I would like to take my kids to Costa Rica in August, is this a good time to go?

Question

My kids are off from camp at the end of August and I would like to take them to Costa Rica for a week, I have the following questions: where's the best place to go, what's the weather like, is it safe, is there Dangue fever or other medical issues we should be concerned about?

Answer 1

It's hard to answer your question without more information of your likes and dislikes. Costa Rica is a very diverse country with everything from tall mountains, river rafting, volcanoes, jungle, wildlife, and beaches.  You may want to get a guide book to help you figure out where to go. My favorites are the Lonely Planet and Moon guides to Costa Rica

August is part of the rainy season - some parts of the country are dryer than others. Typically you will have clear mornings and then a few hourts of rain in the afternoons or evenings before clearing up again.

Safety is relative - some people consider San Jose is be full of crime but you could say the same for NYC as well.

Dangue fever is a possibility anywhere there are mosquitos - it has been relatively eradicated in Central America but there have been ocasional outbreaks. There has been sporadic outbreaks in texas for the past 25 years

Answer 2

Well to start with the easy one, you don't have much to worry about on the medical issues front. Yes there have been some cases of dengue, but I this is more one of those 'statistics' - I have been here 9 years and no-one I know has ever had dengue or known someone who had it. As long as you arent wandering through swamps at dusk I think you should be fine.

In terms of the weather, its true it will rain most days, but you will also see plenty of sun. The standard rainy season pattern is sunny mornings, and rainy afternoons. But you can normally catch plenty of beautiful sunshine between 8am and 3pm.

I personally love the rainy season, and have written an article at the link below about 10 reasons why it is a good time to visit:

http://www.ricarent.com/about-costa-rica...

In terms of where to go, to people with kids I always recommend either the Tamarindo beach area in the North Pacific, or Manuel Antonio in the central pacific. The reason for this is that they are both a bit more developed than other parts so you dont have to worry about bad roads, long journeys or struggling to find things to do or babysitters etc. Manuel Antonio is my personal favourite as it has the lush jungle feel that I love and plenty of monkeys and other animals, whereas Tamarindo is much less green.

If you would also like to spend some time away from the beaches, then go visit Arenal Volcano which is an amazing trip. You could do this after leaving San Jose, for a day or two before heading to the coast.

Below are some more articles I have written on the country, feel free to contact me through my website if you have any more questions!

About the Costa Rican regions:

http://www.ricarent.com/about-costa-rica...

10 reasons to stay in a villa rather than a hotel:

http://www.ricarent.com/about-costa-rica...

Answer 3

Weather= RAIN RAIN and RAIN

Every day it will rain from around 2 or 3 PM til well past dark. It gets dark around 6.

If you have severe allergic reactions to insects or anything else, you should bring an EpiPen.... when I go, I take anti-malaria medication, just to be safe.

Dont hang around San Jose. I would rent a car and drive out of there. If you get in late, get a taxi til the next morning, then rent a car.. if you stay at the Best Western Irazu or Hampton Inn, there are car rental places right there.

There is a lot to see in Costa Rica... I have only been up and down the west coast. There is a lot to see, a lot of beauty.. and a lot of nothingness. You can really get to see the middle of nowhere.

Where to go depends on what you (or they) like to do... fishing, surfing, hiking, rain forest stuff, etc... you can do it all.

But remember, Costa Rica is a third world country. There is no Disney World there. The people are very nice... but it is a poor country. The roads are not good, and can be very dangerous. Be extremely careful driving. If you are not used to mountain driving, or dont concider yourself a good driver, it might be best to take a taxi. If you do drive... remember, dont ride the breaks as you go down hill. use 1st or 2nd gear... :)

Crime is not a really big problem outside of San Jose... you still have to be very careful though, especially in the larger towns. Dont flash your money, and in the larger towns, dont go out at night.

When I go, I go to surf... last month I went to Pavones, Costa Rica which is very close to Panama. It is a great little surf town, the people are all great, and the scenery is beautiful... but there is not much else to do.

Answer 4

just relax and enjoy the ride... there are different spots here in costa rica to be. montezuma, la fortuna, tortuguero, drake bay, poas volcano, tamarindo, corcovado park, manuel antonio, samara venado caves, tenorio volcano with the unique river in the world with a shinny light blue river... there's a lot to do and different ages that they would do and enjoy.

Answer 5

Hi I'm from Costa Rica and the person who told you that we have Dengue its really exaggerating If you use "Off" you will be more than okay second if you want to go the rain forest you might want to go to Braulio Carillo or Monte Verde if you want to go the beach I recommend you to go to Guanacaste to Playa Conchal, or Playa Hermosa if you want to surf go to Playa Roca Bruja they are all in Guanacaste You can always go to Puntarenas but they are not that pretty but you can go to Manuel Antonio and Domincal hope you have a great trip to my country

Pura Vida!!!

Answer 6

it is a good time the weather is hot it's kinda safe and it's beautiful I've been there many times

Answer 7

Costa Rica is fine. Watch out for your things and ride taxis in SJO.

Dengue is here. Use repellent anytime you go out. In 3 years 4 people have died of it. You have a much bigger chance of drowning or being struck by a car.  So be careful.

There are lots of things to do, so it depends on what you like to do. No snow skiing.