I am trying to convince my dh that we need to go to Costa Rica this year. It will probably be during their rainy season (November) but I don’t care. Any suggested itineraries or ideas? We are in our sixties and in pretty decent shape. DH has had both knees done so hiking is okay but he won’t like it too strenuous. We like wildlife and nature over city life. I would rather stay in small inns or bnbs over luxury accominations. We will be flying out of Chicago or Milwaukee. I am thinking 7-10 days.
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In 2016, we took the kids to Costa Rica for two weeks over spring break. We rented a car from Liberia and drove to Monteverde; we had several nights here:
and then drove to Fortuna where we had a couple of nights here:
https://www.villasvilmahotel.com/
Finally, we headed down to the beach and spent five nights here:
https://planetofhotels.com/en/costa-rica/tamarindo/hotel-casa-blanca
The itinerary was very doable and gave us a taste of rainforest, jungle and beaches!
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Not sure for the rainy season and would need to see if transport in/out during this time. We highly recommend the Oso Peninsula - several amazing eco lodges, magical, lovely walks and nature galore. We stayed at Bosque de Cabo and it was lovely. 4 nights works great, but could easily do more. We also liked Monteverde and Manuel Antonio, but hard to beat the Oso.
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I spent a week in Costa Rica in January 2020. My daughter and I went to a yoga retreat (my studio at home sponsored it) at Blue Osa, an eco-resort on the Osa peninsula, which is on the Pacific Ocean. The resort had composting toilets and was off the grid relying on solar for electricty. When we weren’t doing yoga, we went a number of tours to local sites. The people were incredibly warm and friendly. Our group brought gifts for kids at the local school and we were invited there for a gathering.
We loved our time at Savegre. Savegre – Hotel | Natural Reserve | Spa It’s not fancy but they have a lovely spa. It’s in the National Park of the Quetzals. Amazing birding and I don’t even like birding (my husband does). Trails for hiking. It was one of the first ecolodge-type places in Costa Rica. Cool and can be damp. It rained some almost every day while we were there, but we just napped during the rainy spells. Less touristy than other parts of Costa Rica. Costa Ricans come there for vacation. The President of Costa Rica was staying there while we were there! (It was so low-key that I brushed by him at breakfast and didn’t even realize. Then we noticed the guys with earpieces around him.)
Edited to add: after 6 days in the cloud forest we went to Hacienda Baru in Dominical on the coast. It was July. We got out of the car into heat and humidity and I said “I can’t stay here”. But we did for 4 days. It is a primitive ecolodge. Surrounded by jungle and animals. A short walk to the beach. We developed a routine that worked – wake early, hike in the jungle, go for a swim (so glad they had a pool), eat lunch, lay down under the ceiling fan in very little clothes and try not to move, go for another swim, go to dinner, watch the sunset over the ocean. We went from there to Manuel Antonio for a couple of days, which felt very touristy after these other stops. But our hotel had AC.
It was a wonderful experience.
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We are similar to OP.
Any thoughts on the rainy season ? Still worth it ?
One friend told me it’s better - he’s been both and saw more nature. But constant rain, to me, stinks.
We went for a week in March. Absolutely beautiful weather.
Spent a couple of days in the Arenal area. Hiked up to the volcano view point there - great hike, not too strenuous. It was hot and I did get sunburnt a little while at the top, absolutely no shade. Went to the hot springs at one of the bigger resorts there (we didn’t stay there - just went for the evening) - nice experience! A busload of people had canceled, so they had vacancies and we enjoyed the mostly empty pools. Also did a guided night rain forest hike - so very interesting. Saw a blue jeans frog!
We then drove to Monteverde. Long drive, last part of it over very bumpy gravel roads. The cloud forest area was beautiful!! We did a couple of hikes here, visited a chocolate factory being run by a fellow Red Sox fan! The town looked very interesting, but unfortunately we didn’t have too much time to explore.
We then went to the Manuel Antonio park area for the last couple of nights. Took a ranger tour of the park - was absolutely worth it. He pointed out lots of birds and wild life that we would have missed. Saw several sloths!
We only spent one evening at the beach, catching the sunset. I think we got a great mix - would love to go back one day and head up north or down south. We stayed pretty close to San Jose this trip.
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We went over Christmas and stayed in San Jose for two nights and went rafting. Flew to the Oso Peninsula and stayed at La Paloma Lodge it was all inclusive and a special place.
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Not far from Manuel Antonio is Los Suenos resort. We rented a villa there in January 2020. Their concierge arranged golf cart rental, local excursions and a local chef (for 1 special meal). We had use of the resort amenties and a private pool at the house. Perfect blend of relax/tour vacation.
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How did the rain season impact this ?
We got lucky and had decent weather.
I recall having to forge a flooded road to get to the beach where we took a boat for the final part of reaching the lodge.
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Anybody travel during the rainy season - is it rainy that much? Does it wreck the trip? We can only go late year…
A quick google search says rainy season is late May to November. My sister-in-law has a bungalow near Manuel Antonio and I know after spending one summer there she said never again. Her favorite time is Feb, March and April.
ok - so maybe late November or early December could work??
We have too much going on - couldn’t make it work in the early part of the year.
Some articles tout the rainy season - for giving more vegetation and wildlife - but if you’re drenched, what’s the point…?
You know…it can rain anywhere. As my mother said “you are not a witch…you won’t melt”.
I mean really…we were in Phoenix recently and it poured rain one day. It didn’t dampen our spirits at all.
And this…
The dry months are certainly popular with tourists, but the rainy season can be a great time to go—think beaches all to yourself, cooler temps, brilliant vegetation, and lower prices. Maximize your travels with these tips on where and when to go during Costa Rica’s “green season.”
Here:
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Yes, we’ve read those but want to hear from folks who have done it. These articles in many ways are advertising.
If it’s like Florida, then sure it will rain daily for a small time.
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I have been to Costa Rica twice. Both were family trips when the kids were in school so were during the summer. The first trip was in late August and the second was in mid-May. I have no recollection of rain either trip, so if it happened it was minimal. Maybe the amount of rain depends on where you go. The first trip was Arsenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The second time we stayed at one location on the west coast.
Have you asked for input on traveling in November on the trip advisor website? That is probably the best option to hear from someone who lives there or has visited when you are considering.
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I think late November or early December should be fine. I’ve been to Costa Rica four times and have only experienced rain once.
Late May/early June 2013: In the Arenal area it rained a few times but we did everything we planned. There were some people at the SkyTrek zipline who couldn’t finish because of lightning. Manuel Antonio was dry on the latter part of that same trip.
Thanksgiving 2018: Punta Islita area was dry. But the week before it had been rainy per hotel staff.
Thanksgiving 2019: Punta Islita area was dry. But the week before it had been rainy per hotel staff.
Christmas 2022: Peninsula Papagayo was dry.
From our one rainy trip, I’d say ponchos are the way to go if it’s raining because when it rains it pours, and it’s hot. We brought water resistant raincoats and those were pretty much worthless because they got soaked through right away from the intensity of the rain.
For what it’s worth, the first trip we made in 2013 was the most fun and memorable trip we’ve had to Costa Rica, even with the rain.
@Onward started this thread, not @tsbna44 .
Maybe they are both planning trips to Costa Rica.
My daughter and husband were there in January and said it was fabulous. They are avid hikers and hiked just about every day. Weather was gorgeous…and they said there was some rain but not all day long.
I’m ok sharing the thread with @tsbna44 ! The more advise and questions the better. I can say that my daughter went at the end of November a few years ago and the problem they had was a rare hurricane! They couldn’t cross a river to get to their hotel but found another and the charge card credited their original stay.
I am thinking about going to the Osa peninsula, maybe by shared shuttle? So many cool places to go!