Costa Rica in 10 days? Is this even possible? Most people choose to explore it in 3-4 weeks, but my boyfriend and I are doing everything anti-clockwise, gravity and logic.
Well, ok this was not how we wanted it either, but as there was last-minute change of plans and country, we didn't have the choice.
Booking Costa Rica in less than an hour after our trip to Finland was cancelled - we didn't even have time to be upset about the lost journey, because another one was already knocking on the door. We had to exchange the winter boots and coats with flip-flops and sunscreen. Not complaining...
About Costa Rica
And here we are, the flights are booked, the travel regulations of the countries we have stopover and visit are read and noted. Time to plan, because we are not of those travelers who can simply chill at the same place and let the rest 51'100km2 of Costa Rica unexplored. Tiny, but not as easy and fast to drive through, but more about that later.
Despite the small size, Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world – nearly 5% of all known plants and animal species could be found on its territory.
Its borders are Nicaragua on the north, Panama - on the south, the Pacific Ocean - on the west coast and the Caribbean Sea - on the east coast.
The country is divided into 7 provinces – San Jose, Alajuela, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Limon, Cartago and Heredia.
The Costa Rican unit of currency is the colon, named after Christopher Columbus.
For reference: $1 = approx. ₡615; €1 = approx. ₡719.
In translation, Costa Rica means ‘’rich coast’’. This is one of the safest and most expensive countries in Latin America also known as Switzerland of Central America. It seems that I didn’t change countries after all. I changed only climates and included some palm trees, some wildlife, volcanos, the sea and the ocean.
Costa Rica is a total leader in ecotourism - 24% of its landmarks are protected. Be ready to spend a good amount of money on national parks and wildlife refuges. It’s totally worth it and I agree and support this idea. It’s a donation for a great cause – our planet.
I will mention the prices we paid as adults for the places we visited. Note that each park has different prices for adults, children and citizens.
There are two seasons in Costa Rica. The dry season is from December to April, and the wet season is May – November. The wet season has some notable exceptions on the Caribbean coast.
What to pack
Be ready for some crazy temperature changes if you go from the coast to the cloud forests.
On the coast is hot, but it can get veeery, very chill, foggy and humid in the cloud forests, so take a note: the flip-flops and the bikinis have to have a backup plan. Pack some sweaters, rubber boots, hiking waterproof shoes, long pants and a raincoat. Layering is key.
Don’t forget a good mosquito/insect repellent and sunscreen, because sunscreens and mosquito repellents are costly in Costa Rica.
Traveling to Costa Rica during Covid-19
Right now, Costa Rica requires special travel insurance which covers your accommodation costs or medical expenses in case of quarantine or illness due to COVID-19. If you have international insurance already check if it covers all their requirements as:
- Validity of the effective policy during the visit in Costa Rica
- Coverage of US $55’000
- Minimum coverage of US $2’000 for extended lodging expenses due to pandemic illness or trip interruption/ cancellation due to illness
Just in case I purchased my insurance by local authorized insurance
All together costs around $11 per person, per day. 10 days = $110.
This insurance has to be uploaded to the HEALTH PASS - an online form that you have to fill up prior to departure. It is available 48 hours before boarding.
How to move across the country
If you want to explore as much as possible opt for renting a car. They drive on the right side of the road like many of us are used to. We did big research and the two best rental companies in Costa Rica are Vamos Rent and Wild Rider. Rent 4x4 vehicle as the country has plenty of off-road areas. There are many places where you have to cross water and dirt roads (crossing rivers is not covered by the basic car insurance).
We chose Vamos Rent for our trip which was less than $600 for 10 days including the basic insurance. Usually, we take full coverage, but according to my boyfriend’s research, the basic one is good enough.
I’ve already mentioned that the country is not that big, but it might take ages to go from point A to point B. Their main road is actually very well done, but the problem is that most of the time there is only 1 lane in each direction, the speed limit is quite low and you can drive behind trucks in areas difficult for them to climb, so this might cause endless traffic jams.
The speed limit goes up to 100km/h on the motorway, but this is seldom the case. Be prepared also for paying few toll fees when going out of San Jose.
Ok, we covered the main points of travel preparation, let’s head to the most important and exciting part of the trip – the exploration and the actual vacation.
I will write down our plan and the way we did it, but I will also add some other recommendations which we couldn’t do or which we would’ve done differently.
I highly recommend you NOT to book Costa Rica for only 10 days, because it’s one of those destinations which could steal your heart and deserve your entire attention, respect and love.
However, if you can’t afford to go for longer (time- or moneywise), 10 days are still better than 0, so don’t think twice. Just pack and go (and take me with you in your suitcase).
DAY 1.
Late arrival in San Jose /SJO airport/
Pick up by a small van included in the car rental offer + bringing us to the car rental office, very close to the airport.
This night we booked a hotel not far from the city as we had a long flight and the next day our restless adventure was awaiting.
Depending on your arrival time, you can stay and explore the city that day. Overnight in or around San Jose and continue your road trip on the next day.
I wouldn’t spend too much time in the capital if your time is limited.
DAY 2.
On the road heading southwest with final destination Manuel Antonio.
San Jose – Manuel Antonio approx. 170km or around 3hrs drive.
We took the tollways, so prepare some cash / Costa Rican colons – all tolls together were around ₡2000.
We visited some beaches in the Puntarenas province. We passed by Jaco district - Playa Hermosa and Parrita district - Palo Seco Beach. Both beaches seemed quite deserted, but we loved the feeling of having a giant beach almost only for ourselves.
Once we arrived in Manuel Antonio, we had some time to indulge our first day in our beautiful hotel. The closest beaches are Playitas Beach, Playa Tulemar and Biesanz Beach. This evening we had one of the best sunsets we’ve ever seen.
WHERE TO STAY:
Hotel Makanda by The Sea Adults Only
This adults-only hotel is a celebration for all senses. Beautiful, spacious, modern rooms, pretty pool areas – both private and public, great sunset views over the Pacific Ocean and good breakfast and dining options. The hotel has so many hidden gems and you can simply walk around and explore those cute spots. They also provide a golf cart ride to the beach and back.
Monkeys are hiding in the trees, ready to grab your lunch if you have it served by the pool, birds are singing all day long to remind you that life is beautiful. It is luxury stamped in nature, but working perfectly well and respectful together.
Instagram: @hotelmakanda
Book here: www.makanda.com
DAY 3.
Greeting the sunrise, followed by breakfast at Hotel Makanda and a visit to the National Park Manuel Antonio.
The National Park is 5 minutes drive from our hotel. There are plenty of people trying to make you stop on their parking lots, but keep going until the end – where you can park your car closer and usually cheaper – between ₡2000 and ₡4000. A taxi would cost you between $5 and $10 depending on your starting point.
Keep in mind to arrive as early as possible as it could get busy and the chance to see animals gets lower. The parking areas were full when we left the park in the early afternoon.
Respect the rules of the National Park. Don’t be loud and don’t bring food with you. By law, you cannot take selfies with the animals in Costa Rica. Don’t forget to wear comfy shoes and let’s go. The park offers around 5 pathways – some easier, some with more stairs, but signs are telling you what are you getting into. We roamed all the paths and we saw a lot of monkeys – we even got attacked by one. The little fella was not happy that my boyfriend was filming him and he threw a fruit targeting his head. I am still laughing while watching this video.
By the way, we spotted the 4 types you can find in Costa Rica - Squirrel monkeys, Spider monkeys, Capuchin monkeys and the loudest of all – the Howler monkeys. We also saw a lot of birds, reptiles, Agouti, butterflies and a deer. Unfortunately, my most desired animal to see was not to be found anywhere. The sloths were playing hard to get and we couldn’t see any.
Last but not least - don’t forget to bring your swimwear with you, because there are 3 amazing beaches to enjoy after the exploration of the dense rainforest.
Opening hours: 7 AM - 4 PM. The park is closed on Mondays and right now they are closing it on Tuesdays as well.
Entrance fee: $18 adults
Guided tours: $55 adults
Private guided tours: $76 adults
The guided tours include a 2,5 – 3 hours tour with a certified guide, telescope and the entrance fee. We didn’t take a guide, but I recommend you to do it.
After visiting the National Park Manuel Antonio and my broken heart because of not finding a sloth we went back to the hotel to eat something, to take our suitcases and continue further. There the monkeys were very keen to join us for lunch, but we all know that this is not good for their health. This is why we were very strict and didn’t allow them to eat with us. I was very upset seeing people feeding them only to take a good picture… Please, respect the wildlife! It’s also terrible to think of how many face masks we found while exploring. I had to collect some and throw them in the bin because this is dangerous for the animals and bad for nature.
On the way to Alajuela province, we stopped again by Playa Hermosa/ Jaco for seeing the sunset there (the sunset in March shows up around 5:45 PM). Another magical sunset, doggies playing on the beach, even a giant pig was walking happily uninterrupted around. This time there were some people and the beach was livelier than we first saw it.
From Manuel Antonio to our final destination the distance is approx. 180km or around 3hrs 30 min, well for us this turned into 6 hours journey, because of a gigantic traffic jam.
Once we arrived at our hotel in Alajuela, the weather was completely different – super windy and freezing compared to where we came from. We were too late, but luckily there was someone to give us the keys to the room. We had to do the check-in and check out the next day.
DAY 4.
Poas Volcano – we drove this way and exchanged the good with the bad weather, felt the first raindrops and went to the completely covered in fog and clouds 2708m stratovolcano. Well, it was not a surprise - they wrote it even on their website: ‘’Land where the force of nature and freshness of the clouds are mixed’’. It is recommended to buy your ticket in advance and for best chances to see the volcano, pick a time as early in the morning as possible. Also check the current status, because the Poas Volcano National Park closes from time to time for security reasons. You can check the status of the volcano and book your spot on their official website: Poás Volcano National Park.
However, we booked our ticket and had the earliest tour at 8 AM and we were not even able to see the silhouette of the Poas Volcano. Such a stroke of bad luck, because it’s an incredible, bucket list place to see. Its crater is believed to be the largest open volcano in the world. As an active volcano, it erupted 40 times since 1828, last time in 2017, when the visitors and residents had to be evacuated. Dangerous, but impressive. We had to wear helmets and in case of eruptions, there are shelters to hide. It is not allowed to stay more than 20 minutes there, because of noxious fumes and gases. It was easy to smell the sulfur in the air.
In the Poas Volcano National Park, there are geysers, hot springs and fumaroles, none of which we were able to see due to poor weather conditions. I hope we could go back one day.
Opening times: 8 AM – 4 PM
Entrance fee: $15 adults
Parking: ₡1000 motorcycles; ₡2000 car; ₡4000 microbus and bus
And after this failure, we grabbed our suitcases and continued to chase waterfalls. We drove through cloud forests and we were singing in the rain despite the sadness of not seeing one of the top must-see spots in Costa Rica.
One of the waterfalls we saw was openly showcasing its power and was visible from the car while driving. We stopped to admire it. This was the only waterfall we saw where we didn’t have to climb stairs. It’s called La Paz.
On the way, we saw some coatis and we were waiting for them to move from the road in order not to get hit by another vehicle.
Next on our list was Catarata Del Toro, which is a private ecological reserve and one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Costa Rica.
Entrance fee: $14
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 7 AM – 5 PM, Sunday closed
Hiking time: 60 - 90 minutes. We did it for less than 60 minutes.
There are stairs – 375 steps, but it was a very nice hike in both directions. Luckily it was cloudy and we didn’t sweat as we would if it was sunny and hot. We had the waterfall only for ourselves and spent 2-3 hours there simply enjoying its power and shooting it.
Catarata Del Toro is the highest waterfall in Costa Rica. It is impressive with its 90-meter drop and what makes it even more special is that it flows into an extinct volcanic crater.
Close to Catarata Del Toro, there is another waterfall, called Blue Falls. The hike to it is around 30 minutes. If you book both waterfalls there is an entrance fee discount – both for $25. We were actually in a hurry and chose only the first one, but our love for Catarata Del Toro exploded and we couldn’t leave as fast as initially planned. If you have the time, I suggest you do both waterfalls.
Afterwards in the garden of this private reserve, we saw sooo many hummingbirds and someone aka me went completely out of control. If you didn’t know, I am a huge fan of those birdies. This meant – another hour or two there lol. By the way, if you’ve watched Harry Potter, I honestly think the Golden Snitch in their Quidditch game is inspired by the hummingbirds. They are fast and furious. I wanted to cry by watching them briskly flying around. This was too much beauty at the same place and time. It completely erased my previous disappointment of not seeing the Poas Volcano.
Later when my boyfriend finally succeeded to bring me back to the car, we went on a mission to see and sleep close to another famous active volcano – Arenal Volcano.
Distance from the waterfalls to our hotel: 84km or around 1h 44 min.
WHERE TO STAY:
Arenal Kioro Suites and Spa
Who wants to wake up to a view of an active volcano? Nestled in the outskirts of Arenal Volcano ‘Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa offers magical views right next door.
It’s part of Small Distinctive Hotels.
We were happy to enjoy the private jacuzzi and have breakfast in the bed while admiring this natural wonder. There, there is also a great spa and hot springs available for all the guests of the resort.
Instagram: @arenalkioro
Book here: www.hotelarenalkioro.com
DAY 5.
Great breakfast in the bed featuring the jaw-dropping Arenal Volcano. In the morning the weather was a bit moody, but once the sun pierced the clouds, the magic began. Imagine a misty sky above the volcano and add some sunbeams.
This dreamy morning start continued by a short hot-springs session in Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa, followed by a check out of the hotel and heading to another beautiful waterfall.
La Fortuna Waterfall is 70 meters high waterfall and it’s part of the Arenal Volcano National Park. From La Fortuna you can easily reach it by taxi which costs up to $10, you could also get there by riding a horse, or simply use your car as we did. There is free parking there.
To get to the waterfall itself you have to walk down and climb up 500 stairs afterwards, or this is about 600 meters hike.
Once you reach this beautiful nature creation, don’t forget to dip in and swim. If you are not into swimming, simply sit and admire it. The feeling of being around is pure power.
Entrance fee: $18
Opening hours: daily 8 AM – 4 PM
WHAT WE SKIPPED DOING, but you could do: ZIPLINING. After some research, I found out that Sky Adventures is the best company organizing ziplining and other extraordinary, adventure activities in the area and Monteverde. They also provide rafting, tree climbing and other adrenaline-charged tours.
The aerial runway by Arenal Volcano offers amazing views, but keep in mind that the world’s first zipline and the longest one in Costa Rica and Latin America (1590 meters long) is the Aventura Canopy Tour in Monteverde.
WHERE TO STAY:
Nayara Tented Camp
Once we finished with our La Fortuna Waterfall exploration, we changed hotels and checked in in the Nayara Tented Camp. There you could also enjoy a beautiful Arenal Volcano view, hot-springs, free laundry services and there are several restaurant options in the resort. However, keep in mind that not all rooms have the same amazing view, so make sure if you book there to get a ‘’tent’’ with a clear volcano view.
In the Nayara Tented Camp, we benefited from a great coffee class and the feeling of sleeping in nature while enjoying the luxury of our room facilities, comfy bed, superb breakfast and private pool.
Instagram: @nayaratentedcamp
Book here: www.nayaratentedcamp.com
DAY 6.
After having the richest breakfast and a cute, naughty visitor - coati trying to join us for the meal, we packed and left in direction endless blues. We headed west back to the Pacific Ocean and Guanacaste province. Famous for its wonderful and often almost empty beaches, the sceneries bring you to another world. There you can find the true Pura Vida, some perfect surfing sites, many bird species, rare dry tropical forest and great biodiversity.
We passed by Playa Hermosa and Playas del Coco, before reaching our hotel.
La Fortuna – Potrero: distance - approximately 180km or about 3hrs 20 min.
WHERE TO STAY:
Hotel Bahia del Sol
Hotel Bahia del Sol’s beachfront invites for breathtaking sunsets. The extra saturated sky colors are burning the endless blues and reflecting in the ocean for a more dramatic effect.
Instagram: @bahiadelsolcr
Book here: www.bahiadelsolhotel.com
DAY 7.
Check out from the hotel and go. On the way, we explored few more beaches including Playa Conchal, Playa Flamingo and Playa Tamarindo. Tamarindo is an active area, where we grabbed some coffee, did some souvenir shopping and continued on our way to Mal Pais.
Potrero – Mal Pais: distance - approximately 220km or about 4hrs 10 min.
There are more places we wanted to discover on the coastline before reaching our final destination of the day, but this would have an enormous impact on the driving time as there is not a good connection between the roads and it was simply impossible to do all we initially wanted.
And the moment we started to think that Costa Rica has mostly deserted beaches and we were wondering where all the people from the airplane disappeared - they got lost and found at Mal Pais and Santa Teresa, which are located in the Puntarenas Province. Santa Teresa is a lively surf town, while Mal Pais is more laid-back, but to me, they are more alike than they are different. Those two twinning villages are glued to each other and I never understood when we passed from one to the other. They look very Tulum like, but in a different Costa Rican manner and style. We got hit by the reminder of the Mexican trendsetter town already during the first meters drive on the main street of this bustling, but not too crowded and still peaceful area. The hype and the vibe are amazing here. It’s a contemporary location, but it has this chill hippie twist inclination.
We went to Playa Carmen for another magical sunset and some drinks. WHERE TO STAY:
Casa Chameleon at Mal Pais
For your stay in the area, I recommend you to choose a lovely place with a view such as Casa Chameleon. It levelled up our experience thanks to the pretty room with a private infinity pool, the stunning ocean and sunset vista, great quality food and the perfect location. It’s quite high on the road so keep in mind to rent an ATV or simply use your car if you rented one already.
Casa Chameleon surprised me with my name on the door of our room added with big letters engraved in wood tiles. It was a super thoughtful and nice experience.
Instagram: @casachameleonhotels
Book here: www.casachameleonhotels.com
DAY 8.
Wake up call for discovering a beautiful hidden gem place at Mal Pais – the Mar Azul tide pools. They are stretched around huge slabs of volcanic rock. The ocean covers them at high tide which means that inside you can find many sea creatures – fish, sea slugs, crabs and even spiky sea urchins. Watch out for the last ones, because they have sharp spines.
Go at low tide as then it’s the time to encounter the tide pools in their entire beauty. The low tide changes every day and the best way to know when to get there is to google it. If you have a drone, don’t forget to bring it with you for some stunning aerials.
Once we finished our little last-minute discovery, we went back to Casa Chameleon for breakfast by the pool. We had room service for breakfast in almost all the hotels we stayed in during our Costa Rican trip and I couldn’t imagine it better.
Breakfast and time to leave once again – yeah, there is no break for us.
WHAT TO DO DIFFERENTLY: Stay longer in this area. We fell in love with its vibe and could’ve imagined staying at least 4-5 days and explore all the cute cafés, restaurants, do some sunbathing, greet more sunsets and sunrises and chill on the beautiful beaches.
Mal Pais – Monteverde: distance – approximately 225km or about 4hrs 30 min
Change of place, altitude, temperature and scenery. We arrived quite late to our hotel and we were able to enjoy our dinner, but couldn’t go for a Night Wildlife exploration tour which is a must-do in Monteverde and gives you greater chances to spot more animals compared to the visits during the day.
WHERE TO STAY:
Hotel Belmar
I highly appreciated the lush jacuzzi views and wildlife sounds in the middle of a cloud forest. Hotel Belmar is awarded with 5 levels of sustainability which puts it directly on the top of my list of hotels in Monteverde. Nestled in the mountaintops of Monteverde’s cloud forests it offers a unique experience and the feeling to sleep in nature while enjoying the luxury of your cosy room. Their Celajes restaurant’s balcony is overlooking the Pacific Ocean and offers organic food and ingredients all grown on the hotel’s garden or the Belmar family farm.
Instagram: @hotelbelmar
Book here: www.hotelbelmar.net
DAY 9.
Wake up. Jacuzzi. Breakfast. Check out. Wildlife exploration. PCR test. Caribbean Seaside.
We decided to explore Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, where we finally spotted a quetzal and saw the Continental divide point of the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. The reserve consists of over 105 km2 of cloud forest and the best is to visit it early in the morning. This is very important especially if you haven’t booked in advance as the reserve allows a maximum of 160 visitors at a time. Located in one of the most intense biodiversity countries in the world, often covered in mist and home to many animals, this is one of the best places to nurture and strengthen your connection with Mother Nature. Time to experience the healing energy of the cloud forests and their inhabitants.
Opening hours: daily 7 AM – 4 PM
Entrance fee: $25 adults
We had a bit of time to grab something to eat after going out of the reserve, where we were surrounded by many cheeky monkeys. Afterwards, we had to drive straight to San Jose because our plans for doing the required PCR tests on the Caribbean Sea side wouldn’t work as most of the clinics doing that are closed during the weekend.
Monteverde – San Jose: distance – approximately 137km or about 2hrs 30 min
The clinic we found is called: Laboratorio San Jose – Guadalupe Hospital Jerusalem. They have laboratories at other places in San Jose, but this one was open when we needed it. You will receive the results by email usually in the next 24 hours – this means that you don’t have to go back to collect them.
PCR test done and time to drive to our next and last destination where we will spend 2 days in a row.
San Jose – Manzanillo: distance – approximately 230km or about 4hrs 50 min
We were in a crazy rush as the reception of the hotel we booked is closing at 10 PM. I wrote them that we might be a bit late, but another traffic jam was making it look impossible to arrive on time. However, we did it 2 minutes after 10 PM and we had someone waiting for us.
Stress levels went rapidly down and we were able to rest.
WHERE TO STAY:
Almonds & Corals
Four-legged villa with mosquito net instead of windows, anyone? Imagine the sound of a night tropical rain, accompanied by the song of birds and the sounds of other wild animals. Now imagine yourself snuggled under the blanket in the middle of the jungle and the Caribbean Sea waves crashing few steps away from you. That feeling of being one with the wildlife and enjoying the spa of Mother Nature gave us the best sleep ever.
Instagram: @almondsandcorals
Book here: www.almondsandcorals.com
DAY 10.
Breakfast and beach walks in the area, followed by a visit to the Jaguar Rescue Center.
I couldn’t recommend it more. Paying the entrance fee of $22 is your donation which supports the center to continue helping all those wildlife residents. There are tours in English or Spanish at 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM. Each tour lasts around 1,5 hours. My recommendation is to book in advance. We went for the earlier tour, but there were no spots available and had to book and go back at 11:30 AM.
The guide told us the story of the rescue center and the story of each animal. The goal of this place is to heal the animals physically, but also help them integrate back into their natural habitat whenever this is possible.
Finally, we saw sloths here – babies and big ones. They were adorable, but it broke my heart knowing that they were hurt or the babies got lost and separated from their mothers.
The monkeys were previously held as pets by some people and have muscle, tooth and all kind of problems, thanks to human misconduct. Same counts for the parrots, some of which were able to speak and were saying ‘’Hola’’. Unfortunately, most of the birds there – toucans, parrots etc. were not able to fly.
Money or fun, whatever the reason to keep a wild animal as a ‘’hostage’’ is wrongful and should never happen. Please don’t support such behaviour by any means! Report it! Let’s be responsible for us, but also for the planet!
After this tour, I was once again shaken. The pain of someone causes me pain and deeply aches my heart, but the happiness was greater because I know that there are places and people feeling the same way and acting accordingly.
Until the end of the day, we continued with our beach walks, did some sunbathing and watched our last Costa Rican sunset, followed by a nice dinner in town.
DAY 11.
Early check out. Sunrise. Breakfast. Go.
Manzanillo – San Jose airport: distance – approximately 240km or about 5hrs
Time to say goodbye to this beautiful country. Not everything went by plan and we had some tops and flops throughout the journey, but for us this was the perfect getaway and escape, time to feel alive again, to breathe the freedom and re-connect with nature, our true selves and passions. Traveling is the most enriching and valuable experience you could do for your soul. I feel energized and ready to dream further.
Here on this map you will find all the places I've mentioned in my blog post: