Luxury Trip to Costa Rica's Beaches, Cloud Forests & Volcanoes - 14 Days

Day 1: Arrive in San José, Explore Downtown

Welcome to Costa Rica! A driver will transfer you from the airport to your hotel in San José. After settling in, go for a self-guided walking tour of downtown. Depending on your hotel's location, you can walk or take a taxi to your first destination: Mercado Central (Central Market), featuring over 200 shops, food stalls, and sodas (traditional restaurants). It's a short walk to Central Park, a small plaza always bustling with activity. Pass various outdoor sculptures as you walk through the park toward Catedral Metropolitana and continue walking down Central Avenue until you reach the 19th-century Teatro Nacional.

Your first museum stop is the Museo del Oro Precolumbino, which is accessible from beneath the Plaza de la Cultura and holds the most extensive Pre-Columbian gold collection in Latin America. Next, head to the Museo del Jade, the world's largest collection of pre-Columbian jade artifacts. As you wander among thousands of unique jade pieces, you'll gain an even deeper appreciation for Costa Rica's rich history. 

Read about the top restaurant recommendations in San José here.

Day 4: Snorkel at Isla del Caño Biological Reserve

Today, you'll explore the waters of the Caño Island Biological Reserve (Isla del Caño) on a scuba or snorkeling excursion. This protected marine area is just off the Osa Peninsula's northern tip.

The excursion begins when you board a boat and take a safety lesson geared to all ages and experience levels. Then it's time to plunge into the water, where you'll find abundant marine life, including reef sharks, sea turtles, parrotfish, eels, manta rays, pufferfish, snappers, sea cucumbers, and octopus. There's also a wide variety of coral-building organisms and 19 different species of coral. Visibility is excellent throughout the year, making Caño Island a perfect site for underwater photography.

Day 6: Explore Manuel Antonio National Park 

Today you'll go on a guided tour to explore the pristine natural beauty of the world-famous Manuel Antonio National Park, filled with exotic wildlife such as monkeys, sloths, birds, reptiles, and butterflies. Your picturesque hike will take you to one of the country's best beaches, known for its white sandy beaches and crystalline blue waters. Have your camera ready as your knowledgeable guide points out diverse flora and fauna along the way.

Check out the Ultimate Guide to Manuel Antonio National Park for more information.

Day 7: Boat & Snorkel in Manuel Antonio National Park

This morning, board a catamaran at the pier in Quepos for a sailing adventure along the coast. Your guide will highlight notable wildlife and vegetation as you admire the region's islands, cliffs, and rock formations. After touring the coastline, the captain will set anchor at Biesanz Bay, where you can snorkel or relax onboard. You may spot parrotfish, starfish, angelfish, and dolphins from the boat while enjoying a barbecue lunch. Later, you'll have the option to take a surfing class.

Read more here about luxury hotels in Manuel Antonio.

Day 8: Taste Costa Rican Coffee, Nighttime Nature Walk

From your hotel, you'll transfer to the boat dock at the shores of Lake Arenal, where you'll board a boat and journey to the other side of the lake. Upon arrival, you'll officially be in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. First, you'll walk through a local coffee plantation, where you'll have the opportunity to identify and learn about the coffee plant first-hand. Your guide will walk you through every step of the process, from harvesting to roasting and brewing, and show you the simplest way to prepare a perfect cup of coffee.

After finishing your coffee, it's time to head into the jungle! This part of the tour takes place in a protected forest that makes up about 50% of the plantation's property. The trail extends along a creek that runs through the farm, making it the perfect location to spot creatures in the trees and along the shores of the water. It is common to observe frogs and various snake species along the trail. With a bit of luck, you might even see forest dwellers such as the two-toed sloth or the kinkajou.

Check out this article on the Best Things to Do in Monteverde for more ideas of what to see and do, and be sure to read over this list of the best luxury hotels in Costa Rica.

Day 9: Tour Monteverde Cloud Forest & Go to Sky Adventures Park

Transfer from your hotel to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, one of Costa Rica's ecological crown jewels. Known as the "green lung of Costa Rica" due to its rich biodiversity, this sprawling reserve is high in the country's mountainous northwest region. On a guided tour, you'll get an overview of the incredible biodiversity of this region, where upland and lowland rainforest meet. More than 350 bird species live here, including the quetzal. It's a nature lover's paradise.

At the Sky Adventures Park in the afternoon, you'll have your pick of ways to explore the cloud forest: zip-lining for the action-inclined, sky tram trips for a panoramic perspective, or walks along suspension bridges for close encounters with elusive bird species and other wildlife. You'll start with the guided Sky Walk, which combines trails and suspension bridges. Later, you'll ride in an open-air gondola for sweeping views across the mountains. At the end of the line, you'll connect to a zip-line cable that stretches over rainforest treetops and across clifftops, finally returning you to the starting point.

 

Check out this article about the best zip-lining in Monteverde for more information.

Day 10: Transfer to La Fortuna & Explore the Rainforest at Night

This morning, your driver will transport you to your hotel in La Fortuna (around three hours, depending on traffic). You'll head to Ecocentro Danaus in the late afternoon, a private ecological reserve located 3 miles (4.5 km) east of La Fortuna. Here, you'll wait for nightfall to embark on a guided nature hike and discover the reserve's nocturnal creatures.

As you walk, your guide will point out various insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Enjoy spotting bullfrogs, the iconic red-eyed tree frog, the translucent glass frog, and perhaps the brightly colored poison dart frog, one of the planet's most poisonous frogs. 

You might like to check out this list of recommended luxury hotels in the La Fortuna area.

Day 11: See Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano National Park 

Today you'll venture into Tenorio Volcano National Park for a moderate three-hour hike along the Río Celeste, one of the most stunning natural attractions in Costa Rica. The legend says that after God painted the sky, He washed His brushes in this river, which resulted in its famous electric-blue waters. 

Highlights along the hike include Los Teñideros, the site where two streams of crystalline water come together and form the "heavenly" blue that gives the river its name. You'll also see the volcano's furnace vents, which expel gases at extremely high temperatures, and the spectacular Rio Celeste waterfall. Enjoy a gourmet lunch at the end of the journey.