We spent a month in Costa Rica in February, and primarily split the time in two locations: La Fortuna and Tamarindo
Some highlights and general information for La Fortuna:
- Some of the hikes we took:
- Volcan Arenal Ecological Park: Somewhat vertical hike to the Arenal Volcano lava flow. Took roughly 45 minutes up and roughly 1.5 hours down on a more treacherous and challenging alternative route. Road is rough to the trail head, so, a vehicle with a higher clearance is recommended. Park has a swimming lake, boats to rent, camping and facilities. $16/pp entrance fee.
- La Fortuna falls: $20/pp entry fee, 500 steps down to the falls, able to swim at the base of the falls, and a nice restaurant.
- Mistico Hanging Bridges: $30/pp entry fee. Nice trails and crossed a number of bridges, saw monkeys, Coati, various birds. A little commercial.
- 1968 Hike: $26/pp entry fee. Difficult hike over the lava flows. Great views.
- Rio Celeste: $12/pp entry fee, plus, $6 for parking. Very cool blue water and falls. About a 4 hour, fairly difficult hike. Saw a number of snakes and where the 2 rivers meet to form the blue water. Swam in the river at a nearby bridge, as you can not during the hike.
- Observatory Hike: $20/pp entry fee. My favorite hike – great trails, and diverse scenery. Observation deck. Great restaurant.
- Rafting: Went white water rafting on a 3/4 level rapids. Rapids were significant enough and a great time! Used Arenal Rafting, $65/pp, fruit stop and lunch at the end of the trip, $40 for pics of rafting, saw howler monkeys, iguanas, plenty of birds…
- Baldi Spa: $65/pp entry fee which included dinner. Largest hot springs in the world with over 25 pools. $10 deposit for towels and $7 for lockers. Plenty of bars ( a bit expensive). Dinner wasn’t that good. Fun experience.
On the way to Tamarindo we stopped to hike the Monteverde Cloud Forest: $26/pp entry fee $18 for seniors. A number of hike options: pretty easy and well marked, hanging bridges, and beautiful forests. Continental Divide was cloudy, so, we didn’t see much.
Tamarindo: We sent 2 weeks here and primarily slowed down and enjoyed our condo, the town and beach. Some highlights of activities:
- We visited Conchal Beach just had to pay for parking ($6). Paying for parking is not official at public beaches, but, the “attendants” supposedly watch your cars for the fee. Pay at your discretion. Nice beach, less people than Tamarindo, 50/50 on visiting.
- Went deep sea fishing with my brother and a couple of guys I met at the condo complex. Not very successful, and my suggestion would be to do some research before you do!
- Had a great time on a snorkeling/sunset cruise. A flamingo bay catamaran snorkel adventure. $95/pp. Free drinks, fruit and dinner. Seas were rough, so, snorkeling OK. Customer service was great! Good time.
- Visited Samara: Stopped at a great waterfall on the way, beautiful beach and small town area. Nice location with a more authentic Costa Rican vibe and quieter beach.
- Finally, Candice and I visited the Las Catalinas area. Playa Dantita beaches were nice, quiet and pristine. Las Catalinas is developing into a high end resort community with nice restaurants and shops.
Driving: Some good roads, but, many very rough and some are basically donkey trails. Need a high clearance vehicle. Plan on extra time to get places. Speed limit is flexible. A number of speed bumps and not well marked. Poor road signs. Waze is the best navigation Ap.
In general, really enjoyed the country. Very nice people, beautiful scenery, relatively inexpensive (even though high tourist areas are more expensive). Fly into Liberia if you are going to visit La Fortuna and Tamarindo.