bsparks276

We are planning to visit for little over a week. This is our first time in this country. We are not much into activities or beach, ziplining, rafting, long hikes, etc. But would spend time to see wildlife (birds as well as animals/mammals) and photography. I spend so much time on forums and it made me more confuse, which part should we visit. This is for Feb end and we will not do Osa, because that requires its own dedicated time to visit. I see two options -

1- SJO Airport - Manuel Antonio (and drip trip to south ahead) - Arenal and Monteverde - Liberia and fly back home.

2- SJO Airport - Tortuguero - Arenal (may be Monteverde too) - Liberia and fly back home.

3- SJO Airport - Tortuguero - Cahuita/Punta Uva/Uvita - Arenal - Liberia and fly back home.

What I learned so far about -

1- Manuel Antonio will be hot in Feb and also very crowded. It can be bad, but also if it is crowded it means that might be good too.

2- I don't know much about Tortuguero, still reading. Feb is not turtle season. Is it still good for wildlife in Feb?

3- I read many posts about Cahuita/Punta Uva/Uvita. Many of them say that if same wildlife is visible in other more accessible areas too, why to go so far and out of way, especially when we are not beach people or not into rafting or snorkeling.

Please advise and comment, what do you think.

Thanks

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I think all three of your proposed itineraries are too much to pack into "a little over a week." I work on Fodor's guidebook to Costa Rica. I always point out that Costa Rica is the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, but it takes a lot more time than you think to get around the country. I think that's the biggest surprise for first-time visitors.

The classic "first time" trip to Costa Rica is Arenal and Manuel Antonio. You can easily do that in your timeframe. While Manuel Antonio is a beach destination, there are so many other things to see and do there. Same with the Arenal area: There's just a ton of things to see and do. I would do Arenal OR Monteverde, but not both.

The Caribbean coast is my favorite part of Costa Rica. It is lush and green, but it is lush and green because it is rainy, and the rain is spread evenly throughout the year. The Pacific coast has distinct rainy and dry seasons. February will definitely be dry and much warmer on that side. You're not going to get rained out in Manuel Antonio and Arenal in February.

Tortuguero is thoroughly enjoyable. It's a bit of a production to get there because there are no roads. You'd go by boat on an excursion organized by one of the lodges up there. You could do 2 days/1 night, but that feels rushed. 3 days/2 nights is more leisurely. The problem is, you are nowhere near Arenal or Monteverde and would have to get to the other side of the country. Also, as you mention, February will not be turtle season in Tortuguero.

I like your option 1: Manuel Antonio and Arenal. I guess that's what I'm saying.

bsparks276

Hi Jeff.

Thanks for taking time and reply with suggestions.

If we keep two base, Manuel Antonio and Arenal, we can split 3 days and 3 days for both places, unless you would suggest something else or add something.

Manuel Antonio - I read that national park itself is small and should not take big time. After staying night at SJO/Alajuela, we will leave for Manuel Antonio. I am yet to find where to stay here, but if we reach there by noon, should we see it on same day till evening ? We are visiting with 9 years old, so won't do really long hikes.
Otherwise, we can do it next day and also do a boat tour here like Damas Mangrove tour. Our focus is to photograph lot of wildlife.
We still have other days left. Do you have any recommendation on, what we can see? Drive further towards South, or somewhere like Parque Nacional Los Quetzales ?


Arenal - Same as above. We are not much into activities like ziplining, hot springs, rafting, etc. I am trying to find a lodge within nature, so it can be easy to see wildlife around. Any suggestions how we can plan our days here?

volcanogirl

Manuel Antonio is great for seeing wildlife. Lots of monkeys and sloths in this area. The monkey will steal from you so keep an eye on your things. You can see the national park in a day. We did a tour with Manuel Antonio Expeditions, and they were excellent. They pointed out a lot of things we would have missed on our own. They also so the Damas mangrove tour and found a tiny silky anteater for us.

In the Arenal area, take a look at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. They have the best wildlife of any lodge/hotel in the area. They're located out by the lake away from town. When we've stayed there, they offered a free guided hike each morning. Lots of beautiful birds here including toucans, and we've also seen coatis and monkeys.

bsparks276

Thanks for your tips.
If you have to chose one out of Arenal and Monteverde, which would you prefer ? I can split my days, but if one of completely worth than other, then I would keep one base.

volcanogirl

We've been to the Arenal area several times and loved it. Have only been to Monteverde once and enjoyed it, but have no strong desire to go back. It's a pain to get to; we only went because we wanted to see quetzals. It was cold and rainy when we were there.

A couple things you might like in the Arenal area - the Bogarin Trail is a great place to see sloths. You'd have to do the guided tour. It's not a hike, more like a stroll on family owned land. You could also do the Cano Negro tour with Desafio. It's an all day tour; you take a boat ride and see monkeys, caimans, cool water birds, etc. You can get some nice photos.

volcanogirl

If it's in your budget, Tulemar Bungalows in Manuel Antonio is our favorite place to stay. Very pretty property with lots of wildlife on site, and they have a beach.

bsparks276

Thank you. This is really helpful

volcanogirl

You're welcome! If you stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, they have a fruit feeder near the deck where they put fruit out every morning. That's a great place to spot pretty birds. Coatis too.

bsparks276

Arenal Observatory Lodge is not available on my dates, so I am checking alternate places to stay at Arenal.

Another one I forgot to ask earlier. I was checking your suggestion of Cano Negro tour. It is around 3 hours far from Arenal and even more if I do this tour from Monteverde. But if it worth in comparison to other wildlife tours in Costa Rica, we would like to do it.
If we don't want to get so early, is it possible to drive our car there and do next available boat tour, or they have specific times ?

volcanogirl

That's disappointing. I can't believe they're already booked for February. I think you can still pay to visit the property if you want to. They allowed that when we were there. We've also stayed at The Lost Iguana and enjoyed it. You might check there. The Lost Iguana is also set away from town and is a pretty property with great volcano views when it isn't encased in foggy clouds. Not as much wildlife as AOL though.

bsparks276

Lost Iguana Resort is available. We can go with this property.
Any comment on my Cano Negro tour question?

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Great suggestions from volcanogirl, as always.

Manuel Antonio National Park is closed on Tuesdays. Factor that into your planning. It's open 7-3 Wed.-Mon.

Caño Negro is a great option for viewing wildlife. It seems everybody in La Fortuna (the main town in the Arenal area) does the tour, but Desafio does it best. It'll be a lot easier to go on an organized tour than trying to do it on your own.

I think for your purposes, Arenal makes more sense than Monteverde. It's just easier to get to Arenal. February is quite chilly and WINDY in Monteverde. You would never believe you are 10 degrees north of the equator.

bsparks276

Thanks Jeff.
Then, as suggested by both, I will keep two base. Arenal and Manuel Antonio, and skip Monteverde.

Manuel Antonio stay for 3 nights - What we will do :
Manuel Antonio National Park visit (small park, so should not take more than half day)
Isla Damas boat tour
Rainmaker Conservation Park
Uvita and/or other places towards South

Arenal stay for 3 nights - What we will do :
Yet to find, but Cano Negro tour is the one. I will check about this.
--------------------
Manuel Antonio to Arenal seems to be over 5 hours drive. Usually people drive it in a day or break journey in between to see different wildlife ? I am good in driving, but CR is different as I am reading. Roads are narrow, winding and slow.

volcanogirl

Agree with Jeff. Do Cano Negro with an organized tour like Desafio. Some people do drive there on their own, but you wouldn't be going with a trained guide, a lot of the tour guides would speak only Spanish, and you don't know what kind of shape the boat is in. I haven't done Cano Negro for a few years so check reviews before you go. We saw a lot of neat things - monkeys, sloths, bats, caimans, iguanas, water birds, basilisk lizards, etc.

volcanogirl

Most people do Manuel Antonio to Arenal in one day. The roads in that area are in pretty good shape. You may want to stop at the Rio Tarcoles bridge to see the big crocs that hang out down below. Never leave anything in your car unattended.

bsparks276

I spend few more hours in browsing topics and came up with some more questions. Please help me with these.

Initially I was thinking to do Damas Island Estuary Boat Tour. But it looks like Cano Negro is a bit ahead and should be better value. Now we are in question for -

1- Where to stay at Manuel Antonio area - We don't want any fancy accommodation. A clean and comfortable place will work for us, if it is within nature, even better. Quepos, Jaco/Playa Hermosa (if this, then I can visit Carara too) or Dominical ? We are not activity lovers, so no water sports or surfing. Visiting with 9 years old boy, so no long hikes and kayaking too.
Manuel Antonio will be one attraction, which we can do from any base.

2- On our first day we will come from SJO and should reach here by noon, assuming that hotel can give us early check-in. We have rest of the day to roam around beach or any other suggested place. Next day, we can do Manuel Antonio National Park and should be done by noon. Can/should do Rainmaker Conservation Park or Santa Juana Reserve (found its reference on one of the photographic forum) and some bird photography in second half on same day?

volcanogirl

I wouldn't stay in Quepos; it's more of an industrial area. Jaco is where people go for bachelor parties, etc. We've never been, but some people think it has kind of a bad reputation. I'd look for somewhere in the Manuel Antonio area. Like I said we love Tulemar, but you can check around to find more affordable spots. What's your budget? We haven't been to Dominical, but it has a good reputation as well and a lot of people enjoy it.

bsparks276

As you suggest we can stay in Manuel Antonio. Around $150 per night should be okay for us.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I like Dominical, but it's 45-60 minutes from Manuel Antonio.

When people say "Manuel Antonio," they really refer to the several miles of beaches between the town of Quepos and the park itself. I agree with volcanogirl. Quepos the town isn't so interesting as a place to stay.

Volcanogirl's description of Jaco as a place to go for a bachelor party is spot on. You can do so much better, and traveling with your nine-year-old you should avoid it.