Costa Rica in a rush
Mar 4, 2012, 8:47 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 971
Why Arenal? (It's not doing anything right now.) There's a lot to do in the area: nice scenery, hanging bridges, ziplines, hot springs, hiking, rafting nearby. With 3 days in the area, you could probably do something different every day. But including Arenal and beach would be difficult.
Alternative:
If you're landing in SJ, you could go south on the coast to beaches and/or Manual Antonio park.
If you land in Liberia, you could go 1/2 hour west to the beaches (nearby Rincon Vieja has some active volcanic features, and there are other national parks in the area).
Alternative:
If you're landing in SJ, you could go south on the coast to beaches and/or Manual Antonio park.
If you land in Liberia, you could go 1/2 hour west to the beaches (nearby Rincon Vieja has some active volcanic features, and there are other national parks in the area).
Mar 4, 2012, 11:25 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2007
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 715
Why Arenal? (It's not doing anything right now.) There's a lot to do in the area: nice scenery, hanging bridges, ziplines, hot springs, hiking, rafting nearby. With 3 days in the area, you could probably do something different every day. But including Arenal and beach would be difficult.
Alternative:
If you're landing in SJ, you could go south on the coast to beaches and/or Manual Antonio park.
If you land in Liberia, you could go 1/2 hour west to the beaches (nearby Rincon Vieja has some active volcanic features, and there are other national parks in the area).
Alternative:
If you're landing in SJ, you could go south on the coast to beaches and/or Manual Antonio park.
If you land in Liberia, you could go 1/2 hour west to the beaches (nearby Rincon Vieja has some active volcanic features, and there are other national parks in the area).
Mar 4, 2012, 12:54 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SJO
Programs: CO Gold
Posts: 1,229
its nice but dont expect to see volcanic activity
there are waterfalls, caverns (With bats), hot springs etc
you are landing in SJO?
monteverde is not easy to get too and too much for one trip in 4 days
you could try paz waterfalls/poas volcano/coffee tour all in the poas area (Alajuela/Heredia) this would be easy to do either when you get here or after Arenal as its towards SJO
there are waterfalls, caverns (With bats), hot springs etc
you are landing in SJO?
monteverde is not easy to get too and too much for one trip in 4 days
you could try paz waterfalls/poas volcano/coffee tour all in the poas area (Alajuela/Heredia) this would be easy to do either when you get here or after Arenal as its towards SJO
Mar 6, 2012, 9:05 am
#5
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 971
"Just thought the first time visitor should go to Arenal."
The Arenal area is popular for lots of tourist activities, most of which will cost $$, but is not necessarily THE thing to do in Costa Rica. It is scenic, but many used to flock there to watch volcanic hijinks, and there's nothing but wisps of gas emitting from the top right now, all of which may or may not be visible (best bet is early in the a.m., depending on season). The tourism industry has built up around there with a vengence, so you can keep very busy.
Many people split their time between the Arenal area and the beach (Manual Antonio National Park) or the cloud forest (Monteverde). With only 3 full days, you should probably pick one area that offers what you think you'll enjoy the most, whether it's rain forest (Monteverde area also has zip, hanging bridges, etc.), myriad activities of Arenal, or beach/animal combo (MA National Park).
And, if you are landing in Liberia, you could just drive less than an hour west and kick back on beaches (also national parks nearby, and Rincon, as mentioned).
For your first time, maybe pick a place and explore there?
The Arenal area is popular for lots of tourist activities, most of which will cost $$, but is not necessarily THE thing to do in Costa Rica. It is scenic, but many used to flock there to watch volcanic hijinks, and there's nothing but wisps of gas emitting from the top right now, all of which may or may not be visible (best bet is early in the a.m., depending on season). The tourism industry has built up around there with a vengence, so you can keep very busy.
Many people split their time between the Arenal area and the beach (Manual Antonio National Park) or the cloud forest (Monteverde). With only 3 full days, you should probably pick one area that offers what you think you'll enjoy the most, whether it's rain forest (Monteverde area also has zip, hanging bridges, etc.), myriad activities of Arenal, or beach/animal combo (MA National Park).
And, if you are landing in Liberia, you could just drive less than an hour west and kick back on beaches (also national parks nearby, and Rincon, as mentioned).
For your first time, maybe pick a place and explore there?
Mar 6, 2012, 9:09 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 971
p.s. Kind of think Poas is great for a (very early) morning, La Paz great for an afternoon, coffee tour (yawn, but that's me) ok for a couple of hours, but 3 full days is 1 and 1/2 days too long.
However, this is a great place (not as funky as it looks), very reasonable, very close to Poas National Park: http://www.poaslodge.com/
However, this is a great place (not as funky as it looks), very reasonable, very close to Poas National Park: http://www.poaslodge.com/
Mar 10, 2012, 11:59 am
#7
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 4,044
If it were me, with that time constraint, I would do Poas and Manuel Antonio. Poas is not far off of the route from San Jose to Manuel Antonio. You might have time to squeeze in La Paz, as it is close to Poas, but I have heard that an earthquake a while back basically turned the waterfall into a trickle, which would diminish it's level of interest immensely. I have stayed at Poas lodge, and I can recommend it. There are dozens of good to excellent hotels around Manuel Antonio.
Last edited by DJGMaster1; Mar 10, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Mar 10, 2012, 12:38 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SJO
Programs: CO Gold
Posts: 1,229
negative to this, it became a waterfall of mud right after it (due to all the landslides etc) but its back to normal now.