We are planning a two week trip with our two kids, ages 15 and 13(girl, boy) for next summer. We are thinking of paos volcano area and arenal. Is it too much to do manuel antonio and osa peninsula also? We want to rent a car and tour on our own. Is all of this feasible? Any suggestions, recommendations are welcome. Thanks.

Hi, hazelnut - we've been to all the places that interest you. I'd say driving on your own is perfectly feasible, except to the Osa Peninsula. Personally, I would not want to do that drive - very long and roads not in great condition.

Near Poas, the Peace Lodge is great for a night or two. In Arenal, we liked Lost Iguana. In MA, we stayed at Mango Moon, and of course, BdC in the Osa. I think it would be a bit of a tight schedule to do all of it; we broke ours up into two trips. If I were going to the Osa, I would probably skip going to Manuel Antonio, but that's just my personal preference.

To get to the Osa, I'd take Sansa or Nature Air - very quick flight and much less tedious than trying to drive.

Thanks so much volcanogirl! Do you know how much the flights to Osa cost? I know it's too early to book airfare but I'm just trying to get my budget down. I've heard also that they are strict on the luggage allowance, is that true? Would you do the Osa first or last?
Thanks again

My husband said the Sansa flights for us were $368 total round trip; you can check their website and see how much they're running, but I belive that's accurate. BdC booked the flights for us.

They limit your luggage to a 22 pound checked bag and a 5 pound carryon. My husband's bag was 26 pounds, and they didn't say anything, but then they told the girl in front of us with a 19 pound bag that her luggage wouldn't get on the plane because it was too heavy. It was all a little wacky. We used the weekender convertible bags from ebags.com, and those worked really well for us.

I would do the Osa last because I think it kind of spoils everything else. The wildlife there is just jaw dropping - a lot of big WOW moments.

I don't think it's too much. But, you'll want to check your flight options from where you live to see how many nights you'll really have for the places you want to go. For instance, I travel from Seattle, and arrival times and departure times force me to spend both 1st and last night near SJO. My 10 year old and I went this year, and besides the 1st and last night, we spent 4 nights in Puerto Viejo, 3 nights in Arenal, 2 nights at Peace Lodge and 5 nights in Osa at Bosque del Cabo. It was plenty of time to enjoy each place so I encourage you to visit all of your choices as well! Nature Air and Sansa prices vary slightly, as well as their schedules. You can fly from Quepos to Osa instead of returning to SJO. I agree with volcanogirl, save Osa (or Poas Volcano area) for last.

Poas, Arenal, MA, Osa...or Arenal, MA, Osa, Poas would be good itineraries.