blackhawks19 wrote:
If I only have one full day to explore.....any recommendations? Manuel Antonio? Punta Arenas? La Fortuna? Just wondering how much time it takes to get to each location driving.
From Jaco, here are some drive times (one way):
Manuel Antonio - 1 hour to 1.5 hours
Puntarenas - 1 hour to 1.5 hours
La Fortuna - 3.5 to 4 hours
Manuel Antonio would be my recommendation. Great beaches and tons of wildlife plus some great places to eat and neat bars. Puntarenas isn't anything to see...a huge beach with easy swimming but mostly a locals weekend kind of place. I would not recommend trying to go all the way to La Fortuna. That would be 7 hours minimum and on some winding often slippery (rain OR fog) roads.
Some advice, don't trust a GPS system like Google Maps as your guide. On a motorcycle, I wouldn't get off main roads. I had a client who tried a 'short cut' from San Ramon. Well, that road is barely passable in my 4X4 Landcruiser much less a motorcycle. He did not have a good day...