My wife and I are traveling to Costa Rica in April for a week with our 13-yr-old nature/adventure lover son and 10-yr-old beach/animal lover daughter. We fly in and out of Liberia and will stay in Tamarindo for the first 2-3 nights (beach, visit distant relatives). We want to see other parts of Costa Rica for the other 4-5 nights, but not sure where. Considering Arenal Volcano area, Rio Celeste, Saint Elena and Rincon National Park. The last night we need to stay within 2.5-3 hours of Liberia airport. Suggestions?
My wife and I visited Costa Rica during a cruise five years ago. We went on a white-water rafting trip on the Reventazon river while we were there. Our trip was with Rain Forest Tours and was a very pleasant experience. White-water rafting through a tropical forest in 80 degree water was a real treat. We landed on the opposite coast from where you’ll be, in Limon, so I don’t know how convenient a rafting trip will be from Tamarindo. It’s a beautiful place, from my limited experience.
Oooh, I researched this in depth for a trip I never got to take.
Most people suggest a combination of Beach + Cloud Forest + Arenal. You’re already doing the beach, so Monteverde and Arenal should be on there. Around Arenal, make sure to go to the hot springs at night and enjoy the view of the lava. There’s also lots of adventure activities in the area, including white water rafting and such.
Apparently Tamarindo is kind of over-touristed so if you have more time to drive around and such, consider Mal Pais. Also, keep in mind that you may have to take planes to get to Monteverde and Arenal (they’re close to one another and should be enjoyed in sequence for efficiency) and that driving takes a long time (like a full day, supposedly) if that makes a difference.
If it’s only 4 or 5 nights extra, I’d fly into the Arenal/Monteverde area and maximize time with the activities in that area rather than spending time trying to travel all over Costa Rica.
I’d recommend that you book a guide and van for your family to explore the Arenal region. There are plenty of hikes in the area and the hanging bridges walk is a must do. Scrambling over the boulders at the base of the volcano should appeal to the kids. Spend an afternoon or evening at the Tabacon Hot Springs resort, you can watch the volcano erupting while you soak.
When we went to CR (almost four years ago), our favorite activity was canyoning in Arenal, although I no longer remember what company we used. Canyoning is a combination of a hike through a river (bring good water shoes) and rappelling down waterfalls. I had very little rappelling experience and am not particularly an adrenaline junkie, and I really enjoyed it.
If you go to Monteverde, get up really early and take a guided tour of the preserve. The guides will spot many things that you won’t. We also took an after-dark guided tour to see wildlife active at night, which was really cool.
In Guanacaste, we stayed at the Villa del Suenos in Playa Hermosa, which we loved so much that I remember the name four years and five international trips later. It was very chill, nice without being fussy, and near a pretty beach frequented by locals rather than tourists. Mr. GilaB went scuba diving nearby, while I took a sea kayak out by myself in the bay to a tiny beach reachable only from the water. The whole thing was wonderfully relaxing.
I would recommend against this for your 13 and 10 year old children. The hot springs at night at Arenal is a complete meat market pick-up place. Scores of young people from San Jose and neighboring towns gather there in their speedos and it gets a little wild. My wife and I, clearly together, were both hit on several times. I wouldn’t even recommend someone with teenaged kids to be there at that time of night.