Ultimate Costa Rica Itinerary: 9 Days of Rainforests, Beaches & Wildlife

Our guide set me free, and moments later, I was flying hundreds of feet over a sea of trees in a canyon, with tiny raindrops hitting me in the face, while staring straight at the middle of the volcano in front of me.

This was just one moment on our road trip that encapsulated the joy and adventure of our time in the country. And it can be you, if you add ziplining to your Costa Rica itinerary. My wife and I had so many moments like this one, getting to immerse ourselves in the country’s landscape and feel the thrill of its natural power.

How my Costa Rica Itinerary was structured + Initial Thoughts on How to Plan a Trip

My wife and I got married in Costa Rica and then did our honeymoon here. So we had 16 days on the ground in this beautiful country. While I’d love for people to spend two weeks in paradise, I think a 7 or 9-day Costa Rica itinerary is far more reasonable for most people.

From there, we continued south to Manuel Antonio for one of our longest driving days. We spent two days there at Parador Nature Resort and Spa. For another two days, we kept the coastal adventure alive by enjoying Uvita.

After 9 days on the coast, we transitioned to the rainforest and mountains. Unfortunately, our sun went away. For 4 nights, we stayed in La Fortuna, with another night at Bajos Del Sol before heading to San Jose in preparation for an early-morning flight home to Denver.

Booking two 1-way flights worked great

Flying to Liberia and out of San Jose worked out really well. This might be more expensive for some, but if you can save yourself a bunch of driving, it might be worth it. And our rental car price wasn’t too outlandish for dropping it off at a different airport.

From Denver, it was around 5 hours each way. Super easy and convenient.

I could go on and on. It was honestly the best place we stayed at in Costa Rica. The breakfast buffet each morning was delicious. There are five pools on site, and we got into all of them!

Granted, it’s a bit pricey, but you get your money’s worth!

Think this sounds good? Book it now.

Going for less than 7 days? La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio may be too much

If you’re going to Costa Rica for fewer than 7 days, I think trying to see both La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio will make you feel really rushed.

I say this because it is approximately 3 hours from Juan Santamaria Airport (San Jose) to La Fortuna. It’s a little longer from Liberia.

To get to Manuel Antonio from La Fortuna takes 5-6 hours. And to get from Manuel Antonio to either airport takes 3.5-6 hours.

US Prices for the most part

Costa Rica is not an inexpensive country for visitors.

You should expect it to cost around the same as if you went to a major metropolitan city or an upscale location in the United States. Without any knowledge at the beginning of our planning, I went in thinking we’d get nice Central American pricing.

How to keep prices down

One way we found to keep prices down was to stay at Airbnbs instead of hotels. This was especially true in La Fortuna, where hotel prices were in the $400+ range. We found an amazing Airbnb for less than $200 per night.

Driving is slow and inefficient

The one downside of Costa Rica is the lack of a national interstate program. The result of this is that driving is slow and inefficient. Instead of using American driving math where 60 miles = 60 minutes or less (usually less), it will take 90 minutes to 2 hours to do the same drive.

Then there’s the construction that can basically grind traffic to a halt. When we drove from Tamarindo to Manuel Antonio, the initial estimation was 5.5 hours. Unfortunately, another hour or so was added to the trip due to gridlocked traffic.

Driving at night in Costa Rica is fine

I did a lot of Reddit scrolling before the trip, and one area where people were VERY divided was driving at night in Costa Rica. Well, we did it a lot, and I can tell you it’s totally fine. But I’m also very experienced at night driving in the mountains, so take this with a grain of salt.

Granted, it was still anxiety-provoking driving up and over two mountains going from Manuel Antonio to La Fortuna in the dark and blistering rain for two hours.

Potholes aren’t as bad as people say

I was prepared for pothole hell, and thankfully, that wasn’t the case. For the most part, the main roads were in good condition. The worst section was driving into Bajos Del Toro from the north, but since so few people visit that area, A) it’s expected, and B) you likely won’t have to worry about it.

Understandably, most people fly into Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose. But I want you to know that there are two international airports in the country. We flew into Liberia, which is far smaller but offers EASY access to Guanacaste and the Pacific Coast.

Be warned, though, the airport has almost nothing to offer (not even sure there’s a drinking fountain in baggage claim), but we got in and out very quickly. So bring snacks and have your bottle filled up on the flight if you can.

This is one of the craziest parts about traveling to Costa Rica. Unless you live in the PNW, there’s a very good chance you can get to Costa Rica in less than 6 hours with no major timezone change.

Denver offers nonstop flights to both San Jose and Liberia in ~5 hours. The flight time is nearly the same for people coming from Chicago, and Bostonians can get here in between 5.5 and 6 hours.

Historically, the best weather is December through March. We were there at the end of January through February 8. Our Pacific Coast weather was perfect. But once we got into La Fortuna, it was cloudy/rainy every day.

This was around the same time that 60% of the USA had temperatures in the single digits or below zero, which may have pushed warmer air south, creating more tropical and rainy conditions.

One thing to note is that in the winter months, the Caribbean side gets far more rain, so you may want to avoid that if your goal is sun.

Long lines through Customs at San Jose Airport

My wife and I had a 7:30am flight out of San Jose. We arrived just after 5am (I recommend the Hilton by the airport for easy transport), had our bags checked within minutes, and waited over an hour in line to get through Customs and have our bags screened.

This is one of the places you do want to get there early and not risk it.

9-Day Costa Rica Itinerary

This is going to be an action-packed Costa Rican itinerary, so I hope you come energized and ready to embrace the adventure and Pura Vida mindset.

A) For this itinerary, I have people coming and going from San Jose.
B) It’s also up to you whether you rent a car or take shuttles. I rented a car. My parents did 18 days in Costa Rica and had shuttles everywhere.
C) Take this as a guide, not as gospel.

But I think people should experience Costa Rica’s less touristy parts. It is one of the most stunning areas in the country, filled with majestic waterfalls.

Hotels are more sparse here. Two I recommend are Bosque De Paz Eco-Lodge (we stayed here… it’s rustic but you feel like you’re in a jungle) and El Silencio which is on the luxury side.

Oh, Bajos Del Toro sits around 4,000+ feet in elevation between two volcanoes. It might be drizzling, so check the weather, and bring a rain jacket.

After you hike, drive the 75 minutes to La Fortuna and get settled.

If there’s time and you want to see some sloths, check out the Bograin Trail.

Day 4 – Go White Water Rafting + Night Hike

Rafting with Arenal Rafting Company was SO MUCH FUN! It had rained before, so the river was roaring. We were soaked almost immediately as we barreled through rapid after rapid.

How many days should you spend visiting Costa Rica?

I think you should do nine days on the ground in Costa Rica. This means only taking five days off work and using your four weekends to extend the trip.

If possible, getting into Costa Rica on Friday night might be nice, staying the night by the airport, and then leaving first thing in the morning to begin your Costa Rica road trip.

With a full 9-day Costa Rica itinerary, you’ll get to spend time in the rainforest and on the beach. This gives you the best of both worlds.

People say great things about Monteverde. Why didn’t you suggest that?

Monteverde looks cool, but it’s so far out of the way that it’s not worthwhile. From La Fortuna, it’s a three-hour drive at best. We couldn’t justify it (and I looked long and hard). Plus, everything you can get there, you can get in La Fortuna.

So, we spent a night in Tamarindo. I have no beef with it. It’s a bustling place, but it’s so Americanized and doesn’t offer anything uniquely Costa Rican that I care about. It’s a dry climate, with hardly any wildlife. I wanted to see animals, birds, rainforests, and volcanoes.

I honestly would not recommend people go there if they’re trying to have a unique vacation in a foreign country. Want the beach and to be surrounded by affluent white people? Go to San Diego. (I will say, the surfing was fun!)

How much will a trip cost?

For a 9-day trip to Costa Rica for a couple, I would expect you to spend around $ 3,500- $ 4,500, including flights.

How expensive is gas?

If my math is correct, gas was around $2.50 a gallon in La Fortuna. I can’t remember what they were in Uvita. So, it’s quite cheap, thankfully!

How to understand the conversion rate?

The number seems big in Colones, but it isn’t. An easy way to convert is to double what you see and then remove the zeros. So, 3,500 colones is equal to $7.

Final Thoughts on your Costa Rica Itinerary

I loved, loved Costa Rica, and believe you will too once you get down here. It might feel a world away, but it’s really not that different. The people are incredibly kind, and you’ll come away with a great respect and admiration for the culture.