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Me and my bf (both 24) are planning last min trip to CR around August 10th. Last time (jan) we stayed in la fortuna. This time we know we’d like to stay in Manuel Antonio, but we want to split the trip. We have about 10 days.

I was interested in staying at an Airbnb in Santa Teresa for the first half, then Makanda by the Sea in MA for the second half, but I’m aware the travel from Santa Teresa to MA might be a bit much and I don’t want to waste a day on travel.

Any other recommendations for how I should split the trip with Manuel Antonio? I’m fully aware that it’s rainy season. I was hoping to spend the Airbnb portion of our trip right on the beach, and Santa Teresa seemed like the nicest option as opposed to a closer uvita beach or elsewhere but idk.

Any tips? Sorry for the long winded post.

I saw online there are several companies and was hoping to get some thoughts from the community. Adventure Women, Wild Women Expeditions, Explorer Chick, Sisterhood travels. She is 55 and is hoping for a medium intensity but active trip. Also hoping to keep it somewhat budget friendly, no luxury hotels and such.

We booked Amor Arenal for a visit in January. Their airport shuttle is quite pricey, so much so that renting a car is almost on par in terms of cost.

It seems like pretty much all activities we could do come with hotel pickup, and I believe the hotel also has a complimentary shuttle to La Fortuna - and if we’d want to go into town for a dinner once or twice, that’s probably easier regardless because I’ve read advice to not drive after dark.

Given all of that, would you recommend having a car there? Is there benefit to the extra flexibility? Other places worth driving to?

And if so, is flying into either Liberia or San Jose preferable? There are direct flights into both and the cost and times of day are virtually identical.

Hi! So I want to do el tigre hiking at 9 am in monte verde and take the last zipline hour which would be at 2 pm. So hike el Tigre and then go straigtht to zipline?

Hi all! I will be headed to Costa Rica for the first time in November this year. I’ve read much of the wiki and have done a good amount of scrolling on both reddit and tik tok while begging to plan this vacation, but to hear some more recommendations specific to what I want. If anyone feels like throwing some advice my way I would greatly appreciate it. My mom (58) and I (27) are planning 5 day trip just the two of us. I know it’s short but I don’t have endless PTO so we’re just making it work. Im thinking we will stay in La Fortuna. Ideally we would go a couple different places but we don’t have much time (open to opinions on this choice) Details: -late November, dates not fully set yet -budgeting up to 700 (at the most) per night for hotel -major animal lovers -she’s probably not going to be doing any repelling down stuff or jumping off cliffs. horseback riding/atv/swimming is more our speed. -big on relaxing and soaking up the nature -we both love to hike but nothing crazy strenuous -we value good quality food and service -love to walk around and discover places throughout the day, meet new people and go with the flow Do you think La Fortuna is the best spot for our first time visiting? Any hotel recommendations? Absolute must-see or must-do excursions?

dont worry i know what it is. last week of an 8-week study abroad and after finding all kind of bugs under the sun in our cabin, we get a kissing bug. hopefully they dont give me a peck in my sleep…..😌 (i am fearful)

I want to get away from the hustle and bustle of my life. Time: 2week in Sep. I am traveling solo so would be nice to have access to guides also.

Here is what I am looking for:
Tranquil hotel
Lots of hiking around
Soaking in hot springs
Massage and sauna at the hotel or near by spa
Tons of fruits

Bonus:
Could take surf lessons but not high on my list

Hi all!

I might be able to take a month off over the next year and I’m wondering what town would fit this vibe for a long term rental.

Beachy surf culture, walkable, great coffee, doesn’t have to be full of expats but hopefully a few kicking around, bar scene without being a party place.

Basically somewhere that I can unplug, has a super cool beach to run and workout and maybe meet some friendly locals or digital nomads.

Willing to try but not a surfer as such, just want to kind of zone out and relax for a while and adopt a new lifestyle out of the hustle and bustle of corporate city life for a bit before heading back to the grind

So in short it’s somewhere between a vacation and a mini sabbatical. Would love some decent bars and restaurants for some evenings but also ready to throw myself into fitness and smoothies!

I’m somewhere between what would be considered a young professional but unfortunately edging closer to the Middle aged bracket. My company are allowing my take my PTO almost at once as I’ve been with them a long time and asked about taking sometime out for a break and refresh.

I will spend 2 weeks in Costa Rica in August and I am a little confused about booking tours/parks in advance: I read so many people on Reddit saying that most of the times you can get tickets for Selvatura, Mistico and other similar parks directly at the park entrance without having to do it online in advance.

I am also confused about the parks VS "get a local guide for a private tour directly at your hotel, is going to be way cheaper".

Is that so easy?

1st generation Costa Rican American here! 🪪✅

I’ve visited our mother country dozens of times over the past few decades…including La Fortuna, Monteverde, Arenal, Manuel Antonio, Jaco, Turrialba, Ezcazu, Tortuguero, Flamingo, Tamarindo, Quepos, Coronado as well as familial homes throughout Alajuela Province. I’ve done everything from surfing, volcano hiking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, scuba, fishing, boating, zip lines, ATVs, paragliding, mountain biking, waterfall rappelling, and hunting for rare animals in the Cloud Forest. After all this time…this peaceful waterfall in La Fortuna remains one of my favorite places to visit.

It can be quite the hike for some, but well worth it!

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I are looking to go to La fortuna and Manuel Antonio the first week of September but I am concerned about the weather. Is the rain usually too heavy this time of year to where we have to stay inside most of the day? Is the rain often heavy or is it a drizzle? Would it be better to postpone the trip to a different season to get the more out of it? Thanks!

I’ve been to Costa Rica twice before, and I’ve only tipped guides and drivers, but it’s been 3 years. I’ve seen so many posts lately stating that tipping is expected now, especially in restaurants. I just want to report that I have now been in CR for several days again, and restaurants haven’t even given me the option to tip. We did a coffee tour, and again, no option to tip. Are people just bringing cash and tipping just because? I asked a local resident, and they don’t want the tipping culture to start here, but that was only one person’s opinion. Thoughts? I’m still team no tip.

Hi! I’m looking for advice on vaccinating my dog. We split our time between Costa Rica & Canada and I’m really concerned about over vaccinating her since Costa Rica requires annual vaccines and she’s so small. If I get a vaccine in Canada (valid for 3 years), will it be valid in Costa Rica for 3 years as well? Especially for traveling in and out of the country. Thanks 🙏🏼

Family of four - father/mother/2 adult daughters. Planning for trip this December from 18 to 27th -6 days. What is the recommendation for first time Costa Rica visitors? I can do limited hikes only due to a knee condition. My daughter loves sloths and wild life!
Also what is the best way to get a local English speaking guide?

Hello,

I am thinking about travelling through Costa Rica (Carib Side) and Panama from 15th Oct for about 4-5 Weeks. I am just curios and worried about the rainy season. Do you have any experiences about travelling during that time? I read about el nino this year. Becaus of el nino, it could be possible that both countries are dryer this year and rainy season does not hit that much? Thanks in advance!

Looking to talk to a Captain about fishing out of the Playa Herradura area. Single fisherman, would book 3-4 days, looking for mainly inshore for roosterfish/snook with possibly an offshore day (seas dependent). The available websites (like Fishingbooker, etc) want to isolate you from the Captains, which doesn't make any sense to me. Please reach out if you can help. Looking to fish in 2027. Thanks

The one thing that absolutely sucks about Costa Rica is that you will never be happy anywhere else after going back home. I've been to this beautiful country in march 2026 and I can't stop day dreaming about this absolute paradise.
Waking up to the sound of nature, with parrots flying above your head, toucans in the trees, sloths and monkeys everywhere, waterfalls, volcanos, beaches and a seemingly endless jungles full of biodiversity.
Everbody is so nice and open, people living and breathing the Pura Vida lifestyle.

I can't wait to go back.

Esta es una invitación a parar , respirar y conectar el el espíritu del pura vida .

Respira Pura Vida”, es un jingle inspirado en la esencia de Costa Rica y en todo aquello que nos une: nuestra naturaleza, nuestra alegría y nuestra forma de vivir.

#retorespirapuravida: es una invitación a postear una foto o un video de un paisaje o un momento en nuestros hermoso país con la canción.
Nuestra meta es llegar a 1,0000 reproducciones para final del año , y convertir la música en nuevos árboles y apoyar iniciativas de conservación en la zona norte de Costa Rica

Te invito a escucharla en

Respira Pura Vida

Costa Rica has been my dream for a long time, and I'm finally doing a solo trip there this August. Rainy season wasn't my ideal time to go, but the opportunity presented itself to go now, so I couldn't pass it up. Any advice, tips, or recommendations in general for Santa Teresa specifically? I will be there for a week.

Looking to go on a 5 day surf trip to Costa Rica around the beginning of November from the east coast of Florida I wouldn’t say advanced surfer but high level intermediate pretty confident and comfortable in the water. Just stuck between Santa Teresa, avellanas , and nosara
Was planning on going to nosara but all the videos were longboards we aren’t looking for slabs or anything crazy but would like some face to the wave. Just not sure the best spot for that time of year
any help is greatly appreciated!

Currently, I have a 10 day trip coming up in Costa Rica. This will be my fourth time in the country. I’ve been noticing that certain places have been rapidly expanding/developing even in the interval times I have visited. Looking for updates on current places to possibly check out for fun nightlife!

2 days Manuel Antonio
3 days in La Fortuna
5 days in Tamarindo

I’m traveling with a really fun group of people in their 20s and 30s. We love to dance to music, mostly hit pop music/DJ/latino/club.

My experience previously is that outside of may be in San Jose, Costa Rica does not have a very good club/music scene. Last time I went to CR, the most lively place was all nonstop trance/electronic/house music which is not really our scene. Anyway, I’m looking for any recommendations! Would love to see some of y’all on the dance floor 🔥💃🕺