Looking at taking my family of five to Costa Rica over the summer. Two college age kids and a 12-year old. Spending some time on the volcano part and the ocean part.

What recommendations or tips can y'all give?

Particularly interested in opportunities for fishing and diving, as I can only take so much of walking around the jungle looking at monkeys.

Thanks!

Following. Just bought a trip for family in Jaca area of pacific side.

We try to go to CR every year (going to Kauai this year). Each time we go we go to a different part with differing climates. First time was a Guanacaste all inclusive. We'd go back here but not do the all inclusive. The second time was Arenal and La Fortuna area. This was probably our favorite or tied for favorite. Lots to do there. We went white water rafting, caving at Venado caves, hanging bridges tour, thermal pools, etc. The third year was the cloud forest and Monteverde. It was fine but lots of rain forest and waterfall hiking. The latest was to Uvita. On this one we did a private 3 seat plane ride from San Jose to Quepos, did beach thing a bit, some hiking, and went deep sea fishing out of Quepos. I'd say if there was a way to fit deep sea fishing into a trip spent mostly in the La Fortuna/Arenal region that would be about perfect.

Ping MarcelLedbetter, he's been living there for the past year. I studied abroad there in college and took the kids there a few years ago. Don't go there thinking you can do it all in one trip. Pick a couple top interest places and do those well, then have another trip down the road.

Arenal, hot springs, monteverde, cloud forest hikes/suspended bridges, zip lining in the jungle, Butterfly gardens, sloth spotting, snake/frog jungle tours, would by my top recs for first trip.

For the family trip we used Costa Rica Experts to plan everything for us because I didn't have the time to research and book everything, and they did great - they have long menus where you prioritize activities and types of stays you want and then can book everything for you except the flights.
It's an amazing country. Bring Dramamine for the long windy car drives. Seriously.

We've been to Quepos and Los suenos. I think fishing is the star of the show down there. Inshore you'll want to go after a rooster fish and stuff you can eat. Off shore is where you'll get the big sails and marlins. I'd do a day of both (or more). Restaurants will cook your catch or you can hire a chef to come to you and cook it.

Fishing out of Puntarenas area . Contact Cristian at Eagleray Bio Tours. Yes they give eco tours but he's also a badass fishing guide. Go get yourself some rooster fish!

My girlfriend is Costa Rican and we're down there multiple times a year. I could give you more options but the guys above have covered you pretty well for now.
If you want some more "deep dive" stuff, let me know but much of what I enjoy sounds like you may not (hiking/climbing). Make sure you take some time at a coffee plantation. Best coffee in the world.

Wife and I stayed in the cloud forest and La Fortuna area last summer. Highly recommend, the hanging bridges, waterfalls, volcano and cloud forest were incredible. We saw a TON of different wildlife

Deerdude said:

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Following. Just bought a trip for family in Jaca area of pacific side.

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Hopefully not a family trip to Jaco. Its a surfing area littered with drugs and prostitution.

For families (addressing OP), if you are doing Arenal already, i suggest Manuel Antonio. There is fantastic fishing 15 mins from there out of Quepos. Most of the boats are owned by expat from Texas. Inshore and offshore are both great opportunities. Manuel Antonio has a large public beach and into the neighborhood there is a local beach thats super tranquil. Food options are great in M.A. and grocers will deliver. You can have private chefs super cheap.

There are several excursions that are great in the area. The waterfall tour in bio reserve is an all day deal that is super enjoyable. Only downside to M.A. is its the hardest to get to from a travel perspective. Once you are there you wont want to leave.

I responded to your post on the travel board. We did this trip last summer with our teenage kids. We did eight days and had a fantastic time and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I don't think you can go wrong with whatever you do, but I'm happy to share our details if you like.

Also, summer is going to very hot down there. December through March is the prime time. Fall it rains. Summer it's blistering hot.

That wasn't our experience at all. Not even close. We went in June.

Jaco was significantly more expensive than we imagined it was going to be. We had a free place to stay and still exceeded our expected budget. Drinks and food are just as if not more expensive than a beach town in the states.

Something to be mindful of especially if your college kids like to drink.

Hank the Grifter said:

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If you want some more "deep dive" stuff, let me know but much of what I enjoy sounds like you may not (hiking/climbing).

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Thanks everyone for the responses. I don't have time to respond to much right now, but I think I may have given you the wrong impression.

i will certainly enjoy the jungle, hiking, monkeys, ziplines, rappelling, rafting, coffee plantations, etc.

I'm just a lifelong fisherman who's always wanted to fish Costa Rica. So I don't want to go for a week, squeeze in a half-day of lame fishing, then come back and talk about how great the food was.

For fishing the pelagic species, I'd check for best time of year to go. Cabo billfish are in fall. Isla Mujeres, Mx the best time is Christmas thru spring.

My two brothers have been in Costa Rica for nine years with a property management and tourism company. They manage over 40 vacation rental properties from Jaco to Bejuco/Esterillos on the Central Pacific coast. Some of the best fishing in the world and they have the contacts. Reach out as they are always willing to help educate anyone looking to visit or possibly invest. They will shoot you straight

Give us a call! Ask for Pablo or Scott and tell them Wesley sent you. They will set you up for a great trip. We focus on the Pacific side but we can tailor a trip to whatever you want. Manuel Antonio National Park is beautiful. Also close to Poas Volcano National Park and Arenal Volcano


Www.vacationpuravida.com

EVA3 said:

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Hank the Grifter said:

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If you want some more "deep dive" stuff, let me know but much of what I enjoy sounds like you may not (hiking/climbing).

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Thanks everyone for the responses. I don't have time to respond to much right now, but I think I may have given you the wrong impression.

i will certainly enjoy the jungle, hiking, monkeys, ziplines, rappelling, rafting, coffee plantations, etc.

I'm just a lifelong fisherman who's always wanted to fish Costa Rica. So I don't want to go for a week, squeeze in a half-day of lame fishing, then come back and talk about how great the food was.

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First of all...you are going in Summer. Expect afternoon rains. Fishing is night and day different June thru August compared to Nov thru Jan.

Having said that, my biggest Rooster ever came in giant rainstorm in July. You can still catch Pez Vela, but instead of 25 a day in December, its more like 0 to 4 a day in July. Always a chance to catch great snapper. Tuna always on the move. But it seems like a resetting of expectations would be healthy.

You can still catch fish and enjoy the experience, but I wouldnt go in expecting "trip of a lifetime" in the summer.

And fwiw...i prefer to go there in the rainy season now. The fishing might not be as spectacular, but i love the evening rains that cool things down and bring wildlife out. Morning runs/walks are great. Less crowded. For a house that costs 20k a week in December, you can get for 4k in July. Plenty of silver linings during the summer.

Well said on setting expectations when it comes to fishing. Just not the prime time for it down there.

I've only been once, but it was in the rainy season and I loved it. Didn't slow us down a bit.

I don't have much to add as everything has been well covered. I'll echo that Jaco is known for drugs and prostitution. It's the party scene for everyone in San Jose heading to the beach for the weekend.

I did a rafting/ zip line for and it was a great time.

There is a small beach in a cove between quepos and Manuel Antonio that's much better/ less crowded than the big beach outside the park. The beaches inside the park are great also.

Playa flamingo Amanda playa conchal are great spots. Puerto Viejo down to Manzanillo are fantastic also, if you get over to the Mediterranean side.

Take time to eat all the tropical fruit you can. It's terrific! In the mountains above San jose, they grow some of the best strawberries I've eaten. They make smoothie type drinks from fresh fruit (refrescas?) That are terrific.

Take lots of photos!

Just got back from a weeklong trip this time. We travel there twice a year in some form or fashion with an aim toward trying different areas out almost every time.

I know it has been discussed already here about the different areas, but I will reiterate. Avoid Jaco unless you want to deal with legal prostitution. It is rampant there.

One thing to take into account for the trip is which airport to fly into. If you are wanting to visit the Osa Peninsula or Puntarenas province, the San Jose airport may be more beneficial. If you are wanting to visit the Tamarindo area and the many beaches around there, the Liberia airport may be more beneficial. Driving in Costa Rica can be difficult to navigate from a time standpoint (especially if you get stuck behind a slow moving semi.)

Be wary of rainy season and how that can affect travel as well. We have travelled during rainy season and it has not been a bother to us, but have also seen remnants of flooding and landslides that we have missed. This time travelling between Tarcoles and Jaco, they have half the road closed down for the installation of landslide barriers.

Pura Vida!