 10-15. Is this a bad (too rainy) time to go? We will fly to S.J. and drive to Arenal. We want to see 1 other place. What is the travel like between Arenal and M.A. or Osa. What are your opinions on which place the kids would enjoy most. Any advise would be appreciated!

I believe comparing the Osa to Manuel Antonio is like comparing apples and oranges. Manuel Antonio is still very beautiful, still has loads of wildlife, but is anything but pristine. The Osa is still "pristine", it is a bit harder to get to but supposedly well worth the effort.

I must say as much as I've enjoyed my 2 visits to MA, Osa is a truly ahead if you're looking for lots of wildlife and a much less developed locale.

You can fly Sansa or Nature Air from San Jose to Puerto Jiminez.

there's a lot to do in Arenal area, and well, I'd expect a bit less to do in MA for teens. Whatever you choose to do is gonna cost the bucks. My suggestions based upon experience of a 45 year old:

Arenal: Pure Trek Canyoning ($85 each)
Holy Comoly that first waterfall 168 feet will rock their butts!

Arenal Paraiso Zip Line ($45 each) more zips, longer zips, upside down zips..... better than the "other" one.... Maybe do both!

Hanging Bridges is 15-20$ per person, might bore them if not done before the others.

River Rafting in May / June? Look for class III or IV for kicks for the kids. Otherwise it is a yawn. Better off with an ATV tour, or simply a day by the beach.

Those are my pointers, with little experience.
Ask them what they want to do, and get them looking at the internet for "tour" ideas.... www. arenal.net

Have fun!

completely different places so comparison is not relevant.
june should be too rainy, but it will rain!
in the short time you have id choose between Arenal or Osa and then finish on the beach in MA:

http://costa.rica.typepad.com/la_for...ome/index.html

http://costa.rica.typepad.com/manuel...ome/index.html

correction: june should not be TOO rainy.
and.it rains in La Fortuna all year round, tho dry mostly in June apart from late afternoon, early evening!

Thank you everyone. I want to go one other place beside Arenal during our trip. Others have suggested either M.A. or Osa. I'd like somewhere where we don't have to drive 5 hrs. Flying would be O.K. Any other suggestions?

considering you only have a short time id say Arenal and MA and maybe La Paz/Volcan Poas for last day as theyre convenient for SJ airport:

http://monteverde.typepad.com/photos...costarica.html

Should we visit La Paz on the way to Arenal, then on to M.A? Or go M.A. first, then Arenal and La Paz? I'm trying to minimize driving time.

I go to Manuel Antonio quite often (a few times per year) and the weather is often good there even when it is raining in other parts of the country. It has a great mix of natural landscape and nice accommodations. The beach is also the most beautiful in CR as it is one of the few white sand beach. There is a great cheap hotel called Villas Mymosa www.villasmymosa.com which has cheap rooms with all the amenities.

Easy to visit La Paz en route to Arenal or the other way around. The transfer takes about 6 hours, and 2 hours is plenty of time for La Paz. You could get on the road about 8:00 and arrive at the other place by 5:00 at the latest. Full day, but nice things to see along the way!

Has anyone been on the river rafting tour at M.A? I'm looking for one that is about a class 3 or 4 that a 10 year old can participate in.

OSA !!!

I think we will have to save Osa for our next trip:( We added 2 days to our itenerary. Thinking of staying 1 night between Arenal and M.A. to break up the drive, remember 3 kids! Is there anywhere interesting to stay in that area?