Archive for the ‘adventure costa rica’ Category
Road tripping around Costa Rica?
April 8th, 2010 | 
Author: Hi,
I’m planning on visiting Costa Rica in January, and I want to see as many places and do as many things as possible in about a week, so I guess I want to rent a vehicle and just road-trip around the country. I’m pretty adventurous, self reliant and able to handle myself in situations. I don’t take foolish chances, and If I get a bad feeling about something, I’m extra careful. I do a lot of adventure motorcycling in the US and Canada, so I like to just go with the wind and see the "real life" in places I go and stay. I want to do some surfing and some partying. I’d like to also see some of the natural wonders of CR. I guess my question is because this is the first time I’ve been to central America, and I want to just go on my own with a friend and stay in different places every night. I do have some safety concerns though, and I was wondering if anyone else has done this before? Also any tips on where to get a good vehicle? I also want to get out of San Jose’ when I land.
Thanks
You are smart to want to get out of San Jose…. BUT dont travel at night. If you get one of the late flights in (I usually end up landing at like midnight every time I go) then you should get a taxi to a close hotel, like the Hampton Inn or Best Western Irazu, and sleep, and leave early the next morning.
Both of those hotels have Alamo or another car rental company on site so you can rent a car the next morning.
The car rental places at the airport close at like 10pm.
So yeah, there are plenty of car rental places… just use google, do the research for your exact dates, and find the best price.
You probably need a 4×4 such as a RAV4… if nothing else, you need a roof rack for your boards…. you are not in the rainy season, so the roads should not be *that* bad. Beware of the driving though… it can be scary when you driving over a 1-lane wooden bridge that has runners just wide enough for your tires…. and if you go 6 inches to the left or right, you die. And a bus is coming at you in the other direction…
Although that is all a part of the adventure. You have to be VERY careful driving though. You will be driving on winding mountain roads with a 1000+ foot drop and no guardrail…. and crazy drivers all around you.
1 week is not a lot of time…. you dont want to spend a lot of time in the car…. so plan on a few places to stop and surf. It can easilly take 10 hours to travel just 250km. The travel on some of the dirt roads is very slow…. you can get stuck behind a line of traffic behind a slow truck for an hour.
Or, you can be like me, ride the breaks too much going downhill, and overheat and lose your breaks. Then you can either stop for an hour for them to cool down, or do like me, and just stay behind a slow truck the whole way down the mountain…. knowing if you get out of control you can just rear-end the truck to stop….
(seriously, dont forget low gears…. I’m from Florida, I didnt know mountain driving. 
You have to be VERY careful partying. An American was murdered there while I was on my last trip… he was flashing his money in a club in Jaco, got jumped and stabbed to death. Do NOT carry a lot of cash, and be very careful at night, especially in tourist areas.
Leave San Jose and go towards the Pacific and decide if you want to go North or South…. and just make your way down (or up) the coast… and check out the breaks along the way… but dont spend your whole trip in the car.
14 Days in Costa Rica – Where should we spend our time?
We will be traveling to Costa Rica in April of 2010. Flying into San Jose. We are looking for some adventure and would like to see some different parts of the island. Any advice on what cities we should visit, what activities we should do, and hotel recomendations (mid-range hotels). Should we rent a car?
THank you!
I am obviously NOT an expert on the Country of Costa Rica, that is why I am asking these questions.
I appreciate all the positive feedback. THANK YOU!!!
And the negative feeback….all i can say is …. why are you so bitter?
You MUST go to Corcovado tent camp. It’s a secluded paradise. A bit hard to get to but so worth it. You can swim, surf, hike, kayak, whale watch, fish, snorkel, relax whatever:
here it is :
http://www.corcovado.com/camp/affordable-luxury-camping.html
Also Tortuguero is amazing, if you like wildlife (especially crocs and turtles, many many endangered turtles).
Also, you should go to Arenal, and visit the volcanoes there, they are amazing! There are a number of spas/heated pools that are around the volcano and are actually heated by them, they’re amazing.
Enjoy!
OH, it’s really humid there now so plan accordingly (for cameras etc.)
Backpacking in Costa Rica- HELP!!?
I will be travelling to Costa Rica in the middle of July. I am planning on a 14 day trip, starting with flying into San Jose.
I am looking for an itinerary. I have being doing a lot of searching on google however I still haven’t decided what to do or where to go.
1) I don’t want to miss out on anything
2) I want a jam packed trip full of adventure (not necessarily CRAZY adventure)
3) I want to just backpack around and have a good time
4) Go into the wilderness (maybe a tour or two, hiking?)
5) Spend time on the beach (snorkeling)
6) Do some fishing (for the boyfriend)
7) Go to the Arenal Valcano (things like that)
I want to stay in hostels if need be I’d grab a hotel or two while I am there. I am on a budget and understand that the tours can become costly.
If anybody has any idea’s where I should start and finish my trip, I would LOVE to hear it.
Thanks
I’d stay on the west coast – the east coast is kinda sleazy. Definitely check out beaches like Samara and Montezuma. There’s tons of wildness adventures and tour packages in touristy towns like Montezuma that can hook you up for tours in other parts of the country. Ask other travelers when you get down there what they did. Have a great time! Costa Rica is amazing.
I want to go to Costa Rica on the cheap. Where are some inexpensive places to stay near/on the beach?
I know that my search engine pulls up the big luxurious places to stay, but I want the small rustic bungalow type place when I go to Costa Rica. The reason I will be there is to enjoy nature and adventure, and I don’t care about a 5-star all-inclusive place that will send me a personal Yoga instructor. I’m sure there are some surf/beach bums out there that know how I can do this. Thanks everyone in advance.
Depends on what part of Costa Rica you want to stay in and what you consider inexpensive. I stayed in a really nice place in Playa Avellanas that is 200 yards from the beach. Nice staff, good surfing, and great little place to eat onsite. Check it out at http://www.cabinaslasolas.co.cr/. Plus, one of the guy bar tenders lives down the street and has a back house he rents out for cheap. I think i paid $15 a night.
If you are going soon, like USA summer time, then it is the Costa Rican "low season." Prices are less expensive.
I also know of a couple places in Playa Guiones. Down the Nicoya Penisula. Stay at Solo Bueno Hostel (http://www.solobuenohostel.com/) cool people who own it, haven’t stayed at Tiki Surf Camp, but inexpensive. Here is a link to Nosara/ Guiones: http://www.govisitcostarica.com/listings/listings.asp?cID=28&pageID=1
In Jaco, i stayed in Hotel de Haan. safe place and clean rooms, only a block to beach. Jaco is a party town.
In Dominical, stay at Tortilla Flats. Right across the street from the beach. Some rooms have AC..Good surf and chill town..good food.
Check out my surf blog when you get a chance. I really appreciate it.
http://www.surfblogspot.com
Thanks
Whitewater Costa Rica rafting & kayaking adventure tours
Whitewater Costa Rica rafting & kayaking adventure tours by Costa Rica Adventures
Duration : 0:4:29
Posted in adventure costa rica | 
Tags: Adventure;, Costa, Kayaking, rafting;, Rica, tours, Whitewater | 
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My husband and I thinking to go to Costa Rica in December for 7 days.?
we want to have adventure type vacation. Based on what I’ve researched so far I’ve picked these places; Guanacaste, Manuel Antonio, Tortuguero, and Montevede. can somebody tell about these spots. what can you do in each place? if 7 days is enough to visit all these places
Guanacaste- northern Pacific coast; nice beaches, nice hotels/resorts, hot but not too humid, great wildlife, Flamingo is really nice
http://www.1costaricalink.com/eng/web/maps/tamarindo.htm
Monteverde- I have never been sorry.
http://www.1costaricalink.com/eng/web/maps/monteverde.htm
Manual Antonio- southern Pacific coast, big national park, nice beach also, more humid
http://www.1costaricalink.com/eng/web/maps/manuel-antonio.htm
Tortuguero- national park, see turtles in the wild, very close to Limon (port where all the ships/cruises come in-very cool), close to Caribbean towns (must see at least once-different feel)
http://www.1costaricalink.com/eng/web/maps/limon.htm
Unless you plan to spend half your vacation on the road, that’s too many places (and too spread out to do in a week). Guanacaste (Tamarindo, Flamingo, Nosara, etc) and Monteverde aren’t far apart (about 75 miles) but Tortuguero is 250 miles from Guanacaste. That 8+ hours of driving on Costa Rican roads. Manuel Antonio is about the same.
I would stay pick one area (Guanacaste/Monteverde/Arenal, Tortuguero/Caribbean side, or Manuel Antonio/Jaco/south pacific side) and spend your week exploring those areas more in depth. Most activities are available in all parts of the country.
Here’s a website that shows the driving distances between different towns: http://www.1-costaricalink.com/distances.htm
If you fly from place to place, you could do all 4. There are 2 local airlines within CR. Sansa and Nature Air. They are safe, but they aren’t cheap. For example a one-way fare may run as high $130/person. But you can get a fare as low as $40 too.
http://www.natureair.com
http://www.flysansa.com
going to Costa Rica?
Hi, their is a few of us going to Costa Rica from Canada. I was wondering if we need to have Hep A, B or C shots. we are only going for 9 days, on a tour. no sex but there might be a chance for blood to be seen as we are going on an adventure tour. I asked the tour operator but he seemed to think we didn’t need them and i don’t want to get unnecceasry shots but at the same time i want to be safe. if any one had an answer i would really appreciate it. thank you in advance
yeah i would google that and try to find out anything possible cause there is many dieases that you can die from …………get the shots
Brenda Song in Costa Rica with Adventures By Disney
Brenda Song from Disney’s “The Suite Life of Zach & Cody” uncovers the Path to Pura Vida in Costa Rica during a magical Adventures by Disney family vacation.
Duration : 0:2:4
Posted in adventure costa rica |
Tags: Adventures;, brenda, cody, disney, Family, life, song, Suite, Vacation, zach |
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Costa Rica or St Maarten with toddler?
We would like to travel in February for 9-10 days with our 2.5 year old daughter. We would like some adventure (as opposed to sitting on the beach all day), and are used to traveling off the beaten path somewhat (read: not Hilton, but also not hostels. Somewhere in between). Can anyone recommend one destination over the other? Any reason why we shouldn’t go to one or either of them? Any suggested itineraries?
Thank you all!
I’m not that familiar with St Maarten but I can tell you that Costa Rica is very family friendly. The Pacific Coast is probably the best place to visit, let it be up north in Guanacaste, where you’d fly into Liberia International Airport. If you fly into San Jose you might want to visit the Central Pacific, where you will find the Manuel Antonio National Park which is a huge attraction for all ages. You’ll find all types of wildlife, sloths, monkeys and toucans, and it has a calm white sand beach. Another nice place to stay is Punta Leona in the central pacific. The Southern Pacific is very isolated but the beach town of Dominical is very popular.
If I had to chose a specific spot it would be between Punta Leona and Manuel Antonio, I think those two are probably the best option for your travel plans.
Adventure Begins 7 – Zip Line on Sky Trek in Costa Rica
SkyTrek ziplines go 45 mph at 200′ in the air! So fun!
Duration : 0:3:33