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we are going to spend 8 days in CR in April. we are interested in spending 4-5 in forests and then heading to the beach. we land in SJ in the morning and thinking to go arenal for 2-3 days, then Manuel Antonio. would you please assist with some questions:
what is recommended to do in between, if at all? Is Monteverde worth visiting? is there a chance to go all the way to corcovado or is it a bit of a stretch?
we also considering renting a 4x4 or doing public transport/shuttles. is driving safe or not? can we manage to go to all the places using just public transport?
thanks a lot!
2. the "other half" you could spend in the uvita area with access to both corcovado and manuel antonio as day trips. also boat trip to cano island. http://www.tikivillas.com is one option in the uvita area and their website shows a lot of interesting things to do.
Edited by: wiremu
Any recommendations on how to get to these places? i found some shutles from SJO to Arenal area. does anyone know if any company picks up from the airport? same questions from arenal to the beach and from the beach back to sjo.
thanks again!
If you have the budget, renting is the way to go, especially if you want to move about. You can cover more ground.
You could also read back on the CR branch and see these exact same questions asked a gadzillion times, or read the FAQ on Trip Advisor.
Interbus/Grayline shuttles dont pick from airport, only hotels.
http://www.interbusonline.com
or http://www.anywherecostarica.com - click on transportation.
if you flight arrives too late to fit any of the scheduled shuttles, you can spend the night near the airport and start out the next morning, take the public bus or rent a car or hire private transportation.
whether you go to monteverde or not is up to you. i would just at the website for arenal and this website for monteverde http://www.monteverdeinfo.com and then decide if it's worth the trip or not. look at whether you can really find something unique there or are you going just because it is famous. if you decide to go, you can take the taxi-boat-taxi which will save a lot of time.
with the amount of time you have in the country, i would skip monteverde this time. concentrate your volcano/rainforest time in arenal and then head for the beach. there is so much to do and see in places like uvita, the time will just fly by.
Edited by: wiremu
Our priorities is wildlife, nice waterfalls and a volcano. we are not interested in the ziplines. canopy walk is ok, but not a must. reading through, I would probably agree that skipping monteverde is smart.
the volcano in Arenal is not active, shell we try Poas instead? can we stop there for the first day? A naive question - but if one doesnt like hot springs and the volcano is not active, what is there else to do in Arenal? (most posts just report on volcano and hot springs!!!)
Uvita area are fairly far from corcovado - can u really do it as a day trip?
so how about:
1 SJO to Poas
2. Poas + LaPaz waterfalls then move to arenal (too much for one day?)
3. arenal
4. arenal
5. move to Uvita
6. MA
7. MA?
8. Corcovado
9. back to SJO
Uvita is in the southern zone, and far from the central valley (Arenal Area)...
Corcovado deserves 4 days, you can access it from Drake Bay, again, long days of travel getting to from both areas.
You dont need MA if you are going to the Osa...
if you are in uvita, there is no need to go to the osa or to manuel antonio since you can do both of these by day trips. one of the best reasons to be in uvita.
so i would do this:
poas to arenal to uvita (do your day trips from here) and back to sjo.
if you are planning on going to poas, you should spend your first night nearby because it is usually clear in the morning and clouds up by about 10 am.
how are the beach/natural wild life in uvita compared to MA?
wouldnt it make more sense perhaps to stop one night in MA and then move down to uvita?
i was also thinking tkae shutle buses from sjo to arenal, and then to uvita and in uvita rent a car for a few days to go to MA and corcovado. pricewise car and shuttle are the same.
second thought i probably cancel the poas, or leave it to last if we have time.
so sjo--> arenal
arenal 2 days
MA 1 day
uvita (corcovado and surroundings) the rest of the trip.
just last question, is carara worth a visit? again, our main interest is wildlife. thanks again for the links and the help. very useful!
Uvita to Pt Jimenez is about 3 hours, unless they have upgraded the roads south of Palmar Sur, its a combo of surfaced and gravel. From PJ to Carate is all gravel, crossed 7 creeks/rivers, and is 2nd gear most the way.
Having a rental is more fun and you can get more accomplished or see more, but a AWD with ground clearance is best for the Osa area.
for domestic flights, see sansa or nature air airline websites
for your midday flight, you should plan on being at the airport 3 hours before your flight leaves. for this reason, it's best if you spend the night before somewhere near the airport. there is lodging of all types and prices within 20 minutes of the airport.
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8 days in costa rica
Hey all,we are going to spend 8 days in CR in April. we are interested in spending 4-5 in forests and then heading to the beach. we land in SJ in the morning and thinking to go arenal for 2-3 days, then Manuel Antonio. would you please assist with some questions:
what is recommended to do in between, if at all? Is Monteverde worth visiting? is there a chance to go all the way to corcovado or is it a bit of a stretch?
we also considering renting a 4x4 or doing public transport/shuttles. is driving safe or not? can we manage to go to all the places using just public transport?
thanks a lot!
1
1. why not the arenal area for four days? lots to do in that area and some excellent day trips, including rafting and a hike to the rio celeste in the tenorio national park. this website has some good activities also -- http://www.ruralcostarica.com be sure to look at http://www.arenal.net2. the "other half" you could spend in the uvita area with access to both corcovado and manuel antonio as day trips. also boat trip to cano island. http://www.tikivillas.com is one option in the uvita area and their website shows a lot of interesting things to do.
Edited by: wiremu
2
Thanks a lot. would you recommend to skip Monteverde and go straight from the Arenal area to the beach?Any recommendations on how to get to these places? i found some shutles from SJO to Arenal area. does anyone know if any company picks up from the airport? same questions from arenal to the beach and from the beach back to sjo.
thanks again!
3
With 2 million new tourist a year visiting CR for the last decades or two, and limited time, you are inquiring about a very simple and basic plan that is asked, and answered hundred of times a month on this forum, Trip Advisor and others. Arenal, Monteverde and Manual Antonio are the 3 most visited areas in the country, and are well situated and able to provide transport, activity, excursions and lodging. There are over 16 guidebooks for CR alone on Amazon.If you have the budget, renting is the way to go, especially if you want to move about. You can cover more ground.
You could also read back on the CR branch and see these exact same questions asked a gadzillion times, or read the FAQ on Trip Advisor.
Interbus/Grayline shuttles dont pick from airport, only hotels.
4
don don: you can get the shared van shuttle from one of the large hotels near the airport - about 5 minutes by taxi. hilton garden inn or hampton inn. you can arrange your shuttle through http://www.shuttlebus.co.crhttp://www.interbusonline.com
or http://www.anywherecostarica.com - click on transportation.
if you flight arrives too late to fit any of the scheduled shuttles, you can spend the night near the airport and start out the next morning, take the public bus or rent a car or hire private transportation.
whether you go to monteverde or not is up to you. i would just at the website for arenal and this website for monteverde http://www.monteverdeinfo.com and then decide if it's worth the trip or not. look at whether you can really find something unique there or are you going just because it is famous. if you decide to go, you can take the taxi-boat-taxi which will save a lot of time.
with the amount of time you have in the country, i would skip monteverde this time. concentrate your volcano/rainforest time in arenal and then head for the beach. there is so much to do and see in places like uvita, the time will just fly by.
Edited by: wiremu
5
Thanks guys.Our priorities is wildlife, nice waterfalls and a volcano. we are not interested in the ziplines. canopy walk is ok, but not a must. reading through, I would probably agree that skipping monteverde is smart.
the volcano in Arenal is not active, shell we try Poas instead? can we stop there for the first day? A naive question - but if one doesnt like hot springs and the volcano is not active, what is there else to do in Arenal? (most posts just report on volcano and hot springs!!!)
Uvita area are fairly far from corcovado - can u really do it as a day trip?
so how about:
1 SJO to Poas
2. Poas + LaPaz waterfalls then move to arenal (too much for one day?)
3. arenal
4. arenal
5. move to Uvita
6. MA
7. MA?
8. Corcovado
9. back to SJO
6
Paos is just a sulfer liquid filled cone and you can hike around, mornings are best. Only need a few hours max. La Paz waterfalls are close too.Uvita is in the southern zone, and far from the central valley (Arenal Area)...
Corcovado deserves 4 days, you can access it from Drake Bay, again, long days of travel getting to from both areas.
You dont need MA if you are going to the Osa...
7
you could do poas to arenal in one day, no problem. if you would look at the website i recommended -- http://www.arenal.net you will find lots to do other than hot springs.if you are in uvita, there is no need to go to the osa or to manuel antonio since you can do both of these by day trips. one of the best reasons to be in uvita.
so i would do this:
poas to arenal to uvita (do your day trips from here) and back to sjo.
if you are planning on going to poas, you should spend your first night nearby because it is usually clear in the morning and clouds up by about 10 am.
8
How would you go from uvita to corcovado? google maps shows ~200km to carate. or is there a boat?how are the beach/natural wild life in uvita compared to MA?
wouldnt it make more sense perhaps to stop one night in MA and then move down to uvita?
i was also thinking tkae shutle buses from sjo to arenal, and then to uvita and in uvita rent a car for a few days to go to MA and corcovado. pricewise car and shuttle are the same.
second thought i probably cancel the poas, or leave it to last if we have time.
so sjo--> arenal
arenal 2 days
MA 1 day
uvita (corcovado and surroundings) the rest of the trip.
just last question, is carara worth a visit? again, our main interest is wildlife. thanks again for the links and the help. very useful!
9
I would focus on Corcovado, Manual Antonio is almost a city park in comparison to the rough and raw jungle of Osa area.Uvita to Pt Jimenez is about 3 hours, unless they have upgraded the roads south of Palmar Sur, its a combo of surfaced and gravel. From PJ to Carate is all gravel, crossed 7 creeks/rivers, and is 2nd gear most the way.
Having a rental is more fun and you can get more accomplished or see more, but a AWD with ground clearance is best for the Osa area.
13
for distances and travel times: http://www.yourtravelmap.comfor domestic flights, see sansa or nature air airline websites
for your midday flight, you should plan on being at the airport 3 hours before your flight leaves. for this reason, it's best if you spend the night before somewhere near the airport. there is lodging of all types and prices within 20 minutes of the airport.
