Costa Rica Master Thread

[steve L]

@ fan of dan would love to hear your advice

going sun morning and leaving thurs afternoon. not enough time but this is what the wife agreed to

[Fan of Dan]

@ fan of dan would love to hear your advice

going sun morning and leaving thurs afternoon. not enough time but this is what the wife agreed to

You should have enough time to get in some scenery as well as have time to relax just don't try to do everything.

Did you mention you are flying in and out of Liberia? If you are that is much better than SJO as it is not as complicated to find your way there. GPS is worthless in Costa Rica btw.

The 2 most popular sites in CR are Arenal for the volcanoe and activities and Manual Antonio for the beaches, rainforest and activities. There are also beaches closer to Liberia in Guanacaste CR but I would go with Manuel Antonio. The beaches there are in the national park and are in front of these huge tropical forests.

Monteverde is nice but IMHO overrated

[steve L]

I'm flying in and out of Liberia.

So I think It makes sense to first go to arenal and then work my way back to liberia and stay on some beaches in guanacaste. It looksvlikevmauel Antonio is very far and much closer to San Jose so won't try to do that?

Did you go to arenal?vwhere did you stay and what did u do

[Fan of Dan]

I'm flying in and out of Liberia.

So I think It makes sense to first go to arenal and then work my way back to liberia and stay on some beaches in guanacaste. It looksvlikevmauel Antonio is very far and much closer to San Jose so won't try to do that?

Did you go to arenal?vwhere did you stay and what did u do

Yes that is smart to go to Guancaste. Manuel Antonio is way further though it does have killer beaches and the rainforests. Maybe save it for next time, tough call. Keep in mind that the drives there although long are very scenic. Get a 4wd if you can. Keep in mind that insurance in mandatory there even if you have credit card.

I did go to Arenal will tell you about soon just gotta run for now.

[steve L]

im thinking of doing two nights and having a base around arenal and then drive to one of the beaches by gunacaste and stay there the other 2 nights.

what do the people have done costa rica think

[Fan of Dan]

im thinking of doing two nights and having a base around arenal and then drive to one of the beaches by gunacaste and stay there the other 2 nights.

what do the people have done costa rica think

That is the best way to do it. It is also worth doing the beaches at the end so that you can relax. Since you are flying into Liberia that really makes the most sense. Are you planning on spending any night in Liberia? It is a boring town but we stayed there on the night before our flight. There is a really nice and affordable Hilton there which compared to standard Costa Rica lodging is really nice.

[daganster]

You have to go on the zipline there(over the waterfalls), it is something well worth waiting for!

I was there a couple of years ago and I went ziplining in a place called Monte Verde, they say that it's the nicest there.

[steve L]

So I found a grt house on home away near arenal but she wants a min of 3nights @150 with privatevpool  . She is willing to do 2 nights but more money

So I was thinking maybe it makes sense to do sun afternoon till we'd morningish and then drive to gunacastevarea for last day to relax. But bec with my short time I think maybe to spend more time by arenal doing activities vs just sitting by the beach


What do u think

[Fan of Dan]

The drive to Guancaste from Arenal will take you longer than you think as you have to drive around the entire lake arenal which is windy and one lane, at times you can stuck behind a truck etc for a really long time. Figure a couple of hours, maybe 4. So you will not have that much time for relaxing.

[steve L]

Ok so would you recommend two or 3 days in arenal doing zip lining hiking water rafting.

[steve L]

@fandan. Did u like arenal and what did u do there

[Fan of Dan]

@fandan. Did u like arenal and what did u do there

The first thing I did was a hike through the lava fields at the foot of Arenal. Worth it but make sure to decline the guide they offer, not worth it.  We went to some hot springs in the area at night. If u want i can tell u about a free place. We spent a full day doing a very worth it trip to the Rio Frio which is a river at the town of Los Chiles in Northern Costa Rica. We hired a private boat there and they took us on the river to see troops of howler monkeys, many different types of birds etc. then the boat took us to the border town of San Carlos which is located in Nicaragua. The whole thing was super cool a real highlight of our trip as many people go from Arenal to see the river and we got to check out Nicaragua as well. Just the border crossing was an amazing experience. Nicaragua is so so cool and I would never stay there because it is so 3rd world so was a good way to see it. We had a tour guide who took us around the city as part of the package.
We didn't do horseback riding there because we did it in Monteverde but for you I would say to do it by Arenal. A lot of people do zip line there we didn't end up doing it (we got sunburned at the beach and didn't want the harness to aggravate it).
Didn't go rafting. If you want a tropical vacation then don't spend all your time at Arenal it is really worth it and cool but isn't in a tropical setting.

[steve L]

@fan Dan thank u so much for your advice

Do u think there is enough to do by arenal for 3 days ? I also want some tropical but afraid to much time doing that bec can get bored vs spending time doing activities   I can spend time by guanacaste but sounds like the only things to do is beach related stuff

THX for your help and advice

[Fan of Dan]

@fan Dan thank u so much for your advice

Do u think there is enough to do by arenal for 3 days ? I also want some tropical but afraid to much time doing that bec can get bored vs spending time doing activities   I can spend time by guanacaste but sounds like the only things to do is beach related stuff

THX for your help and advice

My pleasure.

What time would you arrive in Arenal on Sunday and what time would you depart on Wednesday.

If you have just Monday and Tuesday in Arenal then the Monday morning I would do a hike through the lava fields at the foot of Arenal. In the afternoon you can do a zip line with a canopy tour. Tuesday you can go horseback riding in the am to a really nice waterfall (forgot name) and then in the afternoon you can find something to do on Lake Arenal or something else. Maybe do a river tour of the Rio Frio they have many tours going from Arenal. Then Wednesday first thing in the morning you can go to Guancaste. Not a bad arrangement. If you are dying to go to Monteverde then you can do it Sunday if you have time it does not require a full day, I just do not know what time you land, note though that it is alot of extra driving.

Another option for Monday or Tues is to drive to Volcan La Poas which is about a 2 hour drive and if you get there before ten am when the clouds come in you can see the inside of a volcanic crater and actually see the some coming out of it.

[steve L]

@fan dan

i arrive 2 pm sun aft and leave thurs aft 2pm.  ilike your itinerary for arenal.

not dying to go to montevedre.  i just want to get the rain forest feeling with all the animals and activities. i think i will drive straight from lir  till wed morning and then drive to guanacaste wed morning and chill out there for a day on the beach

did you go to guanacaste area? know any good place to stay?