Trip in November 08 for 5 days... what do I see and how do I get there?
Hi all, I'm taking a trip that I'm sure is too short - 5 days over Thanksgiving in November with a friend of mine. After reading some of the other blogs I think we want to split our time between Arenal Volcano & Hot Springs and spend the rest of the time at the beach. We're planning on flying into San Jose and backpacking.
I'm looking for beautiful beach suggestions and more importantly, what is the best way to get from San Jose to Arenal (La Fortuna), then from Arenal to the beach, and then back to San Jose?
Also, anybody have comments on how Costa Rica is in November?
Thanks so much! I can't wait for this trip.
Tyler
Reply to this Hi Tyler,
5 days is a short trip, but you can see some things -
2 east of San Jose is the Pacuare RIver - one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. November is prime time to run the river - I would HIGHLY recommend looking into this. They provide the transportation to and from San Jose (will pick you up). It's about 100 bucks.
San Jose to Arenal - there are various transport ways. The volcano is great when you do actually see it, but it's often cloudy and most of the time you can't see the top, or lava for that point. We saw it for about 3 min in 4 days time.
Manuel Antonio is a few hours from San Jose, and a beautiful park/great town full of restaurants/bars, nightlife. Lots of surf rentals. Renting a car is expensive, but honestly, probably your best option. Be careful though - every person I know who has driven down there got a speeding ticket, and then you have to pay off the cop.
Have a glorious trip, safe travels!!!
Reply to this dragonbait is right--Nov is the prime time to go white water rafting in Costa Rica. i spent 5 days in the Arenal area last Nov and loved it. because it is a bit cloudy in Nov, you may not get a clear view of Volcano Arenal. if you are in the Arenal area, i suggest that you hit the rapids, swim in the waterfalls and do some hiking in the rain forest (with a guide of course). these tours are fairly inexpensive. also, see if you can find a way to get to Lake Arenal--there are gorgeous views of it in the mountains.
there are also many horseback riding day trips from La Fortuna (Arenal area) to Monteverde. you'll really get to see the landscape this way. Nov is a good time to travel since there aren't many tourists. bring a light sweater and a poncho too--trust me, you'll need them from time to time.
there are direct buses that can take you from San Jose to Arenal, though it's a 4-7 hr ride.
don't miss out on the local ice cream and eat casados for lunch when you can...yummm.
pura vida!
Reply to this Hi Tyler,
There are also private shuttle services like grayline and interbus which take you on the direct routes from the more touristic places, these a more expensive that the public bus services, but on a short trip they will save you SO MUCH time!!
the weather in novembe can be a little variable!! can be glorious sunshine or rainy, so i would choose a beach where there are also activities. Here in manuel antonio we have a 3 KM long beach and a national park, plus rafting, atv{s, horse riding, scuba diving, surfing the lisdt goes on....keep you busy on not sucha sunnt beach day!"
i hope this information helps and if you are after scuba diving, look me up at www.oceansunlimitedcr.com
Katharine
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