TomH0213

Hi Everyone!

My wife and four kids (Ages 15, 13, 12, and 10) are planning a spring break trip to Costa Rica from March 11- March 19. We fly into Liberia at 2:00 pm on that Friday, and we leave from Liberia the following Saturday. We have not traveled to Costa Rica before; therefore, we do not know much about the area. I was wondering if anyone would help give me an idea of what we should incorporate into our trip with our length of stay.

Here are the details we do know:
We plan on staying in rental houses. Now where we should stay and how long we should stay in each house is really one of my big questions...? (We can stay anywhere except Caribbean Coast) Since we want to see different parts of the country, we will not stay in the same house the entire time. (No more than 3 different houses though) We WILL be renting a car and are willing spend time driving to reach certain areas, but we do want to make the most of our trip. I know for sure we will most likely stay in Arenal for part of our trip (how long to accommodate activities we want to do??) but I do not know where we will go from there. (Possibly Manuel Antonio or Nicoya Peninsula? These are just ideas, but I really don't know where we should go.)

Here are some of the things we are interested in:
1. Zip Line: We want to zip line and I have heard a lot of good things about the Arenal Mundo Aventura ZipLine. How does this one compare with the Sky Trek Zip lines in the same area? Any other recommendations?

2. Arenal Volcano: One of the first things that comes to my mind when thinking of Costa Rica is its volcano. I'm guessing we will stay in the area, but is there anything you can do that actually involves the volcano? Hike up it etc. or is it just another sight to see?

3. Rainforest: Seeing the rainforest is definitely our top priority. We want to rent a house in or very close to one (length of stay?). Our kids are all very interested in seeing wildlife so where would be a good place for this? I've heard good things about Corcovado National Park, but I don't know if making the lengthy drive down to the Osa Peninsula would be a smart decision with our time frame... Would it be a possibility? If not, are there other rainforests that would be good for us to visit? We would want to be able to hike and see animals and having a tour guide is not important to us.

4. Waterfalls: We want to see and possibly swim in at least one waterfall during our trip. Now this would definitely not be an all day activity, so are there any waterfalls that would be accessible to us near an area we may stay in? (Based off where you suggest we should stay) Another option would be to stop at one while traveling from one destination to the next. Or even on the day we arrive? (We fly in at 2 so do not have enough time to do any big activities....)

5. Beach: We do want to rent a house for maybe 2-3 days (good length?) near a beach so we can see the aquatic side of Costa Rica. I know Costa Rica isn't known for this, but snorkeling is definitely one of my family's interests. Are there any beaches on the Pacific Side (we will not be going to the Caribbean Side) that are clear enough to actually see anything? Any good reefs or marine life? If there really aren't any good offshore snorkeling beaches, our second option would be a good surfing beach. Any ideas on this? I don't know if this meets either criteria, but I have heard really good things about beaches in Manuel Antonio. Would this be a good place to stay? I have researched the area a little after being drawn to it by its wildlife factor, but I was wondering what we could do for several days if that area was our home base. (Don't want to have to end up driving 4+ hours to do an activity) We are definitely NOT the type of family that relaxes on the same beach for 3 days straight...

6. Wildlife Sanctuary: As I've already mentioned, my kids absolutely LOVE animals, so a wildlife reserve that gives them the chance to see native animals up close is a must! I've heard of Proyecto Asis..Is this a good one? It's near Arenal (most likely will be one of our stops), so it is convenient, but are there any better ones? I have friends who have gone to Costa Rica and have had the chance to touch and hold certain animals. Would that be a real possibility for my family?

7. I'm not sure how much time the above activities will take up, but the other things that are not top priority include: Rafting, surfing, caving, and possibly hot springs. I hear rafting is fun, but is it any different from rafting in any other location in the world? For surfing, if we stay on a good beach, it will definitely be something we do. If we stay somewhere close to a good surfing area, we may go for half a day or so. But remember that we are more interested in snorkeling! I have been told that Venado Caves in Arenal National Park is an interesting thing to do. We have gone on cave tours before, but this one stood out because you appear to actually be walking around instead of riding on a tour car. Is this true, and if so would it be a fun thing to do with kids? Lastly, if there are any good hot springs NEAR an area we are staying, it will be something we will try to do. How much time do you think we should spend there if we do decide to go to one? However, it is not something we will send time driving to go do.

Ok if you stayed long enough to read all of that (sorry its so lengthy!) all I want to know is how my family can make the best of our stay. Recommendations on which areas we should stay in and for how long will be very helpful. What activities we should do and when would also be great! The thing I know I will struggle with is planning when it comes traveling from one house to the next and from house to activity and back to house. (When? How long? Order?) We don't want to spend a lot of time in the car, but we do want to do as many of the things listed above as possible.. I would be extremely grateful if anyone would help me do that! All the help I can get will be appreciated!

Thank you so much!

-Tom H.

MichelleY

With that amount of time, choose 2 locations. Arenal and a beach location closer to Liberia. I have not been to these areas, but Nosara, Samara and Tamarindo get good reviews. Travel times are longer than you think. If it takes you and hour here, double it for Costa Rica.

MichelleY

It gets dark at 5-5:30, so plan accordingly.

volcanogirl

A lot of what you want to do can be done in the Arenal area. Check out Rios Tropicales for rafting. We did the Sky Trek zipline, and it's pretty amazing. They have some of the longest, highest, fastest lines in the world. You can get nice views of both the lake and the volcano when the weather cooperates. There's a gorgeous waterfall in the Arenal area as well, and you can swim in the crystal clear river at the base. The volcano is not currently active but you can go hike around the old trails. We did it as a tour and learned a lot about the history of the area that way; our guide also spotted howler monkeys and toucans. The Proyecto Asis animal rescue center let us feed the monkeys and a sloth when we were there. Also got to hold a raccoon. It's a nice little center. If you wanted too, you could stay a night at the Toucan Rescue Ranch - an amazing rehab. spot where you can enjoy breakfast with baby sloths, but it's close to SJO so may not be convenient for you. I'd skip caving since there's so much to do and see in this area.

volcanogirl

Should be to, sorry. For hot springs, check out Tabacon. Your kids would love it.

SassTraveler

Yes. Two places max, otherwise you will spend all of your time traveling in between locations.

Arenal is lush and has hiking and zip line and hot springs. The volcano is inactive now from what I've been reading. Agree with Volcano Girl - Rio Tropicales offers top notch rafting.

Monteverde is magical - a cloud forest. Getting there is half the fun. Hiking/birding. Kids would love the night time tour in the forest. Two days max.

Best all-in one beach + animals experience is Manual Antonio. Tamarindo is very good beach and town for the family but touristy (as it's easy to get to) and animal sitings are mostly monkeys.

Coolest spot, but priciest and hardest to get to is the Osa peninsula.

You will have a wonderful experience whatever you choose, as long as you don't try to get to too many destinations in a one week trip.

SassTraveler

Ah and forgot to mention that Monteverde has a small, but really neat butterfly and bug sanctuary. Kids + you will like it. And eat at Johnny's Pizza (organically yummy).

p.s. pack headlamps for everyone. really really dark at night.

Munchin_Mishelle

If you can fit it in you should absolutely check out the Jaguar Rescue Center: http://www.jaguarrescue.com/