Discover Costa Rica's Natural Highlights - 14 Days

Day 1: Arrive in San José

Welcome to the land of pura vida! After arriving at Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, you'll transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the capital. Suggested activities include: 

• Taking a stroll through Mercado Central (Central Market), the largest in the city, with over 200 shops, food stalls, and sodas (traditional restaurants). It's the perfect spot for an inexpensive lunch of casado, a local dish of rice, beans, and meat served with tortillas. 
• Visiting the Teatro Nacional, an opulent neoclassical building constructed in the late 19th century, offers free guided tours on the hour.
• Exploring a pair of museums. First, visit the Museo del Oro Precolumbino (pre-Columbian Gold Museum), which holds one of the largest pre-Columbian gold collections in all of Latin America. Continue on to the Museo del Jade (Jade Museum), dedicated to preserving the archaeological heritage of the region. With over 7,000 items on display, the museum features the largest collection of pre-Columbian jade artifacts on Earth. Most are dated between 500 and 300 BCE.

Day 2: Transfer to Tortuguero National Park

After breakfast, you'll depart for Tortuguero National Park on the northern Caribbean coast, stopping en route for a snack. Maybe try the gallo pinto (rice mixed with black beans), Costa Rica's unofficial national dish. It's often served with eggs or cheese. 

Getting to Tortuguero is an adventure in itself. On this nearly four-hour road trip, you'll head northeast out of town, leaving the concrete jungle of San José behind as you enter the tropical rainforests of Braulio Carrillo National Park. As you wind around the green mountains at various altitudes, exotic flora and fauna will present themselves depending on the elevation. Squirrel monkeys can be found here, as can scarlet macaws.

After passing small towns and banana plantations, you'll reach a small boat dock along the network of canals that feed into the Tortuguero River. Once aboard for the approximately 90-minute trip, you can relax and enjoy the ambience as you zip along the calm waters—maybe make a game of spotting fish and birds as you enter Tortuguero National Park. Once you arrive, the rest of the day is free for you to relax in your hotel (where meals are included).

Day 3: Turtle Spotting in Tortuguero

Tortuguero is unique in that, unlike many national parks, it almost exclusively revolves around the water. Today you'll hop in a canoe and navigate the network of arterial waterways that snake around this 77,032-acre (31,174 ha) protected area. Keep your camera at the ready because you'll be on the hunt for various denizens of the reserve, including howler and capuchin monkeys, river otters, and rare birds. Among these, you'll likely spot macaws, toucans, and kingfishers.

Back on terra firma, you'll have plenty of time to explore Tortuguero's 22-mile (35 km) expanse of beach. It's a favorite nesting area for three different species of turtle: the hawksbill, loggerhead, and green sea turtle. All of these nest in the area from July through October, and seeing the mother turtles lay their eggs is an unforgettable experience. If you come from February to July, you'll spot the leatherback, which, at 6 to 7 feet (~2 m) long and up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg), is the largest sea turtle in the world.

Day 4: Transfer to Arenal, Whitewater Rafting on the Sarapiquí River

After an early rise and breakfast at the hotel, you'll embark by car to the entrance of Arenal Volcano National Park. This area is home to the 5,437-foot-high (1,657 m) peak of the same name. It is one of Costa Rica's most famous landmarks and is still classified as an active volcano.

On the way, you'll stop for a whitewater rafting adventure on the Sarapiquí River. After a lesson from your professional guide, you'll begin the seven-mile river journey featuring over 30 Class III and IV rapids. About halfway through the trip, you'll take a break on shore for some refreshing tropical fruit and a traditional Costa Rican lunch. Then, after the second leg of the rafting excursion, you'll transfer to your hotel.

Day 5: Hike Arenal 1968 & Visit Tabacón Hot Springs

Today, after breakfast, you can have a free morning to relax. In the early afternoon, you'll visit Arenal 1968, a private reserve named after the year of the last major eruption of the volcano. The event was so catastrophic that it transformed some of the region's topography: lava fields now dominate one side of Arenal. Hiking trails wind through those lava fields as well as the surrounding rainforest. Along the way, you'll find lookout points featuring prime views of the volcano. 

After hiking the trails, soothe your muscles with a dip in the mineral-rich waters in and around the Tabacón Thermal Resort. These hot springs have been used as therapeutic baths for more than 200 years, and the resort includes a spa where various treatments, like couples massages, are performed in outdoor bungalows. 

Day 6: Chocolate Experience & Swimming in Waterfalls

Start your day in the town of La Fortuna with a two-hour, hands-on tour in which you'll learn about the origin, history, and production of one of Costa Rica's most famous exports: chocolate. You'll participate in the cacao harvest as well as the drying and grinding of the seeds used to produce creamy cocoa butter. You'll learn how a traditional Costa Rican cocoa drink was developed centuries ago and, of course, sample the freshly made chocolate.

After your chocolate fix, it's time to work off all that energy. You'll transfer to La Fortuna Waterfall, at the base of the dormant Chato Volcano, a short drive outside town. This is Costa Rica's most famous waterfall. The water here plunges some 210 feet, and a 500-step downhill hike provides the opportunity to see it from the bottom up. You'll have 30 minutes to swim and relax in the La Fortuna River below the falls.

Day 7: Boat to Monteverde, Coffee Tour

After breakfast in La Fortuna, you'll transfer to Monteverde, but this is no ordinary route. You'll bypass the road trip and instead travel by water. After arriving at the shores of Lake Arenal, your captain will welcome you, you'll board the boat, and you'll begin the 3.5-hour journey to the other side of the lake. 

You're now officially in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. From the lakeshore, you'll transfer by shuttle to a working coffee farm for an educational guided tour. You'll participate in the entire farm-to-cup process, from picking the beans to roasting them. Of course, frequent coffee tastings will be provided. After the tour, check into your hotel and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe visit nearby Santa Elena, a charming town with Quaker influences known for excellent coffee and cheese.

Day 8: Zipline Fun in the Cloud Forest

Sky Adventures Monteverde Park is an aerial amusement park that literally raises jungle excitement to the next level. Its Sky Tram network of gondolas transports visitors from one adrenaline-pumping activity to another. First, you'll start with a guided Sky Walk, which combines trails and suspension bridges that ultimately reach heights of up to 984 feet above the jungle canopy. The flora and fauna of the region will be on full display, and our specialized guides will point out the most interesting specimens. Later, you'll ride in an open-air Sky Tram gondola. During this journey, you'll ascend over the rainforest and enjoy sweeping views over the mountains. 

Upon reaching the end of the line, the exhilarating adventure of whizzing down the mountain begins. You'll connect to a zipline cable that stretches over the treetops and across canyons, ultimately returning you to the starting point at Sky Adventures' main building. Sky Trek is regarded as the most thrilling zipline in the country, and this makes sense considering that Monteverde is the birthplace of the canopy tour as we know it.

Day 9: Guided Hike in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 

After breakfast at your hotel, you'll transfer a short distance to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, one of the jewels in Costa Rica's ecological crown. Known as the "green lung of Costa Rica" due to its rich biodiversity, this 26,000-acre (10,522 ha) reserve is located high in the mountainous northwest region of the country and thus receives much precipitation. The views of the misty cloud forest here are the stuff of postcards.

But Monteverde offers much more than sweeping panoramas. On a guided tour, you'll get an up-close look at the incredible biodiversity that occurs in this region, where upland and lowland rainforests meet. More than 350 bird species exist here alone, including the aptly named resplendent quetzal. In other words, it's a nature lover's paradise.

In the afternoon, you'll return to your hotel and have the rest of the day to spend as you like.

Day 10: Transfer to the Gulf of Papagayo

Road trip time! This four-hour drive takes you west into Guanacaste Province, past volcanic mountain ranges, flatlands, and villages as you head toward Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Stop for a bite and enjoy a traditional lunch or maybe a batido (fresh fruit smoothie). As the plains and tropical dry forests slowly give way to azure seas, you’ll arrive at your destination—the Gulf of Papagayo, where you'll check into your hotel. 

You can spend the remainder of the day relaxing on the tranquil beach. Perhaps enjoy a beer at one of the local beach bars. Maybe kayak around the bay.

Day 11: Free Morning, Afternoon Snorkel & Sunset Catamaran Cruise

There's no shortage of secluded bays and inviting beaches in Guanacaste Province. And after so much activity, you're likely eager for a day relaxing on the sand. If you happen to be a surfer (or just want to learn), Papagayo is the place. You'll find both beginning and advanced waves in the village of Tamarindo, as well as a number of surf schools. This laid-back surfer haven is also home to some of the best restaurants in the country. 

In the afternoon, you'll board a catamaran for a sunset sail. The ship will stop in a tranquil bay, drop anchor, and you'll explore the crystalline waters while the crew prepares a dinner feast. While you eat, enjoy the sunset over the Pacific horizon while keeping a sharp eye out for dolphins, sea turtles, flying fish, or even a breaching whale.

Day 12: Zipline, Horseback Riding & Hot Springs

You'll begin the day bright and early with a morning pick-up from your hotel. You'll transfer an hour or so east to the foot of Rincón de la Vieja National Park. This is home to another active volcano, and like at Arenal, you'll find trails and waterfalls here. Upon arrival, get ready for your adventure to start.

First, you'll embark on a 40-minute horseback-riding excursion. Marvel at the surrounding views as you make your way higher and higher into the park. Your destination: the first of many zipline platforms. All told, you'll whiz over the forest canopy on 12 different zip lines, including one that is 320 feet (98 m) high. After the adrenaline rush of the zipline, it will be time for lunch at a local restaurant. After eating, relax in the natural hot springs before heading back to your hotel.

Day 13: Free Day

Today can be as relaxing or adventurous as you like. If you've had enough of the beaches, you can opt to head back to Rincón de la Vieja. Hike a jungle trail called Sensoria, which is part of a wildlife sanctuary featuring thermal pools and waterfalls that plunge into turquoise lagoons. Or, you can experience the rainforest from the water during a two-hour safari float tour on the Corobicí River, where a guide will point out monkeys, bats, lizards, and even crocodiles.

You can also choose a guided trip down the Tenor River. It's the best river in the Guanacaste area for rafting. After a challenging trip down the rapids led by experts, you'll enjoy lunch before heading back to your hotel in time to catch one last sunset.

Day 14: Transfer to Liberia, Depart

It's time to say adiós to Costa Rica! After breakfast, you'll transfer to the airport in Liberia and catch your international flight home.

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