Osa Peninsula
 

One week vacation in CR. Flying into San Jose and flying on to Puerto Jimenez to stay at Bosque del Cabo for 4 nights. Should we extend our stay at Bosque for the remainder of the week or should we fly back to San Jose and venture out from there? The Arenal Volcano area has been suggested, as has La Paloma near Drake Bay. We are birders, but we also enjoy horseback riding and hiking and snorkeling. Many choices, but not a lot of time. Suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

I would definitely head to the Arenal area; there's tons to do there. I think 4 nights is about right for the Osa, and CR is so diverse that I think it would be a shame to just see one area. There's great hiking at the Hanging Bridges, and you can also do a waterfall hike and a volcano hike. We've gone hiking out by the lake, hired guides through Desafio and Sunset Tours, and have seen some great things out there, toucans included. We've seen some nice birds out by the Lost Iguana - it's out by the lake, away from town. You can go horseback riding in that area as well. I wouldn't bother snorkeling in CR; we haven't found it to be that great. We also like the Cano Negro tour and Penas Blancas river float. Tons of adventure activities too if those interest you. Hiring a good guide will increase your chance of seeing wildlife.

We spent a couple of nights in the Arenal area after being at Bosque del Cabo on one of our trips. It was a good combination with the Osa Peninsula. I don't know what time of year you are going, but when we went in March, it was kind of cool and drizzly in the Arenal area, which we didn't like after being in the hot and steamy Osa. For us, it would have been better to go to Arenal first.

Heading over to Drake Bay would be a good choice if you prefer to stay more "off-grid."

We are traveling end of June through July 5th. Thanks for your help with the Arenal Area coolness. We'll be prepared clothing-wise.

My vote would be to stay a little longer at Bosque del Cabo, but it is my favorite place :) We really enjoyed the horseback ride that Bosque arranges. We often take a horseback tour when we travel and the one at Bosque was best one that I have taken.