Trip highlights
- 1Arenal Volcano with natural hot springs
- 2Monteverde Cloud Forest zip-lining
- 3Manuel Antonio monkeys and beach
- 4Tortuguero Canal turtle nesting
- 5Pacific coast surfing at Santa Teresa
Daily spend
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Day-by-day plan
Arrive San José
Friday, January 15
Est. spend
$110
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive Juan Santamaría International Airport
Juan Santamaría International Airport, Alajuela
SJO is 20km from San José centre. Taxi from official stands: $25–30. Uber works. The downtown area (Zona Rosa, La Sabana) has good hotels. Most visitors stay one night and head to Arenal or Tortuguero the next morning.
Pick up your rental car at the airport if driving (recommended for flexibility). International rental companies all have offices at the terminal.
☀️ Afternoon
San José — Central Market and La Sabana
Mercado Central, San José
The Mercado Central is Costa Rica's working market — soda restaurants (Costa Rican lunch counters), tropical fruit, and the best gallo pinto (black beans and rice, the national breakfast) in the country. La Sabana park has good running and the Costa Rica Art Museum.
🍽️ Meals
La Esquina de Buenos Aires, San José
Argentine/Costa Rican · $35 · The best steak restaurant in San José. The Argentine-influenced parilla (grill) is excellent.
Arenal Volcano
Saturday, January 16
Est. spend
$190
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive or shuttle to Arenal
La Fortuna, Arenal, Alajuela
Arenal is 3 hours from San José. Shared shuttle ($30/person) or self-drive rental car. The Arenal Volcano (1,670m) was the most active volcano in Central America from 1968–2010 and is still classified as active. The view on arrival at La Fortuna — the perfect cone above the town — is extraordinary.
Self-drive rental car gives maximum flexibility for the Arenal area — Baldi Hot Springs, the Hanging Bridges, and Caño Negro wildlife refuge are all best reached independently.
☀️ Afternoon
Arenal Hanging Bridges walk
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna
The Arenal Hanging Bridges (Mistico Park) — 16 bridges through primary rainforest at canopy level. Spider monkeys, toucans, and the chance of seeing a sloth in the cecropia trees are the wildlife highlights. Entry $32.
Go early morning (6–8am) for the best wildlife activity. The mist through the forest canopy at 6am is extraordinary.
🌙 Evening
Baldi Hot Springs
Baldi Hot Springs, La Fortuna
The volcanic hot springs at the base of Arenal — thermal pools ranging from 37°C to 67°C (choose carefully). The most popular complex is Baldi, but Eco Termales (smaller, more natural) is better. Entry from $40 including dinner buffet.
Eco Termales (booking required, $58 including dinner) is smaller and more peaceful than Baldi. Reserve ahead.
🍽️ Meals
Lava Lounge, La Fortuna
Costa Rican/International · $25 · Popular restaurant in La Fortuna. The casado (rice, beans, salad, meat) is the classic Costa Rican lunch or dinner.
Lake Arenal & White Water
Sunday, January 17
Est. spend
$190
per person
🌅 Morning
White water rafting — Toro or Sarapiquí rivers
Toro River, La Fortuna area
Class 3–4 white water rafting on the rivers below Arenal — 2 hours of rapids through primary forest with toucans on the canyon walls. Full day including transport: $65–85.
Desafío Adventure Company is the most reliable operator in La Fortuna.
☀️ Afternoon
Lake Arenal kayaking
Lake Arenal, La Fortuna, Alajuela
The artificial lake below the volcano — windsurfing, kitesurfing, and kayaking with the volcano in the background. Kayak rental from $25/2 hours at the lake shore.
🍽️ Meals
Don Rufino, La Fortuna
Costa Rican · $35 · The best restaurant in La Fortuna. The tenderloin in chimichurri and the heart of palm salad are the standout dishes.
Monteverde Cloud Forest
Monday, January 18
Est. spend
$170
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive to Monteverde
Monteverde, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Monteverde is 3 hours from Arenal — 45km of unpaved road through dairy farms and jungle. The cloud forest (1,400m elevation, perpetually shrouded in cloud) is home to 400 bird species, including the Resplendent Quetzal (the most sought-after bird in the Americas).
The drive is rough — 4WD recommended. Or take the jeep-boat-jeep transfer ($35, 3 hours via Lake Arenal). More scenic and avoids the bad road.
☀️ Afternoon
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
The 10,500-hectare reserve has 2.5km of trails through primary cloud forest — the chance of seeing the Resplendent Quetzal (March–April nesting season is best) and the variety of bromeliads, orchids, and mosses covering every surface. Self-guided entry $25; guided tour $30 extra.
Take the guided 6am birdwatching tour for the best quetzal sightings. The resident naturalist guides know exactly where nesting pairs are located.
🍽️ Meals
Morpho's Restaurant, Monteverde
Costa Rican · $25 · The most reliably good restaurant in the Santa Elena village.
Zip-lining & Night Walk
Tuesday, January 19
Est. spend
$205
per person
🌅 Morning
Monteverde zip-line canopy tour
Sky Adventures, Monteverde
Monteverde invented commercial zip-lining in 1994 — the Original Canopy Tour runs 13 platforms through the cloud forest canopy. Sky Trek ($95) and the Midworld Tarzan Swing ($75) are the two most popular operators.
The Sky Tram gondola up + zip-line back down (Sky Adventures combo) gives the best sequence — coffee plantation views from the gondola, forest canopy from the zip-lines.
☀️ Afternoon
Hummingbird Gallery and Butterfly Garden
Hummingbird Gallery, Monteverde
Adjacent to the cloud forest entrance — a garden with 30+ hummingbird feeders where 10+ species hover within arm's reach. The Butterfly Garden has 30 species in netted enclosures including the Blue Morpho (iridescent 6-inch blue wingspan).
🍽️ Meals
Café Caburé, Monteverde
Argentine/Costa Rican · $30 · The most atmospheric café-restaurant in Monteverde. The chocolate fondant is made with locally grown cacao.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Wednesday, January 20
Est. spend
$190
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive to Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas Province
Manuel Antonio is 3 hours south of San José — the country's most visited national park. White squirrel monkeys (endangered), sloths in the trees, coatis on the beach, and a beautiful white sand beach inside the park.
Book the national park entry online at sinac.go.cr — entry is limited to 600 people per day and sells out in high season ($18 adult).
☀️ Afternoon
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos
The park entrance trail leads through primary forest to 3 beaches — Playa Manuel Antonio is the most beautiful inside the park. Capuchin monkeys, three-toed sloths, and the tiny squirrel monkey (endemic to this region) are all regularly seen.
Hire a park guide at the entrance (from $20) — they have spotting scopes and find sloths, snakes, and birds invisible to the untrained eye. The squirrel monkey has a home range entirely within the park — your best chance of seeing this endangered species.
🍽️ Meals
La Luna, Manuel Antonio
Costa Rican · $40 · Hillside restaurant with Pacific Ocean views from the terrace. The ceviche and the coconut shrimp are excellent.
Manuel Antonio Beach Day
Thursday, January 21
Est. spend
$190
per person
🌅 Morning
Playa Biesanz snorkelling
Playa Biesanz, Manuel Antonio
The protected bay 2km from Manuel Antonio — calm water, good snorkelling from the beach (no boat needed), and far fewer people than Biesanz's neighbour Playa Manuel Antonio. Reef fish, parrotfish, and the occasional sea turtle.
☀️ Afternoon
Kayaking or whale watching (January–March)
Quepos Marina, Manuel Antonio
Humpback whales migrate past Manuel Antonio January–March and July–September. Planet Dolphin Cruises runs 2.5-hour whale watching tours (99% sighting rate in season). Off-season: kayaking or catamaran tour.
🍽️ Meals
El Patio de Café Milagro, Quepos
Costa Rican/International · $35 · The best dinner restaurant in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area. The mahi-mahi in coconut sauce is excellent.
Santa Teresa Surf Village
Friday, January 22
Est. spend
$230
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive to Santa Teresa (via Paquera ferry)
Santa Teresa, Cobano, Puntarenas
Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula is 3 hours from Manuel Antonio via the Paquera ferry from Puntarenas (1 hour crossing with vehicle, $20). The beach town is the best surf village in Costa Rica — long consistent beach break, good schools, and a world-class sunset.
The Paquera ferry experience (crossing the Gulf of Nicoya) is itself worth the extra time. Dolphins frequently escort the ferry.
☀️ Afternoon
Surf lesson at Swell Surf Camp
Santa Teresa Beach, Santa Teresa, Cobano
Santa Teresa has the best beginner surf breaks in Costa Rica — long rollers that give beginners many seconds to practise standing. 2-hour lesson with board: $50.
🍽️ Meals
The Beach Club, Santa Teresa
Costa Rican/International · $40 · Sunset beach bar and restaurant. The fish tacos and ceviche are both excellent.
Santa Teresa Yoga & Sunset
Saturday, January 23
Est. spend
$105
per person
🌅 Morning
Yoga at Pranamar Villas
Pranamar Ocean Villas, Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa has one of the most concentrated yoga retreat scenes in the Americas — Pranamar, Danyasa, and Horizon Ocean have daily classes open to non-guests from $20.
☀️ Afternoon
Montezuma Waterfalls hike
Montezuma Waterfalls, Montezuma, Cobano
25km from Santa Teresa — the Montezuma Waterfalls cascade through three tiers into a swimming hole in the jungle. The 30-minute trail from the town is straightforward; swimming at the base of the 15m upper fall is one of the best freshwater swims in Central America.
🍽️ Meals
Soda Piedra Mar, Santa Teresa
Costa Rican · $15 · Local soda (simple Costa Rican lunch counter) with the cheapest casado on the peninsula. Authentic and excellent.
Return San José & Departure
Sunday, January 24
Est. spend
$70
per person
🌅 Morning
Ferry and drive back to San José Airport
Juan Santamaría International Airport, Alajuela
Morning ferry from Paquera to Puntarenas (1 hour), then 1.5-hour drive to SJO Airport. Allow 4.5 hours door-to-gate.
🍽️ Meals
Airport sodas
Costa Rican · $12 · The SJO airport domestic terminal has decent sodas serving gallo pinto.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
December–April is the dry season — the Pacific side is sunny and the roads are passable. May–November is the green season — the country is extraordinary but rain is daily (usually afternoons). Turtles nest on the Caribbean coast (Tortuguero) in July–October.
🛂 Visas
Costa Rica offers 90-day visa-free entry for US, UK, EU, Canadian, and Australian citizens. No advance application required for most nationalities.
💱 Currency
US Dollar is widely accepted alongside the Colón (CRC). Most tourist transactions are in USD. ATMs available in all towns. Cash is necessary for many activities and sodas.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 911
ambulance: 911
red cross: 128
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Pura Vida is more than a greeting — it's a philosophy. Things move slowly, plans change, and flexibility is rewarded. Go with it.
- Wildlife viewing: patience and early mornings. The best wildlife is at dawn (6–9am) and dusk (4–6pm). The middle of the day is for resting (animals and travellers both).
One thing worth not skipping
A 10-day trip to Costa Rica without insurance is a gamble. Medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage — cover yourself before you leave.
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