Look no further for the best itinerary to encounter all the adventure, beauty, and refreshment Costa Rica has to offer, including waterfalls, hot springs, volcanoes, and rainforest plants and animals. Costa Rica is a beautiful, laid back country that prides itself on its sustainability, lovely beaches and mountains, and plenty of activities like hiking, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing. Pura Vida!
Chapters
Planning Your Road Trip
- Length: 7 Days
- Season: November – May
- Plane Travel: 5-8 hours from US East Coast
- Driving Miles: 550 miles
- Activities: Hiking, Waterfalls, Hot Springs, Volcanos, Horseback Riding, Beaches, Wildlife
- Cost: $2,000 – $4,000 for 2 people
Costa Rica’s dry season starts in November and ends in May, when the rainy season begins. December through March is also peak tourist season. We took our trip at the beginning of May for the best of both worlds: rainy season is just starting, but there are fewer crowds. We only had afternoon and evening rain showers on the last few days of our trip in Uvita. Because it was the beginning of the off season, there were virtually no crowds at the resort we stayed at and we were able to book activities the day of depending on what we wanted to do!
Transportation: Other countries often require mandatory additional insurance coverage when renting a car internationally. For a week in Costa Rica, this would have cost us almost $500. We used the rental car coverage letter of eligibility provided by our credit card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, to opt out of this coverage and save money. Renting a car in Costa Rica is also different than renting in the US; Owen found a locally owned company, Vamos Rent-A-Car and we had an amazing experience with them, and will definitely book a car there again next time we visit. There were several steep roads and even some dirt roads that we were driving on, so we chose a car with all wheel drive.
Cell Service: Its easiest (and most cost-effective) to work with your current phone plan to get cell service internationally. Cell carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T sell international passes with either time or GB limits. For example, our T-Mobile plan let us buy 7-day, 5 GB passes for $50 per phone. Cell service in Costa Rica is definitely spotty but when we did have service we had no trouble getting connected.
National Parks: The only activities we reserved in advance of our trip were tickets to Manuel Antonio National Park directly through the website and tickets for the El Tigre Waterfalls hike.
Offline Google Translate and Maps: I downloaded an offline version of Google maps in the phone app for the areas we would be visiting in Costa Rica, since cell service was spotty. I also downloaded Spanish to English Google Translate before our trip, although we didn’t end up using it. We know how to read many Spanish words and know basic communication in Spanish, which was enough to get by since almost everyone in the tourist-heavy areas of Costa Rica speaks English as well as Spanish.
Day 1: Monteverde
On this trip, we wanted to feel refreshed, experience a vibrant culture, and reconnect with nature. We planned our trip to be able to visit many different areas of Costa Rica in the short time we had, while also building in time to relax!
Travel Day
There are several airports on the East Coast that offer direct flights to Costa Rica. We were able to book a direct flight there, leaving at 7 am and arriving in San Jose the same morning.
After landing, we waited in line for about an hour to make it through border control and customs, where they checked our passports and asked for our return flight information. Then we took a shuttle to Vamos Rent-A-Car, got our car and stopped at Walmart in San Jose for some groceries. It took us about three hours to drive to our Airbnb near Monteverde. There are some restaurants in Monteverde, but we decided to cook to be able to spend more time at our Airbnb.
Airbnb in Monteverde
Up here in the mountainous region of Costa Rica, the temperatures are cooler and there are no mosquitos. We were treated to a beautiful sunset at our Airbnb and relaxed after our day of travel. Other than the beautiful sounds of the birds as the sun set, it was incredibly silent and peaceful.
We regretted only staying one night here! When we woke up, we took a short hike up the hill on the farm property, then ate breakfast on the deck before packing up and driving to Cataratas El Tigre.
Day 2: Monteverde
Monteverde is known for its cloud rainforests—rare tropical forests under a near constant cover of low-hanging clouds with waterfalls and thick foliage. On the fringe of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve lies Cataratas El Tigre, a privately owned protected forest and farm focused on the conservation of jaguars and other big cats.
On our second day, the 45 minute drive to El Tigre was beautiful. The way there took us through Monteverde and along a ridge surrounded by vibrant green rolling hills spotted with cows, before we turned down a gravel road to the visitors center.
El Tigre Waterfalls Hike
There are three options for completing the 8 km or almost 5 mile waterfall loop at El Tigre; everyone starts at the visitors center where the trail quickly descends into the rainforest, passing 6 waterfalls and traveling over 8 hanging bridge, with most of this part of the hike flat or downhill. After the bridges and waterfalls, you can choose to ride on horseback, ATVs, or hike up the hill to complete the loop and return to the visitors center. We booked tickets for “The Big Hike”, and although the hike at the end of the loop was steep, it didn’t seem worth it to us to pay extra money for the horseback ride. Although if you do choose to ride the horses or ATVs, lunch at the visitors center is included in your ticket. I would also recommend starting early to avoid some of the larger groups that we saw later in the day.
This hike was spectacular; I can’t recommend it enough. You are able to experience hanging bridges, waterfalls, and rainforest hiking all in one visit. Make sure you wear a bathing suit or clothes you can swim in!
We saw numerous stunning Blue Morpho butterflies (which I desperately tried to take a picture of, but failed). The sun poked through the clouds near the end of our hike, sparkling on the waterfalls and shining through the leaves. It was hot and humid but we were quickly refreshed after jumping in one of the pools. I was surprised by the amount of wind the waterfalls created. We finished the hike by 3:30 pm, refreshed with some juice at the visitors center, then started our drive to La Fortuna.
Restaurant El Trapiche
Soon after we left El Tigre, we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant that served “typical” food (local food) and incredible empanadas. This restaurant is a popular spot for tour buses traveling from La Fortuna to Monteverde, so the food wasn’t very cheap ($10-$15 a person) but was also very delicious. The water is treated almost everywhere in Costa Rica, so we didn’t need to worry about getting upset stomachs from eating food or drinking tap water. This area of Costa Rica between Monteverde and La Fortuna is very sparsely populated, with many small farms and some dirt roads we had to drive on, before we made it to Lake Arenal.
Café & Macadamia
The drive from El Tigre to La Fortuna was almost three hours and we weren’t in a rush, so we stopped by the Café & Macadamia restaurant for a drink when we reached Lake Arenal. This restaurant is a popular spot on the shore of Lake Arenal, with an airy deck overlooking the lake, many food and drink options to choose from, and a huge gift shop. I had my first mocha frio of the trip, which I then ordered at every restaurant after!
This is also where we had our first experience with parking attendants. Almost every restaurant or shop in the tourist-heavy areas of Costa Rica will have a parking lot attendant to watch the cars and prevent theft in the business’ parking lot. It is expected that you give them a $1-$2 tip (500-1,000 CRC) when you leave the restaurant or store. When doing research for our trip, I read a lot of mixed reviews about these parking attendants, as they are sometimes unofficial, rude, or will even participate in car break-ins. Ultimately, use your best judgment in assessing the area and the situation you are in! We had almost no issues on our trip and every parking attendant we encountered seemed to be hired by the restaurants we visited. The only place I would be extra careful about unofficial parking was in Manuel Antonio.
After enjoying our drinks, we continued on our drive and watched the sunset as we traveled around the lake to our resort, Arenal Kioro Suites and Spa, and enjoyed a peaceful welcome cocktail and late night visit to the hot springs to end our second day.
Day 3: Arenal Volcano
The towering Arenal Volcano towers over the lush landscape of the Arenal region of Costa Rica. Although still active, it is currently dormant and last erupted in 2010. Throughout our time here, we often observed steam rising from the top of the volcano, which was cool to see. This area is famous for its hot springs heated by the volcano’s geothermal activity, waterfalls and hiking trails, and excursions like ATVs and horseback riding.
We awoke on our first morning at Arenal Kiorio Suites and Spa to a stunning view of the volcano through our bedroom window, and started the day with an amazing breakfast buffet, included with our room.
Mirador El Silencio
This hike may have the best view of Arenal Volcano, in my opinion! Mirador El Silencio is a scenic hiking park with well-maintained trails through the rainforest, eventually leading to black lava fields with a breathtaking panorama of the volcano and surrounding landscape. It’s also a great spot for seeing toucans, monkeys, and other native species and is less crowded than other Arenal hiking areas.
Upon entering the park, you can buy tickets at the kiosk and choose where you want to hike or drive. There is one option to drive up to an overlook, essentially cutting off half of the hike, by hiking the short path to the lava fields and back. We chose the second full hiking option, starting from the kiosk where we bought the tickets to complete a 2-mile, counterclockwise loop up to the volcano viewpoint and around, past a very mossy pond and friendly herds of cattle.
The beginning of our hike followed through the dense rainforest that was very hot and humid. We saw a long train of leaf cutter ants, and passed a few groups with tour guides that were pointing out wildlife. Soon, the trail opened up after our first view of the volcano, through lush pastures, until joining with the parking lot you can drive to for a view. There were several tour buses there with lots of fruit to feed to the cows. We continued on through the cow pasture up to the lava fields. Up there, it felt like you could reach out and touch the volcano. It was very windy and the sun was very hot as we hiked back down from the viewpoint, before reentering cow pastures and following the gravel road back to the visitors kiosk.
Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa
After our long morning hike, we were ready to spend the rest of the day relaxing by the pool at the resort. We changed into our bathing suits and had lunch at the poolside restaurant. Piña colada in hand, we spent the rest of the day soaking in the pool, taking a dip in the hot springs, and napping on the lounge chairs.
The Arenal region is home to several luxury resorts with hot springs. Among them, Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa is definitely the most popular, and we did consider staying there, but ultimately chose Arenal Kioro since it was half the price. And I’m glad we did! I don’t doubt that Tabacón’s hot springs experience is likely the best in the area. However, due to its popularity, it is often very crowded, and the day passes to visit the springs often sell out. At Arenal Kioro, we only had to share the hot springs and pool with a handful of guests. Whenever we drove past Tabacón, the parking lot was packed and we could see many groups of people walking to the hot springs, which can be a significant distance from your room depending where you stay.
At Arenal Kioro, the springs were only a short distance from our room, and every room at the resort has a beautiful view of the volcano. We even had our own private hot tub and balcony, and breakfast was included with the room. For the price and amenities, we did not regret booking at Arenal Kioro and hope to stay there again!
If you want to enjoy the thermal river for free and don’t mind a more rustic experience, you can also visit the the public natural hot springs at Rio Chollín, located near Tabacón—though they can get crowded, especially in the afternoons and evenings. You can also book day passes at Tabacón and several other resorts in the area if you want to visit the hot springs without paying full price for a room.
To end our third day, we drove into La Fortuna for dinner and enjoyed some fresh ceviche at a local restaurant, before another night at the hot springs.
Day 4: Arenal Volcano
Out last morning at the resort, we had another beautiful breakfast and packed up our bags, ready to head out for our horseback riding adventure. It was also a very hot and sunny day, and I didn’t put on nearly enough sunscreen.
Don Tobias Horseback Rides
I had found Don Tobias Horseback Riding when doing some research online, and actually booked them two days in advance while we were already on the trip. They only take cash, either dollars or colones, so we did have to take out cash at an ATM in La Fortuna. Make sure you also have extra cash to tip your guides.
Just down the rode from Arenal Kioro, we arrived at the stable a little before our 9 am ride. The team at Don Tobias made us feel comfortable immediately. They asked about everyone’s riding experience and matched your horse based on your experience and size. They gave everyone helmets and walked through how the ride would work and how to hold the reins. I was very impressed that all the horses were trained on bit-less bridles! This is much gentler for the horses, especially with inexperienced riders. All the horses knew their names, responded to voice commands, and only take one ride a day before they are set free to wander he fields of the farm. We could tell they were enjoying the ride as much as we were.
I rode horses for many years when I was younger, and this was not what I would consider an easy ride, it was definitely an adventure! The ride was a full two hours long and involved a lot of fast riding, steep hills, water crossings, and time in the sun. Owen had only rode horseback maybe once or twice before, and although he was maybe a little nervous before the ride, he still had an amazing time. Knowing his experience, his horse, Layla, was more content to hang in the back of the group and go at a slower pace. My horse, Maya, was best friends with Layla and liked to lead the herd, so I was often out front and riding the fastest.
We started on the farm, crossed a small stream, then rode at a canter through fields, mostly uphill. There were several guides with our group of 9 riders, and they were constantly checking in with everyone, taking pictures of us, and instructing us where to go and what to do. They stopped us a few times to point out sloths in the trees, which were very hard to see but very cool.
About halfway through the ride, we reached an overlook of Arenal Volcano where everyone took a break. We rode a bit on a road back down the hill, then passed through the rainforest again and stopped for pictures at a small waterfall. Our horses had fun splashing in the stream!
Finally, we made it back to the stable at noon; the horses got lunch, and so did we. The guides served us fresh fruit, pineapple juice, fresh cheese from the cows we had passed in the fields, and homemade tortillas. Everything tasted so good after the long ride, and the adventure was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip!
La Casita del Cafe
After our horseback ride, it was time for a long drive down to the pacific coast of Costa Rica, to the small surfer town of Uvita. Most of the drive was beautiful, with winding roads through verdant hills, small farming towns, and dense rainforest growth.
We stopped along the way at la Casita del Cafe, where I had the best quesadilla of my life and Owen got a lunch plate. The view was incredible! After dinner, we were back on the road until we made it to Uvita. It was raining and dark when we finally arrived.
Day 5: Uvita
Uvita is a hidden gem: this tropical, laid-back coastal town is home to many hipster families, locals, and expats. We chose to stay in Uvita for the slow-paced, authentic vibe and also wanted to visit some friends that lived there!
Yoga Maya Uvita
Our Airbnb in Uvita was my favorite stay of the whole trip. Yoga Maya Uvita is a yoga retreat with several casas on the property available through Airbnb. Our host upgraded us to the nicest house since there was no yoga happening while we were there and the retreat was almost empty. The property was beautiful; we awoke on our fifth day in the comfy bed to the sounds of the rainforest just beyond the sliding glass door. The grounds were perfectly manicured, with towering banana plants and birds of paradise surrounding the saltwater pool we could see from our porch.
If you’re looking to relax, this is the place – we spent hours eating mangoes and reading on the porch, with breaks to swim in the pool that was just warm enough, including peaceful swims in the rain. At night we fell asleep to the sound of the raindrops on the roof.
We visited the local market in town early in the morning and bought pineapple, mangoes, eggs, avocados, and two empanadas. Everyone was friendly and we even met an older couple who moved to Costa Rica from Virginia. There were many families and we quickly got the sense that the community was strong and very down to earth. It was hot and humid in Uvita, but the afternoons were cool with rain showers and clouds. This was also the first place we experienced mosquitos in Costa Rica, so don’t forget your bug spray!
Marino Bellena National Park
Later in the day, we walked from Yoga Maya to the beach at Marino Bellena National Park. The end of the beach is shaped like a whale’s tail at low tide, giving the park its name! you can only see the tail well from the sky, but the beach itself was peaceful and beautiful. There were numerous coconuts scattered below the trees. While we were walking down the beach, we got caught in a heavy rainstorm and ran back to the entrance; we were soaked! The rain passed quickly and we stopped for tacos and a mocha frio in town before walking back to our Airbnb.
On our way back, we got caught in the rain again, but this time we didn’t run and simply walked back in the downpour, through the mud on the dirt road. The rain was warm, and we already had our bathing suits on, so there was something so freeing about walking peacefully with the rain streaming down our faces. This may have been my favorite day of the whole trip, and I felt incredibly peaceful and relaxed.
After some time relaxing on the porch, we met our friends for dinner at their house. It rained heavily the rest of the night, and this is another time when we were thankful to have all wheel drive, as some of the roads we drove on were muddy and very wet on our way!
Day 6: Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antionio National Park is often listed as one of the must-see destinations in Costa Rica. The park is home to diverse wildlife, pristine beaches, and towering trees. It is 100% worth adding to your trip!
An important note: there is no official parking at Manuel Antonio. Our guide met us all at a restaurant in the town of Manuel Antionio, and we then proceeded to follow him in our cars to the parking lot for the tour. Along the way, we were flagged down several times by very pushy and persistent locals who were attempting to get us to park in their lots. If you are being pressured to park somewhere, it’s probably not a good idea and you will likely be overcharged! If you visit, decide where you are parking in advance, and do not be persuaded to park elsewhere!
If you only book one guided tour on your trip, this is the place to do it. Our experience in the park would have been totally different without a wildlife guide; it was well worth the price. We booked directly through the park website, and the $70 per person tickets included parking, our tour guide, and our park entrance fees. The guides are equipped with a telescope and know all the spots to find sloths, monkeys, insects and birds, and will let everyone in the group catch a close up glimpse through the lens. Our guide also took many pictures through the telescope of the sloths, monkeys, land crab, iguana, and birds we saw. It’s especially difficult to spot a sloth on your own. They are often very high in the trees and blend in well with the leaves. If you want to get a good view of a sloth, or maybe a howler monkey, book a tour guide!
Our tour started very early in the morning; we met the guide at 7:30, and the park was already busy when we entered. Our guide led us through the rain forest pointing out wildlife as we went. At one point, howler monkeys were eating fruit right above our heads! We saw several sloths and Capuchin monkeys. These guys are very cute, but very nasty. They are the reason for the “no food” rule in the park – they have been known to attack and injure tourists in order to get their food. Do not get close to them!
After two hours, the tour ended at the first beach along the park trail, Manuel Antonio Beach. Owen and I took some time to swim and relax, the water was crystal clear and there were beautiful chunks of dried coral all around the beach. I believe it was the most beautiful beach I’ve ever visited. Manuel Antonio is a must see just for this beach!
Once the beach started to get crowded, we continued following the park trail, eventually passing Playa Espadilla, with gorgeous views of the blue water, and back to the park entrance. It was very hot and humid, and it took us about half an hour to hike from Playa Manuel Antionio to the end of the trail, but it felt way longer!
After we made it back to the entrance, we drove to a nearby restaurant to cool off and refresh, El Avion, which had beautiful views of the ocean. I enjoyed my last mocha frio of the trip, and some delicious food on the deck above the trees.
We had one more afternoon and evening in Uvita before we had to leave for the airport the next morning. We enjoyed swimming in the rain, eating some more fruit on the deck, and reading. It was a magical and peaceful evening, and I wasn’t quite ready to travel home. I hope that we will be back to experience the magic of Costa Rica again very soon. Pura vida!