MA / Quepos area is not really walkable. You will be relying on local buses (incl. to get to MA park, to the town of Quepos, etc.), taxis, Ubers. Some tours include hotels pick up, but not all include return transportation. The main Rd has no sidewalks or even shoulders in places, and there is usually a lot of traffic. The Rd also has many curves, where the fast-moving drivers might not see you if you are walking along the “wrong” side of the Rd for that spot.

If you are travelling in the first part of Jan., it is a peak travel time in CR. If later in Jan., it is High season. MA will be busy. You might need to book your online entrance tickets into MA park in advance. See https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g291982-i813-k14441040-When_Manuel_Antonio_passes_are_sold_out-Costa_Rica.html , for ex., how to do it.

We travelled to/from Drake Bay and Puerto Jimenez by shared shuttle vans (+ a boat between Sierpe and Drake Bay) and did not think it was a big deal. But we had considerably longer on that trip. With just 8 days (7 nights?) and 2 young children, I am not sure I would head to Osa. Though it all depends on your travel style and your children.

The east coast might be a good option. We stayed there more than once and enjoyed the wildlife spotting opportunities it provided. We had found https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/index.php useful when researching that area. It includes Transport options https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/transport-to-puerto-viejo.php . I would not stay right in Puerto Viejo, but possibly in Cahuita, close to the national park (admission is by donation). If you decide to go there, you might want to check the cruise ships schedule for the port of Limon to avoid visiting Cahuita park and other popular attractions like the Jaguar Rescue Centre on the days when 1 or a few large ships are docking in Limon and offering those to their passengers. Cahuita is walkable.

Thank you for the feedback. This is for the 3rd week in January. I did think about Cahuita, but thought it might be too rainy in January? I love off the beaten path areas, but I am traveling solo (female) with my two kids - hence the desire to not rent a car, though I know "off the beaten path" without a car may be asking for a unicorn.

@SubjectivelyObjectiv Thank you for the feedback on Quepos. After re-reading the recommendation, I do see the person said they used taxis and didn't walk it. Did you travel between Drake Bay and Puerto Jimenez? Or were those separate trips? We were interested in the car/boat ride, overnighting in Uvita, to get there and plane ride out as part of the adventure to Rincon de San Josecito. I found what seems to be a good place to stay to see wildlife (Amaya family cabins). I just don't know how long to break up the rest of the trip around that. I was interested in seeing the Gulf - we were looking at Cabinas Jimenez - for pool and kayak time after Rincon de San Josecito - but it seems it may not be worth our travel time.

Or, as you mentioned, the east coat: I am not opposed to this, and maybe I need to look into it. Sloths are an interest of my older daughter's and it sounds like they are more prevalent on the east coast anyway.

Now thinking we will spend the first few days in the Dominical area, 4 nights in Drake Bay, and then fly back to SJO from DB. I think this is better than trying to fit Puerto Jimenez in there too. We'll likely need a car the first few days but it looks like there's enough interesting things to do in the area to keep us busy before adventuring further down to OSA. Thank you again for the feedback.

@4, Yes, a private ride arranged through our DB hotel, in advance, for our move to Puerto Jimenez.

The pool in Cabinas Jimenez is small. But it is a convenient place, right in town. You can walk to the beach, restaurants, banks, supermarkets, etc from there. Kayaks at Cabinas Jimenez can be used only at high tide. Your stay includes use of bicycles. While we did see a toucan on a tree growing through their open air reception, it is not the same as staying at a remote jungle lodge, for ex. But I would stay in Cabinas Jimenez again, just not as the main or only hotel in Osa.

Historically, Jan. is not the wettest month on the east coast (https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/weather.php), but you never know how the weather might be on your dates. We travel with rain gear to CR at any time. You never know.

Dominical beach is popular among advanced level surfers.

We saw wild sloths on the Caribbean coast, as well as in this ecolodge/national wildlife refuge with own trails https://www.haciendabaru.com/en/ near Dominical.

I would want to have a night by SJO at the end vs relying on a Sansa domestic flight from DB on the same day as my return international flight. Sansa reviews - https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Airline_Review-d10533104-Reviews-SANSA .

@6 - Since you seem to be a wealth of knowledge on Costa Rica (thank you!) - have you spent time around Playa Matapolo or Dominical/Uvita? What if we spent a couple nights there, did some hiking at Hacienda Baru, maybe check out a waterfall...then get to Sierpe, stay in Rincon de San Josecito, fly DB to SJO the day before we fly home? Maybe skipping PJ would help the trip feel less crammed.

Given the ages of my children I don't think we would be surfing but maybe could check out the whale's tail in Uvita.

Thank you again for the information.

@7, Pl. Matapalo has lots of reviews on TA - https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g309289-d1189960-Reviews-Playa_Matapalo-Quepos_Province_of_Puntarenas.html .

Hacienda Baru, where we stayed, also offers day passes - https://www.haciendabaru.com/en/tours/ . You can do self-guided hikes of their trails or arrange in advance a guided nature/birding hike or other activities they offer. We saw lots of wildlife when hiking their trails on our own, at different times of mornings and afternoons: sloths, monkeys, peccaries, a young caiman, iguanas, leaf cutter ants, a coati, squirrels, etc. Not all of them on the same trail or the same day. You can hear traffic noise from some spots, as there is a big Hwy not far, but we did not find it a big deal and did not hear it inside our 2-bdrm cabin. Your family might be interested to read “Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate” by the owner of H. Baru (https://www.haciendabaru.com/en/blog/biography-jack-e-ewing/). He has also written other books and articles about nature of CR.

You may want to check the tide chart before visiting the Whale’s Tail. You need low tide. See https://mytanfeet.com/costa-rica-national-park/marino-ballena-national-park-in-costa-rica/ for more info.

The main beach in Dominical is not safe for children. It’s a surfing beach, best for experienced surfers. The wild beaches at Hacienda Baru have little shade and are not safe due to rip currents. If you want to stay near the beach you’re better off just down the road in Uvita. There are multiple beaches to explore at Parque Nacional Marino Ballenas but the beaches aren’t connected and taxis are few and far between in this area. I’ve visited Hacienda Baru several times and enjoyed hiking their dense rainforest trails but found the truck traffic on the adjacent highway distracting. Might want to look at lodging within walking distance of the beach and with an onsite or adjacent restaurant. Just google uvita lodging to pull up a map with a wide range of options. Don’t miss the Whale’s Tail at low tide.

Thank you all for the help. Darn, I was hoping taxis were more readily available in the area. I may need to just take some deep breaths and rent a car. Yes, not planning on swimming on the beach - we enjoy looking at beaches, but we're on the Pacific and are accustomed to looking at them instead of swimming in them. I put the Hacienda Baru book on my reading list, thank you!