My boyfriend and I will be staying at the Condovac Lacosta for a week (Playa Hermosa). We are flying in to Liberia and will have a 4x4 rental car for our us, don't really want to join a tour to see the sights. Aside from surfing (lessons required for boyfriend) what should we plan to do/see On our own while we are there. We both enjoy hiking, exploring, great food, and BF would love to zip line (I've done it twice before).

Thanks!

Gin

Check out the Rincon de la Vieja area - hiking, tubing, ziplines. We spent a day at Buena Vista Lodge for the mud baths, thermal springs and hanging bridges.

For a longer daytrip you could drive over to Rio Celeste at Tenerio National Park - fantastic waterfall in the most incredible blue shades.

We took a catamaran out to some islands for snorkeling. It was fun, but the snorkeling wasn't great. We left from Playa Flamingo.

Thanks Colibri. Rincon de la Vieja sounds like a good plan. I'll check out Buena Vista Lodge too.

Guachipelin also has a good combo tour for the money. Canyoneering, river tubing, volcanic mud, etc... http://www.guachipelin.com/one-day-pass.html

Bit further out you can visit Mirravalles - http://www.hornillas.com/ This is the only active volcanis crater you can walk around inside, which is pretty cool. Like walking around another planet. More will chime in soon.

I don't know when you will be going but try to find a rodeo. The bull riding is insane. A rodeo is the most flavor you will find in the country.
For one dinner out you should try Ginger. Really good tapas.

Bookmarking because I'm interested too.

Thanks for the tips. We ended up going to the Buena Vista Lodge for a day and night. We had a blast! Zip line, water slide, horseback riding, volcanic mud, pools, etc.
The cabins were clean, comfortable and very cute. The food was buffet style, but really very good. The best part about staying overnight was their sunset bar. Located at the top of the property, the view was panoramic all the way to the Pacific. Just beautiful.

Costaricajay, we caught the tail end of a rodeo. Pulled the car over and got out on time to see the last 5 minutes. I wish we would have gotten there earlier. It looked very exciting.

Thanks again,

Ginger

Hi Ginger-we are debating between Arenal and Miguel Antonio or renting an all inclusive villa in Guanacuaste. We would do the full day at Buena Vista Lodge too (but not stay there). Was the area pretty?

It was pretty. It's a rustic drive out there, rustic when you get there. Very well taken care of, clean, and when we were there, plenty of employees.

As far as the beaches, also yes. Sandy beaches, sandy ocean bottoms. Warm ocean water, beautiful sunsets.

Guanacaste's hot, dry climate makes the region a popular escape for those suffering cold winter months in the northern latitudes. Province of Guanacaste in the small Costa Rica country is full of different things to do. You can explore local things to do and popular tourism spots in Guanacaste North Pacific Coast, then book a flight, rental car and hotel all with ease.

So if we were going during summer months, this area would be dryer (but still green and lush?) Are beaches like the caribbean? would you recommend we book a car?

plam, I have the same question. I've had multiple guides say that this area isn't for us because it's not as lush and green as the other spots we've been to, and that it can be dry and dusty. Can someone who had been there give feedback on if there are some lush, green areas?

On my first trip to Costa Rica in 2008 I visited Liberia, Rincon de la Vieja and Brasilito in March and it was very hot (98-106F), dry and dusty. However, many people said it's great to go during the early part of the rainy season as it is much greener, cooler and much more lush at that time. There are some really lovely beaches to explore.

Since my main interest is wildlife and birds (not beaches) we haven't returned there on any trips. I have found I prefer the rainforest, cloud forests and canals of Tortuguero more than the dry tropical forest. We saw very little wildlife on the first trip, but have made up for it since then!

Thanks, col - that's a great explanation.

So all, from my limited research, i have heard that Guanacuaste is very dry except for the rainy season (summer). Anyone to confirm??
Or else I am looking at Arenal, MA and Tortuguero. Am so confused!!

This site may help you get an idea of general rainfall patterns. Mouse over the areas you're interested in to see a rough idea of rain patterns by month.

We've been to Arenal, MA, and Tortuguero and loved all of them.

http://costa-rica-guide.com/Weather/WeatherMap.html

what is the cloud forest area like (mouvedre?)

It's pretty and green and misty and cloudy. It can get quite cool at night because it's at a higher elevation. We wore fleece jackets and sweatshirts at night, and our hotel had their fireplace going. You can hike in the reserve; it's kind of a pain to get to, so I'd stay a couple of days if you can - bumpy road to get there. We used Desafio's jeep boat jeep service to go between Arenal and Monteverde; it saves time, and the views from the lake are nice.

Clarifying - pain to get to Monteverde, not to the reserve.