January in Costa Rica
Hi can someone please help me. Myself and my husband are traveling to costa rica on the 30th Dec this year. We intend on staying until the 15th January. We are novices with regard to Costa Rica and would reLly appreciate some advice re an itinerary. We can fly in anywhere but I am sure San Jose will be the best option. We would love to see as much as we can of the country without over lapping on the activities ie national parks etc. We also want to do at least 5-7 days close or on a beach area. We also really would love to go to where the turtles hatch etc. Q's I have also are should we hire a car/jeep or just take internal flights. We do not intend on back packing etc and reLly would like to stay in very good quality hotels in the various locations. We are adventurous and active as we are in our 30s so hiking,zip lining, white water rafting etc would be upmour street also. Lastly would anyone have any ideas on where we should spend new years eve..ie should we stay in San Jose or move out. We would not be looking for anything crazy but I believe there is a festival close to San Jose that ,ight b interesting. Thank you so much for your help. It is greatly appreciated1
Renting a car is a great way to see and explore most of Costa Rica. You only have 2 weeks, so you need to choose 4 places, and figure 2-3 days at each, and the rest a beach to relax.The central area offers the most activities and national parks for adventure, nature and wildlife overall. You should put the adventure first and beach last. NY eve could be anywhere really, I would get out of San Jose asap though, and just celebrate where ever you are, its not a big deal in CR overall. Beaches will also be the most popular for that time and the following week, rates are high and so are are crowds, especially nearer San Jose and the NW Pacific coast.
Have you looked at a guidebook, or read back on this forum, as there is so many choices and options. As for lodging, there is plenty of nice rustic, charming, intimate, family owned lodges and Inns thru out the country, from $60 to $120 night, maybe more at the beaches with a pool and and AC.
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This is a backpacking website you are posting on, just something to remember ;)At any rate, unless you have tons of cash you need to get rid of I cannot imagine why you would want or need to take internal flights. The bus system works great, or you might be able to rent a car for a month at a discount. Not sure on that, hopefully someone else will have info there.
New Years at Tamarindo sounds like it might be something up your avenue.
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This is not a Backpacking website, its is a independent travelers website...Internal flights are great if they want to save time to Tortuguero Canals, or to Drake Bay/Corcovado areas in the Osa. Or, to and or from the beaches, as its 6 hours drive to San Jose from Tamarindo, Nosora/Samara or Montezuma/Mal Pais....
You also can drop a car oneway, rent in one area and drop in another.
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1. which airport to use: liberia (lir) or san jose (sjo) will depend on several things, including price of the ticket, where you intend to go in costa rica and flight schedule. the airports are about 4 hours apart. sjo is in alajuela (not san jose) and in a busy urban area and is more crowded (and more difficult) than lir which is smaller and very easy to get in and out of. however, sjo may be closer to the things you want to do or the ticket price may be more attractive.2. a rental car will give you a lot of freedom and flexibility. try to plan your itinerary in some kind of loop so you are not criss-crossing or backtracking.
3. new years eve: pretty much wherever you stay, there will be a party. if you want the crazy, blow-out type of party, yes, someplace like tamarindo or san jose would work.
some helpful websites: http://www.yourtravelmap.com for distances and travel times
http://www.arenal.net
http://www.costarica-nationalparks.com
http://www.anywherecostarica.com for some good general information
http://www.costa-rica-guide.com also for general information
if you fly into liberia, you can visit one of the beaches of northern guanacaste and also have pretty easy access to four national parks: palo verde, rincon de la vieja, tenorio and santa rosa. more information about that area: http://www.acguanacaste.ac.cr/1997/principaling.html you would also have access to ziplines, rafting, hiking, horseback, etc http://www.guachipelin.com/one-day-pass.html hacienda guachipelin is also a great place to stay.
for beaches closest to the northern national parks, take a look at playas del coco (would be good for new year's eve) or playa hermosa (somewhat quieter and more upscale).
for turtles, that time of year would probably be ostional http://www.nicoyapeninsula.com
for two weeks, figure 4 locations - especially if you want to spend 5 days or so at the beach.
domestic flights are another option for getting around. you can check nature air and sansa airlines for flights. but driving will allow you to see and experience much more of the country. you don't really have to have it all one way: you can fly sometimes and use a rental car other times or even the shared van shuttle. go to the anywherecostarica.com website and click on transportation and you can see some alternatives.
Edited by: wiremu
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#6, of you last destination is Osa/Corcovado, than San Jose would be the best to fly out of, not Liberia.Sansa flies from SJO, and is a hub for its flights, most all go thru SJO, and are not direct between west and east coast, southern zone or west coast etc...and Nature Air (Two engines vs 1 engine at Sansa) flies from Pavas airport, closer to downtown SJ and $20 taxi from SJO.
If you plan to fly, or even rent a car, better make reservations, that period is peak high season.
