SK asked 6 years ago
Hi Matt & Jenn
We have learned so much from your site as we’ve researched Costa Rica! Thank you for providing excellent information! We will be in Costa Rica the first couple weeks of May. This is likely a once in a lifetime visit, so we are planning to do a big variety of things while we’re there. We will rent a car and stay in vacation rentals along the way. We’ve calculated drive times using WAZE. We are purposely avoiding the cities and heaviest tourist areas and enjoy a good road trip. We know this itinerary will have us driving some and keep us busy, but is it too busy?
Day 1: fly into Liberia
Day 2: drive Liberia to Guapiles
Day 3: day trip to Tortuguero
Day 4: canopy tour in Braulio Carrillo (a.m.), drive to Cahuita
Day 5: snorkeling in Cahuita National Park
Day 6: Caribbean beaches (surf lessons?)
Day 7: chocolate tour (a.m.), drive to Turrialba
Day 8: Pacuare River rafting day trip
Day 9: drive to Los Quetzales cloud forest continue on to Dominical
Day 10: Dominical beaches (surf lessons?)
Day 11: Drive to Tarcoles for croc tour, continue on to Liberia
Day 12 – fly out of Liberia
We would like to see both coasts, but are unsure of which one would be better to concentrate our beach time on (taking surf lessons, etc.) Given your weather charts for May, maybe the Pacific has a better chance of sunshine. Are the beaches around Dominical also better for beginner surfing that time of year? Should we shift a day from the Caribbean over to Dominical?
Thank you so much for your help!
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 6 years ago
Hi SK,
Well, everyone has their own idea of how busy they want to be and how much driving they are willing to do. But personally, we would probably try to cut down the amount of traveling you are doing. You have 2 really long days of driving (LIR to Gaupiles + Dominical to LIR). We also usually like to have people stay in one spot for a few nights. Guapiles and Turrialba are fine for a couple nights since they are small but you can’t experience much in say, Dominical, with only 2 night or one full day. Not sure it would be worth the effort. A lot of people try to cram in a lot of destinations and are then sad that they didn’t get to go check out all the things they learn about when they arrive. I’d say pick one coast or the other (maybe the Pacific since you are flying into LIR) and spend more time in each spot.
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 6 years ago
Hi SK,
Well, everyone has their own idea of how busy they want to be and how much driving they are willing to do. But personally, we would probably try to cut down the amount of traveling you are doing. You have 2 really long days of driving (LIR to Gaupiles + Dominical to LIR). We also usually like to have people stay in one spot for a few nights. Guapiles and Turrialba are fine for a couple nights since they are small but you can’t experience much in say, Dominical, with only 2 night or one full day. Not sure it would be worth the effort. A lot of people try to cram in a lot of destinations and are then sad that they didn’t get to go check out all the things they learn about when they arrive. I’d say pick one coast or the other (maybe the Pacific since you are flying into LIR) and spend more time in each spot.
