Kelmart

Have about 9 days in July. Want to do the zip-lining, wildlife (maybe volcano) things, but then want some fun beach stuff (waterfalls) etc... We only want to go to two places. Any suggestions on what the best two locations would be and then where the best place to fly in and out of would be? Don't want to rent a car if possible. Also, I saw two different airports in San Jose, which one is the main one?

Thanks for all your help in advance!!

volcanogirl

Manuel Antonio and Arenal is the most popular itinerary for first timers. We always fly in and out of SJO, the main airport. There's a Sansa office next door and then the Nature Air terminal a little further away - those may be what you're thinking of. You can hire a private driver or take Interbus if you don't want to drive.

Kelmart

Is it better to take Nature Air from SJO? How much does it cost to rent a private driver?
It's about a 4 hour drive right?

richnindy

The flight from SJO to Quepos was one of the highlights of my trip. Up up up up up up . . .

volcanogirl

A private driver from SJO to Arenal is about $140. It's about a three hour drive. Arenal to MA is around 5 hours, and MA back to SJO around 3 hours. I probably wouldn't bother flying in country for those destinations. We paid $180 to go from Arenal to MA a couple of years ago. Interbus is a cheaper alternative if you have a flexible schedule.

hipvirgochick

Better to take Sansa from SJO. It's right next door and you can walk over. However, Nature Air often has good "loco" (cheap) airfares. I've used Interbus a lot (van transportation) with great success. There are so many great areas, and you can do most of the things you mention, so I suggest getting a current guide book and reading about the specifics on each area before you decide where to go.

volcanogirl

I definitely think Arenal would give you what you're looking for - it has the active volcano, a great waterfall hike, Hanging Bridges, white water rafting, zipline at Sky Trek, and natural hot springs like Tabacon and Eco Termales.

volcanogirl

When we do fly, we like to use Sansa for the exact reason that hip mentioned - very convenient that it's right next door to SJO.

shillmac

And I prefer NatureAir's twin engines!

hipvirgochick

Hey shillmac - sansa added some new planes recently and I'm pretty sure they're twins but you can check me on that.

kbeths

I can't claim to be an expert as I have never been to Costa Rica but thanks to the great input from this board, we booked hotels in 2 different areas in Costa Rica - the Peace Lodge which is about an hour from the SJO airport and then Los Lagos in Arenal. I did not want to do the 5 plus hour drive from Arenal to MA in our 9 day trip and so 2 nights at the Peace Lodge and 4 in Arenal seems to fit our needs. Peace Lodge sounds amazing if you want to consider that option- www.waterfallgardens.com. We also booked Wilson as our driver who we found on this board and he has been very helpful with suggestions.

shutterbug85

I just returned from Costa Rica, and I agree with volcanogirl that Arenal and Manual Antonio are probably the two best locations to get in everything you're looking for. You can go ziplining, canyoning, do hanging bridges, hiking (waterfalls), and all sorts of activities in Arenal, and most of those are also available in the Manual Antonio area.

We took Interbus from San Jose to Arenal (~3 hours) and also from Manual Antonio to San Jose (~4 hours - lots of traffic going in that day). We hired a private driver to go from Monteverde (not too far from Arenal) to Manual Antonio (~5 hours), and it was well worth it. Leo wasn't free, but Carlos (who works with him) was really awesome. We learned tons from him! It's well worth it to hire a private driver for just one leg if you can't afford one the whole trip (like us).

I'll be posting a trip review soon!

Kelmart

kbeths...wow, that Peace Lodge looks great, but pricey!
Thanks for all of the advice

shillmac

hip, LOL! I don't need to check you. Truth is, I'd hop on just about anything (including a giant moth) to make it down to BdC!