Hello Fodorites!

Thanks to your help, we have made the following plans:
Day 1 - Arrive SJO at night & rent car; stay at Orquidas (do you think this is a good idea, or should we change it as this hotel is for sale?)
Day 2- Poas Volcano/La Paz falls & drive to Arenal. Stay at Lost Iguana (LI)
Day 3 - Stay at LI, zip line/sky trek and hanging bridges
Day 4 - LI. Cano Negro tour
Day 5 - Thermales. Stay at AOL.
Day 6 - Late morning departure for Manuel Antonio. Turn in rental car once there or take bus?. Stay at Costa Verde (CV).
Day 7 - Manuel Antonio Park. CV.
Day 8 - Horseback Riding. CV
Day 9 - Mangrove Tour. CV.
Day 10 - Interbus to San Jose. Stay at Grano de Oro
Day 11 - Pacuare River Tour. Grano de Oro
Day 12 - depart for USA early afternoon.

Our questions are:
1. Has anyone done the 2 day/1 night Pacuare River Trip? We were debating cutting Manuel Antonio by 1 night (leave late afternoon day 9 vs am day 10) and doing this instead of a Pacuare day trip.

2. Rental Car- We're renting a car at SJO and driving to Arenal via Poas etc. Should we/can we return it in Arenal or keep it until arrival in Manual Antonio? No car needed in MA, right?

3. Flat tire scam - any preventative measures you suggest?
Thank you all!!!

I've gone on the 2 day/1 night rafting package twice already and plan to go again. I went with Aventuras Naturales each time and will in all likelihood go with them again. This package was a definite highlight both times - a real splurge but worth every penny.

Let me know if you have specific questions.

Thanks Eressea.
We can't decide if we should do the 1 day trip down the Pacuare or do the overnight. If we do the overnight, we'll have to reduce our stay in Manuel Antonio by a day.
So it would be 3 nights in MA instead of 4 nights there.

Is the overnight on Pacuare very different from the day-long trip. For example, what activities happen at the lodge in the evening? By staying overnight at that lodge on the Pacuare, do you get to experience something/see wildlife that's otherwise not possible?
If the overnight offers such opportunities, then we'll do the overnight. Otherwise, it sounds like MA has plenty to offer & we can stay there 1 more day and still do the day-long Pacuare rafting.

Also, do you all recommend that rental cars from SJO be returned when we're leaving Arenal or keep it to drive to Manuel Antonio and return it upon arrival in MA. We don't want to keep the rental car in MA for 4-5 days since transportation there seems easy. Choice is (i) Drive from Arenal to MA & return car there - have people rented a car at SJO and returned it at Arenal/MA? (ii) Return car in Arenal & take Arenal to MA bus.
We plan to return to San Jose from MA by bus, unless you all advise against it.
Thanks!!!

Junejuly -

The key difference between the one day and the two day on the Pacuare is obviously the overnight stay at Pacuare Lodge.

If you spend the night, you'll have the time to hike to another waterfall on the property (there's a hike to a waterfall before you get to the lodge that's normally included in the one day) either when you arrive before lunch or after you've had lunch depending on your choice and a leisurely and informative walk through the extensive grounds with your guide who will show you fauna and flora. When I was there last time, we hiked to one waterfall before we got to the Lodge, then walked through the gardens and hiked to the other waterfall when we arrived before lunch, unpacked in our bungalows, had our gourmet lunch and then did the canopy tour after lunch.

Then back to the bungalows for a shower and some down time to do as you please, then around sunset (5 pm) Happy Hour begins on the second floor of the main reception house where you can have drinks and snacks and meet other guests at the Lodge. Then you have a gourmet dinner with dessert; the menu changes so I can't recommend one dish in particular but everyone I've met and traveled with so far has enjoyed all their meals including yours truly.

Next morning, you can opt to do an early morning hike or a bird watching tour - just make sure you let your guide and the Lodge's manager Wilman know the evening prior so that they can make any preparations. Then gourmet breakfast. Then put in probably around 10 - 10:30 am, paddle until lunch, stop at some thatched huts on the the riverbank on loan from an indigenous family, then paddle to take out, shower/change, drive back to San Jose.

I went with another company for a one day on the Pacuare and the key differences were we went to a different put in, paddled all the way to take out and then had lunch and then drove back to San Jose.

I guess I enjoyed having the time to unwind at Pacuare Lodge even if it's just an overnight stay. You'll see wildlife while you're on the boat whether you do the one day or two day but of course you won't have time to photograph or stop long enough to focus your binoculars. There will be sheer walls of greenery on either side of you on the river teeming with birds (we saw a lot on the water as well) and no doubt other wildlife, but since you're rafting it may not be as easy to spot them. On the whole, you'll see more wildlife at MA but Pacuare is a must-do as well.

Have you looked into how long your activities in MA will take? You may not have to cancel an activity if you leave a day early since I don't believe the MA park tour (this took about an hour and a half and then we were let loose to wander the beaches), the horseback or mangrove tours take all day and you might be able to do two of them in one day.

I've not yet rented a car in CR so I'll leave that to other Fodorites.

As for the bus from MA to San Jose, just keep in mind that buses tend to fill up fast and there's no guarantee you'll get a seat even if you've paid for a ticket, so even if you make it onto the bus, you may end up standing the whole way. (It's about a 4.5 hour drive from MA to San Jose.) Also, you might be required to stash your luggage in the compartment under the bus which I personally don't like to do as I like to keep an eye on my gear at all times while I'm zipping from one place to another.

On the plus side, if you're traveling light and can keep your backpack on your lap, the bus is definitely a more economical option than taking a shuttle or cab.

It sounds like a great trip! From personal experience, I would keep the car whole trip. It's not necessary to have a car in MA, however the flexibility is nice. Also, having used a private driver to go from Arenal to MA I would keep my car and drive myself. We enjoyed having the private driver, bur if we had to do it again we would just drive ourselves or fly. The driver took a really long time - but it was a very interesting way to see the country.

As for the flat tire scam - we never ran into any problems. I would just exercise caution when out in the car. Don't leave any valuables in your car - especially visable. Be aware of the surroundings.

Have fun!

I was going to say the same thing as Shell - never leave any luggage or valuables in your car; theft is pretty common. We met people on our last trip that had parked for 1/2 an hour and when they got back to the car, all their luggage, camera, etc. were gone. We haven't done the Pacuare yet, but I would love to. Hope you will post a trip report when you get back.

We will certainly post a trip report when we get back... and we hope it will help others as much as all of you have helped us.
Thanks again!