Things to do in CR before Cocos

[Kevster]

Hi,

I am heading to Cocos in Feb and was looking for any tips on things to do/see, places to stay, tour operators, hotels before the start of my Cocos adventure.
I have 4 nights in Costa Rica before the dive trip.

At the moment I intend to spend 1 day in San Jose & 2 days at Arenal volcano.
Would also like to visit a rain forest if I could squeeze it in.

I will be recovering from Jet lag in Houston so would appreciate any recommendations for hotels near Houston airport. (I am flying Dubai-Houston-San Jose).

Any tips would be much appreciated!

 

[hydroknot]

Boy, I can think of 2 activities and 1 restaurant while you are in Arenal area. Activities:

1. Zip lines w/ Sky Trek. These ain't your mama's zip lines. You ride a series of 8 lines suspended above the forest canopy. The longest line is 2,600 feet. The operation is very professional with excellent equipment and guides.

2. Canyoneering with Pure Trek or Desafio. We tried Pure Trek this summer. Very good experience. We are trying Desafio today just for varieties sake. (We are at Ocotal Beach Resort as I write. Spent the last two days diving at local sites).

As for restaurants there is a place in La Fortuna, the town close to Arenal, called Nene's Restaurant. It's a very simple place. Nothing pretentious. Just good local food. Don't eat at the resorts. Food at best is so-so ... and expensive. Always ask to be directed to places that don't cater completely to tourists. If the place is clean and well lit ... and you see Costa Rican families at other tables you are in the right place.

Where are staying in Arenal? We stayed 4 days at Lost Iguana this summer. Nice location. Very pretty grounds. Rooms OK. Restaurant blah! Friendly staff, tho.

Have fun!

 

[HerraduraDivers]

Hi Kevster,

Rainforest: get a national Flight with SANSA or NATURE AIR to Bahia Drake or Puerto Jimenez and enjoy primary Rainforest and relax in the most exclusive Junglelodges.
In Bahia Drake you can Dive too at Costa Ricas most beautiful Divespot (after Cocos Island indeed) named Isla del Caño.
Just to get a first appetizer to Cocos Island.....

Arenal: You can go there to visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges nestled in a Tropical Cloud Forest and there is a Canopy too.

San Jose: Except the National Theatre and the Gold Museum there is not much to see in SJO. I would spend my time elswhere.

Tell us more about your interests, so we can give you some more hints.

Best regards

Chris

 

[NTSilver]

You can really check off a lot in Arenal. You can go white water rafting from the Arenal area - as others have said, in Arenal there are zip lines, rain forest / canopy, hiking the volcano (or close to it) and the hot springs. Totally agree on not eating at the resorts. La Choza de Laruel at the beginning of La Fortuna town with very good views of the Volcano was our favorite restaurant.

 

[Kevster]

Thanks for all the replys.
I have been searching this forum ,trip advisor etc. I think i am now sorted for a short trip to the Arenal area. I am a bit surprised as its seems a bit expensive(Especially now that the £ is rubbish against the $).

For other using this post in the future i have found this website very useful.
travel to costa rica costa rica vacation packages tours and lodging costa rica travel packages
I will post a trip report in March!

 

[hydroknot]

A few updates to what I wrote earlier:

Sky Trek zip line operation looked a little run down compared
With this summer. The lines were a bit slack. Several people
got stuck short of the requiring hand-over-hand to reach
landing. Guides looked sloppy, too. A real change

Canyoning still good. Desafio is more treking than rappelling.
Pure Trek the opposite. Pure Trek also more challenging
Arenal Lodge also a nice place to stay.

 

[Skuba-doo]

We were in CR about 18-months back, and found Arenal the most disappointing part of our trip. The volcano wasnt very interesting - saw a minute amount of Lava at night, and the Sky Walk (suspension bridges through a jungle walk) was pretty poor. However we were staying on the Papagayo side, so the longer journey to Arenal probably tainted our views.

Definately do zip-lining - absolutely brilliant. We also did some White Water rafting which was also very good. I wouldnt bother with river cruises as it really is pure luck whether you get to see any crocodiles.

We did a day trip to Nicaragua (literally ALL day) which was also well worth the time - certainly different than CR - very similar to Havana.