LIR to SJO with 5 full days: What to combine with Arenal?
Jan 11th, 2015, 08:43 AM
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LIR to SJO with 5 full days: What to combine with Arenal?
Hello everyone! My boyfriend (31) and I (29) are traveling to Costa Rica pretty soon Feb 1st-Feb 7th 2015 for my 30th birthday trip. Due to pricing and availability, we ended up booking our flight so that we fly in to Liberia after 9pm on the 1st and leave a little after 2pm from SJO on the 7th. That leaves us 5 full days to work with as we will have to stay somewhere near Liberia for the first night & spend the morning traveling to the airport on the last. As of now, we are leaning towards not renting a car, and just relying on shuttles, local buses, and taxis (unless otherwise is strongly recommended) as we're trying to be somewhat budget conscious.
We are very interested in nature & wildlife and want to experience the unique experiences that Costa Rica has to offer. We plan to have a few adventure activities as well, but that's not our primary focus. We are indifferent about experiencing the beach. We were originally thinking about combining Arenal with Manuel Antonio as so frequently recommended, but due to the time that we have, we aren't sure if it's worth it to spend that much time driving over to MA especially when we hear that it can be extremely crowded during busy season. We've settled on going to Arenal since the drive isn't too long & it seems like a great base from which many things can be done. But now we are stuck on what to combine with that trip, which is where we could use some help. Here are some options we've come up with.
1. Spend the whole time in the Arenal/La fortuna area and just maximize the experience, including day trips such as Cano Negro.
2. Go to Arenal for the first few days and then end vacation with 1-2 nights in Sarapiqui for a greater wildlife experience.
3. Take advantage of flying in on the Pacific coast side by spending 2 days at the beach and Rincón de la Vieja before heading to Arenal. (Would Rincon and Arenal be repetitive experiences?)
4. Take the Jeep boat Jeep to Monteverde for 1-2 nights from Arenal; maybe go there first and then stay in Arenal for the rest of the time.
5. Stick to splitting the time with Manuel Antonio.
6. Some other combination that we haven't thought of
Please share any thoughts that you have about which option you think would be best. We don't want to feel to rushed & want to really take the time to enjoy Costa Rica.
And for a few more random questions if anyone has anything to share about these:
A) Is renting a car strongly recommended?
B) Is it worth it to spend 1-2 nights at the Arenal Observatory Lodge for the wildlife experience or would a hike on the grounds suffice?
C) And would the combination of Cano negro, AOL, and Proyecto Asis provide a significant amount of wildlife exposure as compared with Sarapiqui?
d) Are Ecocentro Danaus & Proyecto Asis repetitive experiences?
Thank you very much in advance!
We are very interested in nature & wildlife and want to experience the unique experiences that Costa Rica has to offer. We plan to have a few adventure activities as well, but that's not our primary focus. We are indifferent about experiencing the beach. We were originally thinking about combining Arenal with Manuel Antonio as so frequently recommended, but due to the time that we have, we aren't sure if it's worth it to spend that much time driving over to MA especially when we hear that it can be extremely crowded during busy season. We've settled on going to Arenal since the drive isn't too long & it seems like a great base from which many things can be done. But now we are stuck on what to combine with that trip, which is where we could use some help. Here are some options we've come up with.
1. Spend the whole time in the Arenal/La fortuna area and just maximize the experience, including day trips such as Cano Negro.
2. Go to Arenal for the first few days and then end vacation with 1-2 nights in Sarapiqui for a greater wildlife experience.
3. Take advantage of flying in on the Pacific coast side by spending 2 days at the beach and Rincón de la Vieja before heading to Arenal. (Would Rincon and Arenal be repetitive experiences?)
4. Take the Jeep boat Jeep to Monteverde for 1-2 nights from Arenal; maybe go there first and then stay in Arenal for the rest of the time.
5. Stick to splitting the time with Manuel Antonio.
6. Some other combination that we haven't thought of
Please share any thoughts that you have about which option you think would be best. We don't want to feel to rushed & want to really take the time to enjoy Costa Rica.
And for a few more random questions if anyone has anything to share about these:
A) Is renting a car strongly recommended?
B) Is it worth it to spend 1-2 nights at the Arenal Observatory Lodge for the wildlife experience or would a hike on the grounds suffice?
C) And would the combination of Cano negro, AOL, and Proyecto Asis provide a significant amount of wildlife exposure as compared with Sarapiqui?
d) Are Ecocentro Danaus & Proyecto Asis repetitive experiences?
Thank you very much in advance!
Jan 11th, 2015, 10:14 AM
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You really don't have a lot of time. If it were me, I could easily spend that entire amount of time in the Arenal area. We usually stay about four nights when we go, and we've gone several times and still haven't done everything.
We love the Cano Negro tour and have seen monkeys, caimans, sloths, and lots of water birds when we've done it. We've even seen an albino howler that was bright orange - very cool. Both Desafio and Sunset Tours are good tour companies if you're looking for one. We also like Proyecto Asis and were able to feed the sloth and monkeys when we were there. You can get up close to the animals. The Penas Blancas river float is also nice. If you want any adventure activities, I'd zipline at Sky Trek for the great views of the lake and the volcano. We've also gone waterfall rappelling, tubing, and white water rafting. There are some nice hikes at the waterfall and the Hanging Bridges, and a visit to the natural hot springs like Eco Termales or Tabacon is a must for an evening I think. If you want a natural jungly property, the Lost Iguana is also nice.
We like the Sarapiqui area too - Selva Verde is a good place to stay if you decide to split up your trip. Or Fonda Vela in Monteverde. I would probably skip Manuel Antonio since you don't care about the beach; that's one of the main areas of appeal there, and it's about five hours away from the Arenal area. Another option is to stay a night near the Central Valley at the end of your trip and visit Poas Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens or the Doka Coffee Estate.
We love the Cano Negro tour and have seen monkeys, caimans, sloths, and lots of water birds when we've done it. We've even seen an albino howler that was bright orange - very cool. Both Desafio and Sunset Tours are good tour companies if you're looking for one. We also like Proyecto Asis and were able to feed the sloth and monkeys when we were there. You can get up close to the animals. The Penas Blancas river float is also nice. If you want any adventure activities, I'd zipline at Sky Trek for the great views of the lake and the volcano. We've also gone waterfall rappelling, tubing, and white water rafting. There are some nice hikes at the waterfall and the Hanging Bridges, and a visit to the natural hot springs like Eco Termales or Tabacon is a must for an evening I think. If you want a natural jungly property, the Lost Iguana is also nice.
We like the Sarapiqui area too - Selva Verde is a good place to stay if you decide to split up your trip. Or Fonda Vela in Monteverde. I would probably skip Manuel Antonio since you don't care about the beach; that's one of the main areas of appeal there, and it's about five hours away from the Arenal area. Another option is to stay a night near the Central Valley at the end of your trip and visit Poas Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens or the Doka Coffee Estate.
Jan 11th, 2015, 11:07 AM
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Thanks for your response Volcanogirl! There definitely seems like tons to do if we stay in Arenal. I'll add the idea of spending a night in Central Valley as a possible option to think about. Some follow up questions for you, if you don't mind. Do you usually rent a car whenever you go to the Arenal area? And did you find the Sarapiqui area offered something more than can experienced via Cano Negro or Arenal in general? Thanks again!
Jan 11th, 2015, 11:37 AM
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We don't usually rent a car, but a lot of people like to have one because the area is spread out. Especially is you stay somewhere like the Arenal Observatory Lodge. We usually book private drivers through our hotels when we reserve them and just use taxis in town. A car does give you a little more freedom though and taxis can add up. Wildlife is not always easy to see in the Arenal area, but we hired a wildlife guide for part of a day to take us exploring, and we saw howlers and toucans with him. I think it's easier to spot wildlife in the Sarapiqui area at places like Selva Verde and La Selva, but it would be the same things like howlers and toucans. If it were me, I would skip Sarapiqui unless you add more time, but really up to you. Cano Negro should give you good wildlife opportunities.
