reid1harris asked 8 years ago
Hi,
My family of 4 are looking to plan a week long trip to Costa Rica In January after the New Year.
We have never been to Costa Rica before and we want to go to beaches but also to be able to zip line in the rain forest and see waterfalls, volcanoes, and wildlife. However we do not want stay someplace too touristy (we would like more fisherman villages with local restaurants and bars that aren’t full of tourists).
I have done some research through your website and I cannot determine if we should do the Guanacaste Province which seems to have all options available or go to the central pacific coast and go to the Manuel Antonio Park as well as maybe a couple of days in the Costa Ballena.
Any help would be fantastic!
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 8 years ago
Hi reid1harris,
You could definitely do either. In general it will be very busy at the beaches right after the New Year since, in addition to tourists, a lot of locals take time off around Christmas/New Years and go to the coast. In general we would say that the central Pacific has more rainforest, wildlife, and waterfalls than Guanacaste. So maybe would lean that way. But you can find those things inland of Guanacaste at places like Bijagua or more south on the Nicoya Peninsula in towns like Montezuma (both of those are less touristy). The central Pacific lacks volcanoes but you could do a few nights in La Fortuna to get that experience and then go to the coast. The Costa Ballena would be less busy than Manuel Antonio and you might get a more local feel, though still a bit touristy. Hope this gives you a bit of guidance, it’s a tough call.