Costa Rica In May

Not knowing what your budget is, will throw this out there: you could stay first night or so with Alonso near the airport at Alajuela Tropical Hostel . He can pick you up at the airport, assist you with car rental if you want it and all manner else. We needed a doctor to take out stitches last year, change money, get some food, camping supplies, no prob for Alonso.

He is a Costa Rica native, former park ranger, and besides his small hostel in a private home he now also has a tour business which takes folks to the beautiful Poas volcano and other places. alotour travel & Hostel

We will be staying with him again this year on arrival and leaving. He consistently gets rave reviews for being so helpful....

For info on Corcovado, this site has great info: http://www.soldeosa.com/

Have a wonderful trip!

If you are not afraid to stray away from the crowds for a unique experience, I would suggest going to the less visited Tenorio Volcano National Park. The Volcano is just as impressive as the Arenal and the surroudning tropical forest is just amazing. The best part of this park is without a doubt the Rio Celeste, a river, lagoon and waterfall where natural chemicals mix with the water and give it an extraordinary turquoise color. It's truly magical. And there are some hot springs as well there. It's a great one or two day trip.

Buen Viaje!

Hortense
Costa Rica For Less
Latin America For Less

Thanks very much for the feedback which is very much appreciated ! We are currently moving towards the idea of a 4/5 day hiking trip in Corcovado and now looking at the idea of following that with a similar amount of time spent in and around the Tenorio volcano region ! What is the best way to travel upto the Bijagua area ?

Kind Regards
Jonathan

Hortense probably has better info, but I found this Thorntree thread from last year with some:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1906064

I agree you would really enjoy the Celeste Waterfalls, and I suggest the Honeymoon Cabin at La Carolina Lodge. Its about 3 hours from Arenal, or 2 hours from Liberia.

You may find flying in/out of Corcovado is easiest too, you can fly there via Nature Air from Pavas, closer to Downtown SJ, or Sansa Air from SJO. No need for a car in Osa.

If your going to hike Corcovado and sleep at Sirena, which is the best way to do this, then base in Pt Jimenez. If you want to end the hike with some luxury and serenity, consider Luna Lodge Bungalows in Carate.

Here are two trip reports with links.

I am SOOO jealous your going to Isla Coco Liveboard diving, thats a TOP 10 World Destination dive site!

Celeste Waterfalls/Arenal/Cano Negro
Caribe to Corcovado

Hi Jonathan -
My husband and I just returned from our first trip to Costa Rica. We rented a car and drove down the Pacific Coast, spending time in Manuel Antonio and Uvita/Ballena.

While in Ballena, we did an amazing full-day tour of Corcovado with the tour company Bahia Aventuras! You take a 1.5 hour boat trip from Ballena to Corcovado, so you don't have to drive/hike into the park. We saw whales and dolphins from the boat and our guide (Ramer) was great at spotting animals and giving us info about all the flora and fauna inside the park. A great lunch and a hike to a waterfall is also included. We like off-the-beaten-path adventures, and Corcovado was definitely more secluded than Manuel Antonio National Park. But it was nice to go with a guide so that we could learn about everything we were seeing.

If you do stay near Uvita/Ballena, I would also suggest contacting Bodhi Surf School. The owners (Travis and Gibran) have tons of information about the area and helped us to plan our trip. They also hooked us up with volunteer opportunities in the community and introduced us to our love for surfing!

Feel free to check out my TripAdvisor reviews of both Bahia Aventuras and Bodhi Surf School for more info. Enjoy your honeymoon!