This board helped me make the decision to go to Costa Rica instead of Hawaii for an upcoming 8-9 night vacation in late May to early June.
Now I'm hoping for a little more input to help nail down some particulars. We are a family of four with two older teen boys. We like to be active and eat well. Will want to hike, snorkel, surf, fish, do canopy tours, swim, and see cool sights and wildlife.
We are generally thinking to split our time between two different lodgings, one in Forest/Mountain, one on Pacific coast. But maybe that's not necessary based on some feedback I've gotten.
Big questions:
To partake in the rainforest/mountain type activities as well as the beach/ocean activities, do you need to split the trip into two sections with two different lodgings? Just talked to someone who stayed in Jaco area and said they took a short drive inland to do canopy tours, atv rides, etc.
Had been looking at La Fortuna area as well as Monteverde area for mountain and rainforest sights and activities. It doesn't look like they are day trips from each other, so which one is better to base out of and why?
Possible alternative with Tenorio Volcano national park area and the Rio Celeste? Would this be a good optional rainforest mountain base or side trip from La Fortuna?
As far as coastal areas, I think I like the sound of the Samara area on the Nicoya Peninsula. The Tamarindo area seems a little overly touristy where the Samara area is more low key. Also, we are novice surfers so like the idea of smaller waves and a beach you can swim and snorkel in.
Another option is the Manual Antonio area but it sounds like it gets pretty crowded and Jaco sounds a little sketchy.
Is there a good resource from driving times between possible destinations? I am thinking we will rent a 4WD vehicle but the distances and times I've seen in various places are inconsistent, so I don't know how much is doable for day trips.
Now I'm hoping for a little more input to help nail down some particulars. We are a family of four with two older teen boys. We like to be active and eat well. Will want to hike, snorkel, surf, fish, do canopy tours, swim, and see cool sights and wildlife.
We are generally thinking to split our time between two different lodgings, one in Forest/Mountain, one on Pacific coast. But maybe that's not necessary based on some feedback I've gotten.
Big questions:
To partake in the rainforest/mountain type activities as well as the beach/ocean activities, do you need to split the trip into two sections with two different lodgings? Just talked to someone who stayed in Jaco area and said they took a short drive inland to do canopy tours, atv rides, etc.
Had been looking at La Fortuna area as well as Monteverde area for mountain and rainforest sights and activities. It doesn't look like they are day trips from each other, so which one is better to base out of and why?
Possible alternative with Tenorio Volcano national park area and the Rio Celeste? Would this be a good optional rainforest mountain base or side trip from La Fortuna?
As far as coastal areas, I think I like the sound of the Samara area on the Nicoya Peninsula. The Tamarindo area seems a little overly touristy where the Samara area is more low key. Also, we are novice surfers so like the idea of smaller waves and a beach you can swim and snorkel in.
Another option is the Manual Antonio area but it sounds like it gets pretty crowded and Jaco sounds a little sketchy.
Is there a good resource from driving times between possible destinations? I am thinking we will rent a 4WD vehicle but the distances and times I've seen in various places are inconsistent, so I don't know how much is doable for day trips.