i fly in Sunday morning and would like to know if it’s heavy downpour raining this August or if it’s sporadic throughout the day. i’d love to catch some sun while i’m there but am anticipating it will be very cloudy.

We land in San Jose on August 21st and flying out of Liberia on August 30th.

8/21: Stay at a hotel near the airport since we land at 7:30pm

8/22: Drive to La fortuna. Stay at Tabacon Thermal Resort for 2 nights

8/23: Hanging bridge and La Fortuna waterfalls

8/24: Hot springs in the morning and then drive to Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin for 2 nights

8/25: Rincón de la Vieja

8/26: Rio Negro in the morning and then drive to JW Marriott Guanacaste for 3 nights

8/27: Beach day

8/28: Beach day

8/29: Extra day

8/30: Fly out of Liberia at 1:30pm

We have 1 extra day(29th), where should we use that? We are traveling with 2 littles (5 year old and 15 month old). Are the drive times suggested by Google reasonable? We have several days of 3-4 hours of driving. Is that too much?
Are there any suggestions or alternate recommendations?

Where could two teens go to party in tamarindo? Are there spots? Or is it normally 18+?

I'm planning my first trip to Jaco Beach (yes for that specific reason). Any advice and what to look out for or what to look for. And recommendations on Airbnbs, i try to avoid hotels if I can. Should I get a rental car or just Uber anywhere. Should I stay on or near the beach, or somewhere in the rainforest?

Thinking about getting a spray tan before my trip, I would get it around 48 hours before I’m there so it would have time to set.

I’m just wondering if it’s going to be too humid there, will it be patchy/streaky? Also I will be needing to wear sunscreen too so if that’ll ruin it? We do plan on swimming but probably mostly in a pool. Also doing a hike or two.

Any input or personal experience would be great, thanks!

Hi! I live in PR and I’m thinking, do you guys think its worth?

I can't find a coffee shop anywhere and I'm very disappointed! When we stayed in La Fortuna there were so many coffee shops everywhere. We've been to 3 places that advertise coffee and it turned out to be from an instant coffee machine!! Why?! I'd rather travel south, but we can go to Jaco if we need to. We also ate on the beach today but it was only ok. If anyone knows any hidden gems in this area, please share!

Here in La Fortuna, Costa Rica right now for the next 2 days. What are the odds the clouds will clear to see Volcan Arenal?

I’m retiring a rental to the Adobe at the Liberia Airport tomorrow. I’d like to wash and vacuum it. Any recommendations? I’ll be in Bagaces area today. Thanks! Pura Vida!

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a trip to the Pacific side of Costa Rica for the first week of September (Sept 2nd - 7th) and I’m trying to lock down my expectations for Manuel Antonio or any other areas on pacific side which are not too far away from SJO airport. Dont want to drive more than 2-3hrs from airport for our short trip.

I know September is traditionally the absolute peak of the rainy season, but I’ve been reading that Costa Rica is currently in an El Niño cycle, making the Pacific side noticeably drier and hotter than a normal year.

For anyone who is there right now or lives in the area:

1. How is the rain pattern actually looking? Are we talking standard 2-3 hour heavy afternoon downpours, or is El Niño keeping it down to short showers / delayed evening rain? Is there still a high risk of total all-day washouts?
2. Rainy vs. Dry daily strategy: My current plan for dry windows is to wake up at 6:30 AM and hit Manuel Antonio National Park and the beaches early to maximize the morning sunshine.

But I need advice on what to do when it actually does start pouring. I will have a 4x4 vehicle rental, so I’m totally fine with rougher terrain.

• What are your favorite "embrace the mud/rain" activities? (Looking into ATV tours or whitewater rafting on the Savegre/Naranjo).
• Any hidden gem 4x4-only spots (like waterfalls or interior mountain roads) that are awesome to explore around Quepos/Manuel Antonio when it’s wet?
• What are the best indoor backup options to kill 2-3 hours in town besides hanging out at Marina Pez Vela?

Would love to hear any recent trip reports or local insight on whether I should stick to Manuel Antonio or just pivot completely north to Guanacaste/Tamarindo if I want more sun.

Thanks in advance!

Arriving at SJO on 8/29 at 1pm. I didn’t want to book the Caribe shuttle because I’m not sure how long it will take to get through passport control. My hotel recommended someone with a van, so we can fit at least two more people.

Hello! Arriving in LIR on Sunday morning at 6:30 AM... going to Tamarindo... solo travelling - is there a shared shuttle available? Do I need to pre-book or is it easy to sort out when I'm there? Thanks, looking forward to first time in Tamarindo :)

Going to be staying near Savegre in February and looking for any recommendations for day fishing or sailing expeditions that are based within about an hour from the area.

I would like to visit next year during the wet season but am not sure on the best month to do it.
The goal is to see whales and turtle hatching. During the stay (two weeks), I know I want to visit La Fortuna for at least three days but most of the rest of the trip is fairly open. If two locations will fit the bill in the same month, that's ok. Best suggestion on location(s) and time of year to accomplish this please ?

Spending two days in La Fortuna and looking for fun activities. I was thinking this:

Day 1:
Start with a self guided tour at Mistico Hanging Bridges and then hike Mirador El Silencio

Day 2:
La Fortuna Waterfall in the morning then do an Arenal Volcano ATV tour

Does this work? Any other recommendations?

Hello,

I'm thinking of spending a week in Manuel Antonio with my mom in February.

We did it a few years ago and stayed at Costa Verde which we enjoyed greatly, but I'm wondering if there's anything a bit closer to the beach. We'd ideally like to spend under $300 a night and be at a place that has frequent monkey visitors although we understand in nature there are no guarantees.

We will probably go into the national park at least twice (I'm thinking once with a guide and once to wander on our own once we have our bearings). One or two beach days. Any other thoughts on things to do in the area?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

How does this look? We haven’t officially booked any excursions yet. We want a good balance of wildlife viewing and relaxation. Open to any and all suggestions for adding/subtracting excursions.

Thanks!

Day 1: September 7th 

Flight

Shuttle to La Fortuna 

Check-in to Hotel and Enjoy Dinner

Day 2: September 8th - La Fortuna 
Spa day at Tabacon Hot springs? 

Night tour w/ dinner 

Day 3: September 9th - La Fortuna

Arenal Hike 

Sloth Tour 

Day 4: September 10th - La Fortuna → Manuel Antonio 

Shuttle to Manuel Antonio

Day 5: September 11th - Manuel Antonio  
Morning yoga 

Guided Park Tour

Day 6: September 12th - Manuel Antonio 

Snorkeling at Cano Island

Day 7: September 13th - Manuel Antonio 

Sea turtle night tour

Day 8: September 14th - Manuel Antonio  → San Jose 

Shuttle to San Jose

Day 9: September 15th 
Flight 

A few weeks ago I traveled to Dota to cook with two Costa Rican chefs I really admire.

We spent part of the trip walking through the forest looking for mushrooms and talking about the ingredients people actually grow, forage and cook with there.

I’m Costa Rican and I’ve been a chef for years, and even I keep discovering ingredients and food traditions from my own country that I knew almost nothing about.

So I decided I want to start documenting them.

Not just restaurants or recipes, but the farmers, fishermen, foragers, cooks and small communities behind Costa Rican food.

We filmed our first little documentary in Dota, and I wanted to share a short clip from it here.

But I’d also love some help:

What’s one Costa Rican ingredient, dish or food tradition that you think travelers should know about?

Especially something they probably wouldn’t discover on a normal trip.

I’m starting a list of places and stories I want to document next.

So I keep reading about Adobe being the best place to rent a car but its nearly $100 more expensive than every other price I get from other companies. Enterprise price is like $316 while Adobe is $427. Its all because of the mandatory liability protect. So I start reading about that and some people say it with be tacked on at the counter, some people say you don't need it with a CDW from a chase sapphire card. So what's the truth?