hotel reservations; Interbus; itinerary

There is no need to book anything in advance. There will be plenty of empty rooms. Have three hotels in mind for each stop and check them out when you get there. Public transport is fine. Try to spend 2-3 days in each place. Leave plenty of time for transit between places, getting settled, eating, sleeping, ect. If you can't carry a small backpack then a small wheeled bag should be OK except on rough ground. Trekkers prefer backpacks. Most buses have safe luggage storage.

No need to book anything in advance, Get out of San Jose, no need for more than 1 night, head to Arenal.

Why so many beaches and hardly any National Parks?

Keep in mind you can take Interbus between the popular venues, but it also usually needs a minimum of 4 people. The shuttle is private, not public. Public is the local bus. Shuttles pick from your hotel/lodging usually, where as the bus, you go to the bus station or stand on side of road.

There is nothing connecting Nosora/Samara to Montezuma, not even a shuttle. You would need to take many buses, and ferries, to get between them, figure 8 hours. Its 4 hours to drive between them, though in rainy season not easy either.

I don't know why you have chose Manual Antonio, it is a very small park, very touristy, very developed and hardly worth all that effort to get to from Pacific beaches, or Arenal area...

I would suggest you drop MA, and Montezuma, and pick one beach. Use Arenal as a base to do day trips or side trips to Tenerio/Celeste, and even Cano Negro. Then head to beach. Tamarindo has more shuttles/buses and services due to being close to Liberia, which has a International Airport and is a hub for transport. Its also a tad more exciting surf town.

Nosora is a sleepy town inland 2KM from the beach. Nothing is on the beach to speak of as they have enforced the maritime laws for years, so everything is set back from the high tide line. Its amino a surf area, not easy swimming.

Samara is a nice small compact town, easy to swim and beginner surf.

Tamarindo is best of both worlds, nice swimming, surfing for all levels, and fun town for nightlife/lodging options.

All the beach towns on this coast above, are 6 hours ride back to SJ...

http://nicoyapeninsula.com/nicoyasouth.php

I would also consider staying northwest to avoid heavier rains, Tamarindo area. Have you considered the caribe side? Its not only a lot more nature, wildlife and bio diversity, its easier to use public transport and get between points far easier and cheaper, and you have nice beaches and cheaper lodging, and more rustic and less developed than the Pacific side...

Consider going to Arenal, Tortuguero, Cahuita, Pt Viejo/Manzanillo-Ganduca and raft the Rio Pacuare back to SJ...

As pointed out above Interbus is a shuttle service (one of many). It is not the public bus. We used the public bus to get around and although you can get to most places by public bus it is easier in some areas than in others. Sometimes taking the public bus is very straightforward. Sometimes you have to change buses several times. This website gives a good general idea of bus routes but is not completely accurate:

http://thebusschedule.com/EN/cr/index.php

We travel with backpacks as we find backpacks easier when taking the bus or when looking for a hotel. Backpacks often go in the luggage compartment under the bus. We have nothing of value in our backpacks (we have a daypack for valuables that we keep with us). That being said, our backpacks were never tampered with.

We usually don't book hotels in advance. We have a list of a few hotels within our budget. And sometimes we stumble onto a hotel we didn't know about.

Wow, thanks people ... your help is immensely appreciated! I think I'll follow up all of your recommendations, cutting out Manuel Antonio, Nosara and Montezuma and focussing on the Caribbean side + Arenal. I didn't know that the shuttles couldn't be booked by only 1 person; I read that public buses take much longer than shuttles, so I decided on the shuttles to make the most of my time.

As another question: Is Guayabo doable as a day trip from San Jose? Is it correct that it would be 1 hour by bus to Turrialba and would it then be easy to hire a taxi to the site? Or would it be worth sleeping in Turrialba?

Usually the shuttles need any 4 people, so you can book as a single, and ods are there 3 other people booked, or, if it is a super popular run, they may go with less than 4, as they have at least 4 for next leg/return...

You can get from SJ to La Fortuna via bus or shuttle, the bus leaves from downtown SJ, though you may be able to catch it in Alajuela, where SJO is located, at La Radial (main street for buses).

From La Fortuna to Tortuguero, a shuttle would be easiest and quickest, which runs to La Pavona, where the boats to Tortuguero Village, meet the buses. From Tortuguero to Cahuita, you take a boat 3 hours to Moin, then you can taxi hire, usually others going same way, if not, bus meets boats, and head to Limon, a port town not very nice but fine in daylight...then get a bus to Cahuita/Pt Viejo. Buses run down from here to all beaches and ending at Manzanillo and then returning, almost hourly each way...rent a bicycle for beaches around Pt Viejo and south.

For Guayabo, I am not sure, but Turrialba is a big town and where all the rafting outfits are based for the Rio Pacuare. Its a nice place and old school, easy enough to get a room on main drag near bus station base there too. You can get dropped after rafting in Playa Cahuita, or Pt Viejo as well, or vice versa, and get dropped in SJ area hotels.

http://www.tortuguerovillage.com/traveloptions.htm

http://www.puertoviejosatellite.com

https://www.exploradoresoutdoors.com/pacuare-rafting.html

A plan could be this-

SJ area 1 night
Arenal 2-4 nights with side trip to Tenerio.
Tortuguero 2 nights
Cahuita 1-2 nights
Beaches south of Pt Veijo 2-3 nights
Raft Rio Pacaure (all day)
Turrialba/Guayabo 2-3 nights
SJ

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