Day 1: La Fortuna

Fly into San Jose airport. Like many central american capital cities, San Jose isn’t really worth sticking around for, so we opted to immediately catch a private bus to La Fortuna. Getting around Costa Rica can take some time, the distances on a map look fairly small and straight forward, but the road infrastructure is reasonably undeveloped. This means it is worth thinking about how you get around the country as relying on public transport can add days to your itinerary.

Day 2: La Fortuna

On our first day proper we went to La Fortuna waterfall, a stunning 200ft cascade nestled into the jungle outside the town. The walk down to the waterfall form the visitors centre takes about 15 minutes and is well paved, making it a very accessible waterfall and therefore quite popular. We set off early to beat the crowds, or at least most of the crowds.

We swam in the beautiful azure plunge pool, although we didn’t go too close to the waterfall for safety reasons. It was surprisingly chilly but a very refreshing way to start the day.

In the afternoon we wandered round the Bogarin trail, a great way to see the sloths. We were even lucky enough to see a sloth climbing down to the ground, something they only do every couple of weeks to poo.

Day 3: La Fortuna

Arenal has some really great outdoor adventure activities. We went ziplining with Skytrek which involved a cable car (or Sky Tram as they call it) up to the top of the ziplines, and then 7 ziplines back down, some of which are up to 750m long and 200m above the rainforest below. You will reach speeds of up to 70kph as you zig zag back down the valley towards Lake Arenal and the Arenal Volcano. It was a great ride down and the views were spectacular.

This isn’t the only ziplining tour operator, there are a few others which offer rivaling experiences and leave a similarly noticeable dent in your budget. We chose this one for the views of the volcano and the lake.

If that isn’t enough adrenaline for one day, head to El Salto rope swing in the afternoon. The rope swing hangs about 5m above a small set of waterfalls just off the road into La Fortuna. It’s popular with the locals, who like to show their metal with some flips and tricks before plunging into the water below. Get there with a short taxi ride from La Fortuna.

Day 3: La Fortuna

After a day of adventure, take a slower day to enjoy the one of the hot springs around the area. There are numerous options which will require quite a lot of research to work out which is best for you. Some are quite extravagant and will be for those looking to splurge on a premium experience, others are more family friendly and others border on the almost tacky, with plastic rock faces and sculptures. The first time we visited we chose to splurge on a stay at the Tabacon where you can make use of their private hot springs and spa, which are very tasteful and well manicured.

There are also some free hot springs which are not well known and can give you the opportunity to get a nice relaxing atmosphere without denting your budget. We visited El Choyin on our second trip to Arenal. It’s just up stream of the river which enters the Tabacon resort, so it is the same hot, steamy water but for free! It does involve a bit of clambering over the rocks which have been carefully placed to form little pools to submerge yourself in, but apart from that its incredibly relaxing. We would recommend going under the road bridge further upstream where the pools are slightly deeper and you don’t have to lie completely flat to submerge yourself.

Day 4: Pacuare River

Rafting the Pacuare river with its class 4 rapids is a great way to get your adventure on in Costa Rica. It’s also a really good way of getting across the country. Exploradores Outdoors will pick you up in La Fortuna, drop you at the Pacuare river for an exhilarating day of rafting, and then take you all the way to Puerto Viejo and drop you at your hotel there. They offer this service for most of the larger tourist hubs around the country, which makes it an excellent way of getting around, an otherwise tricky, expensive and dull part of your holiday.

Bring a change of clothes, some water and some water shoes, and the rafting company will kit you out with a paddle and a helmet, give you a safety briefing and send you on your way in a rubber raft. Each raft has an experienced guide who will be responsible for your safety and steers the boat and barks orders to paddle forwards, backwards or get down low in the boat on the particularly bumpy bits. Our guide had quite a lot of banter which was good fun, some of the other guides looked a little more serious however.

The rafting is better after the rainy season as the river is higher and flows faster, so perhaps it isn’t recommended towards the end of the dry season where the raft may run aground in shallower rapids. Of course, there is the usual extra fee at the end if you want to buy any of the photos taken by the staff.

Day 5: Puerto Viejo

Puerto Viejo Talamanca is a colourful, little town on the Caribbean coast of the country bubbling with charisma. The culture here takes a noticeably Caribbean influence, and the pace of life is slow and relaxed. The climate here is tropical, meaning it is warm all year round, but it can be much wetter than the Pacific coast of the country.

Between Puerto Viejo and the tiny town of Manzanillo about 8 miles south, lie some of Costa Rica’s best beaches. Rent a bike from one of the many rental shops in Puerto and head out to explore.

Make sure to stop at the beautiful white sand beaches of Playa Chiquita, Playa Cocles, Punta Uva and the black sand of Playa Manzanillo. Playa Cocles has surfboard and body boards for rent on the beach if you want to go out by yourself or have a lesson.

You can also stop at the Jaguar Rescue Centre, which despite the name does not have any Jaguars, but rehabilitates other animals from the area. This is a popular way to support the wildlife conservation efforts and get up close to some of their birds, reptiles, sloths and monkeys.

Manzanillo is pretty much the end of the road, so this is about as far as you can do. There’s not too much in this tiny town but we had a rest on Playa Negra and refuelled with lunch at Cocoloba Cafe, before pedaling back to Puerto Viejo.

Day 6: Puerto Viejo

Take a day trip to pretty Cahuita, a sleepy town north of Puerto Viejo. The colourful and dusty roads of Cahuita feel a long way from the hustle and bustle of working life. There are regular buses you can catch for the return trip.

The town has a black sand beach (Playa Negra) and a white sand beach (Playa Blanca), both of which are usually pretty quiet.

Cahuita National park is well worth a visit, and is almost a mini version of the well known Manuel Antonio National Park. It’s a nice shaded walk through the jungle and offers the opportunity to see capuchin monkeys, raccoons, birds and maybe a sloth if you’re very observant.

Day 7: Manuel Antonio

Due to its close proximity to the border town of Sixaola, Puerto Viejo is a great place to dive into Panama from. You can make the border crossing and get to Bocas del Toro fairly easily from here. This is what we did on our trip, spending 4 nights in Bocas and 3 nights in Boquete before catching the bus from David up to Manuel Antonio. We would thoroughly recommend including a trip to Bocas on your itinerary.

However, if you are only intending on doing Costa Rica on your trip it is time to start exploring the Pacific coast and Manuel Antonio is a great place to visit to see some nature. Most transport in Costa Rica unfortunately will take you back through San Jose, before heading back out, so this journey will likely take you most of the day. Once you’ve arrived kick back on Espadilla Beach with a coconut.

Day 8: Manuel Antonio

Spend a day wandering around Manuel Antonio National Park. We would recommend staying somewhere close to the park entrance and buying your tickets before you get there so you can get in as soon as the park opens ahead of everyone else. They are reasonably strict about what you can bring into the park, with a view to stop people feeding monkeys or littering so it’s worth reading the website to make sure you don’t get your packed lunch confiscated on entry.

The park is one of the most Biodiverse National Parks in the world with over 100 species of mammals including capuchins, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and of course the two-toed and three-toed sloths. There are even more species of birds including toucans, woodpeckers, vultures, parakeets and hawks.

There are 4 beaches in the park, the nicest two, Espadilla Sur and Manuel Antonio beach, run on either side of a land bridge between the mainland and a huge rock known as “the Cathedral”. The trails are well developed and mostly follow board walks through the jungle, allowing you to explore a sizeable amount of the park while leaving most of the wild life undisturbed.

Day 9: Santa Teresa

After a day in the park in Manuel Antonio, it’s time to head north to Santa Teresa. Catch the bus to Playa Herradura and catch the water taxi across to Montezuma. From here you will be picked up in a mini van and taken to Santa Teresa. It’s another trip across three modes of transport, which will take you most of the day. But head to Santa Teresa beach for a sundowner when you arrive, and watch the pros surfing at sunset.

Day 10: Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa has become quite popular with digital nomads and backpackers due to its beaches, its surfing, its laid back atmosphere and its great choice of hotels and eateries.

Your first day in Santa Teresa should be a surfing day. For beginner surfing, Playa Hermosa just north of Santa Teresa is a great place to learn and hone your skills as the waves are slightly smaller and there are no rocks. For more confident surfers, Santa Teresa beach has some large breaks.

We would recommend surfing in the early morning, or the late afternoon, as it can get very hot in the middle of the day and heat stroke is a very real possibility with no shade. We know, because it happened to us! Spend the hottest part of the day chilling and getting your energy back.

Spend the afternoon and evening exploring Santa Teresa and its boutique shops. Wander along its only (quite dusty) street which runs parallel to the beach.

Day 11: Santa Teresa

Hire some ATVs and explore the local area. We hired ours from Ollie’s Adventures who seemed to do a reasonable rate for them. There are 50cc and 35cc variants, we tried both and found the 35cc (which is cheaper) to be just fine.

We took the quad bikes to Montezuma to explore this cute little beachside town and the waterfall a short walk up-river from the town. The journey takes about 45mins depending on how much you like to stop off and explore and how confident on a quad bike you are. There are some lovely little beaches worth stopping off at on the way or way back.

We picked up a fresh coconut from a local merchant and wandered around the quaint little town which doesn’t take long. We then had lunch at Restaurante Montezuma right on the beach.

The hike to the waterfall takes about half an hour, and you follow the river all the way. There were a couple of instances where the hike becomes a little scrambley but the reward is a lovely, refreshing plunge underneath the waterfall. There are a number of good places to jump into the pool from as well. There are also other pools higher up which you can climb up to.

Day 12: Santa Teresa

Having had a rest from surfing the previous day, head back out for another gnarly sesh before it gets too hot.

In the afternoon go for a horse riding tour with one of the many Horse-back riding companies. The ride will take you through the countryside and along the beaches.

Day 13: San Jose

Because of the long journey times in Costa Rica, it’s time to head back to the capital. Take a mini van to Paquera where you can catch the large car ferry to Puntarenas and then continue on to San Jose.

Day 14: San Jose

Spend the morning looking around San Jose before catching your flight home.