Check out this costa rica itinerary...?

Question

im wondering if this is a good itinerary for costa rica in july. i am aware that it is the rainy season. I will be renting a 4x4. I arrive in SJO at around 11 am... im looking to be on the road by 1 pm and start heading for monteverde... then stay overnight. next day... do zipline in the am... then head out to samara where ill also stay over night to rest. next day head out to montezuma or mal pais.. where ill stay for 2 nights to relax. then go back to san jose for my last night. you think this is doable?

should i still consider going to samara or just go directly to montezuma?

how far is monteverde from samara? montezuma? how long is the drive? and what is the best route to get there fast?

how are the driving conditions in these areas in july?

how has the weather been so far? and what should i expect?

ive read driving to monteverde from san jose takes about 5 hours... is this the same in the rainy season?

i also need CHEAP places to stay in montezuma..

need help fast! please!

Answer 1

You are going about this all wrong. First of all, don't try to do too much as the roads are REALLY BAD. There will be extreme washouts so don't drive at night and go slow because the potholes are the same color as the road itself and you will find yourself with a blowout pretty easy. You won't be seeing any active volcanoes because the mist is so thick its even hard to see good enough to drive in the mountains during the rainy season.

I would go to Guanacaste on the northwest coast. Its the best area as far as I'm concerned. I go there at least once a year and am planning on buying land this year. Flaming Beach and Nosara are the areas that I like the best.The people are laid back and friendly-at least out in the country. Be careful in San Jose and Tamarindo, they're full of drug dealers and thieves. In the country, you can find cheap accomodations and plenty to do if you're an out doors kind of guy.

Answer 2

Forget about staying in Samara as it's really out of the way to Montezuma. There is no direct route between Samara and Montezuma you would need to head back inland on the Nicoya Peninsula and then take highway 21 south to Paqurea. Be advised that the road between Paquera and Naranjo is REALLY BAD. Especially in the rainy season. You are much better off staying an extra night in Monteverde and then taking the car ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera and then driving onward to Montezuma

It's also really important to get on the road as soon as possible once you arrive as you really dont want to to be driving the road up to Monteverde after dark (the sun goes down at about 6:30pm)

Expect about 4 hours from Alajuela to Monteverde.

3 hours from Monteverde to Puntarenas an hour to cross on the ferry and then an hour to Montezuma

Seeing that you only have 5 nights you might want to rethink your iterinary as you will be spending most of your time driving from place to place. I'd just head to Montezuma and dividing your time between there and Mal Pais

Answer 3

hey man, is not worth it going to samara that fast... you'll be too exhausted when you arrived at monteverde. you need to stay there 2 nights... the drive to samara is like 4.5 hrs also, non-stop. and then next day to montezuma or mal pais... sorry but that's really heavy. stay 2 nights at monteverde, you need to be there to check the view and the surroundings, and then 2 at montezuma or mal pais. a place at montezuma to stay would be the "pension arenas" or the ones in front of the beach next to the arenas, they are like $8. also the ones before entering montezuma, they worth like $10-$15. you'll see it. montezuma is small and people would tell you

Answer 4

This is not to answer any of your questions, but more in the form  of brotherly advice. Please realize that things don't happen here on a timetable. The ticos say " si Dios quere". It happens if God wishes it.

So have a framework of plans...but don't let it bother you when things don't happen on time...or not at all. Sometimes the pace and sense of urgency here clash with that of the States.

Don't worry...be happy. Slow down, decompress and relax. enjoy Costa Rica

Answer 5

You are MAD to drive, there are no road signs and they are dirt tracks with boulders and big pot holes, (except for the pan american highway) horrible driving. Youll be knackered. Monteverde is up a the mountain and the drop is very severe. its beautiful at the top. dont know about the other places because we went to the west. Get a tour guide and go for longer or explore places more close together.