Costa Rica is a region famous for its plant & animal biodiversity and places like the the cloud forest. The entire country is lush with green!

It’s been on our bucket list for a while so when we decided to go we made sure to plan an itinerary that would allow us to do and see as much as possible.

San Jose

Day 1: We landed in San Jose and I won’t sugar coat it. The city is pretty grimy, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it, but if you have the opportunity to check it out then it’s worth spending 1 night there.

We had a red eye from Los Angeles to San Jose and knew we wouldn’t have it in us to drive to Arenal on the same day so we planned time to nap after checking in & booked a city tour (through Airbnb) in advance so we could take advantage of being in San Jose and get a guide to show us the city.

Hiring a guide was so worth it. We ended up being on a walking tour with other tourists and the guide took us through the city to give us a short history lesson on Costa Rica and its locals. As part of the tour we walked through the market & stopped by various stores to do tastings of locally grown fresh fruit & vegetables. It was pretty cool to immerse ourselves in the culture. The tour felt more like walking in the footsteps of a local rather than exploring as a tourists. We ended the tour with a coffee, hot chocolate, and tamale tasting. The food was delicious and the tour itself was informative & entertaining.

Pro Tip:

If you want to explore the city I highly recommend booking a tour. It really is the best way to see the city. Also, take an Uber into the city or plan to arrive more than an hour ahead of time.
Traffic is really bad & finding a parking lot with available spots can be really challenging.
The restaurants close early so either eat dinner early or pick up food to take back to your room.

Arenal

Day 2: We woke up early and made the 2hr 45 mins drive to Arenal. We plugged our hotel address into our phone and GPS took us there with no problem. As we approached into the town of Arenal we realized that the main street is lined with hotels, hot springs, restaurants, and a SLOTH TOUR!

We checked in, dropped off our bags, and walked right up to the tour. There was no line & no prior reservation required. We chose to hire a guide and it was the best decision. There is no way we would’ve spotted all of the wild life we did had he not been with us. It couldn’t have been more than 10 mins on the tour before our guide spotted a sloth!!!

Length of tour & cost: The entire tour lasted about 2 hours (because we really took our time walking through) and cost about $40-$45/per person. It was worth every penny! Our guide got us an up close encounter with a slot and spotted 4 other slots high above in the trees. One sloth even had a baby with her!

Food: There are plenty of places to eat on the main street in Arenal. We tried different spots that the locals recommended and they were all delicious!

Day 3: We woke up early and drove ourselves to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. Depending on where you are staying in the town the drive is between 20-30 minutes.

We opted to do a self guided tour because we had our fix of sloths and wild life on the previous tour. We enjoyed taking our time & exploring the bridges at our leisure, but I do recommend hiring a tour guide at some point. It makes such a huge difference. They really know what to look for & spot wild life that tourists just can’t find on their own.

The entrance & exit of the park are at the same place and located near a restaurant with an incredible view of the Arenal Volcano. We had a nice lunch their before driving to the Volcano to hike around it. There was plenty of time to do both in one day and still enjoy the hot springs at our hotel.

We stayed at Los Lagos one of the many resorts in the town that offers access to hot springs, but note that you can always buy tickets to access any of the hot springs.

Day 4: Our travels started to catch up to us so we took the day to sleep in and in the evening we visited Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa. It’s one of the most incredible natural hot springs I’ve ever visited. The springs are spread throughout the middle of the jungle. You are smack in the middle of nature! It was hard to capture good pictures because of the steam so we just left our camera in the lockers and focused on enjoying our time.

Pro Tip: The bottom of the hot springs are full of tiny rocks & pebbles. Water shoes are very handy. You’ll need a water protector for your phone if you plan on having it with you. The experience during daylight vs nighttime is very different, but both beautiful. We got there shortly before the sun went down so we got to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Monteverde

Day 5-7: Many people told us that the road to Monteverde was horrible. In my opinion, there were parts that were rough because there are many rural areas with unpaved roads, but as long as you are prepared you’ll be fine.

Pro tip: Rent a 4x4 and do not drive at night.

Must do activities in Monteverde:

Ziplining - Extremo Park claims to have the longest known zipline in the world! I’m afraid of heights, but I felt safe & it was so worth it.
Horseback Riding - There are many local companies that offer this. Anyone you choose will allow you to directly contribute to the local economy.
Hike the Cloud Forest - Go as early as possible. That’s when all the animals are active. We found a family of monkeys & it was really amazing watching them play in the trees.

If you have time to spare, do a guided night walk, visit a The Bat Jungle, and check out a coffee tasting tour.

Tamarindo & Playa Conchal:

Day 8-9: For access to more restaurants and night life check out Tamarindo, but if you are looking for more privacy and space spend your time in Playa Conchal. Even the beaches are different. Playa Conchal has powdery white sand and the water is more clear & blue. However, you’ll have to access it through one of the resorts & may or may not have to pay. We visited The W Hotel and were able to access the beach by ordering food & drinks from the hotel.

Tamarindo is less expensive & more lively. I recommend seeing both especially since they are just a short drive from each other.

When to go: Mid December to April is dry season. We went in December and the weather was perfect. It rained here & there because well, it’s a rainforest. The temperature is chillier in the mountains & rises by the beach.

What you need: Hiking shoes, water shoes, sweaters, swimsuits, spray tan, and bug spray are essentials.

How long you need: We went for 9 days, but in hindsight I think taking 1 day away from Arenal & 1 day from Monteverde to make the trip 7 days would’ve been plenty.

Pro tips:

It is safe to drive, but make sure to have a 4x4 & don’t drive at night.
Exchange money (it’s good to have)
Some roads have toll roads
Other than the beach towns most other places close early so eat before 7pm or take food home.
Soda restaurants are the most popular local food franchise. The food is always good & reasonably priced.
Tipping is already included in the bill at restaurants, but if you feel generous & the service was amazing additional tipping is always welcome.
Don’t forget to tip the guides. They work very hard for a low wage & rely heavily on tips.
Buy spray & sunscreen are very expensive in Costa Rica to make sure to take enough.

The country is beautiful & the people were all welcoming & polite. I hope you found all this information helpful. Wishing you happy & safe travels!