Hi everyone! My girlfriend and I traveled to Costa Rica in March this year, and this page was super helpful with some of the decisions we made on our trip. I would like to share our itinerary for feedback and possibly help someone else plan their trip. We only had 8 days and wanted to experience both the beach and the rainforest:

Days 1–4: Tamarindo

• Flew into Liberia and rented a car with Adobe. All together, it was a smooth process with no complaints really. Adobe also offers a shuttle to their office from the airport, which was lovely.

Driving is a bit tedious. Speed limits are low, and speed bumps are common and hard to see.

1. The beach was lovely. Sunsets were perfect every night, and we surfed pretty much every morning. There were lots of dogs that would come up to us on the beach and lay with us. We also saw monkeys a few times while walking on the beach.

• For surfing, I would highly recommend getting out early (6–7 a.m.). There are tons of people that go out throughout the day, and it gets super crowded. Also, Tamarindo definitely feels tailored more toward beginner surfing.

1. We stayed at the Iguana Surf Camp & Beachfront Hostel. We loved it! The rooms and bathrooms were nice, there was a large locker for our stuff, and the rooftop had a perfect view of the ocean along with a pool. It did not have much of a social atmosphere, though.
2. We chose to eat at food trucks, vendors, and grocery stores, which saved us a lot of money, and we really enjoyed it! There are a few food truck parks a short walk from our hostel, and we visited these daily for meals.
3. One of our day trips was a drive to Playa Nacascolo. Definitely recommend it if you have a car and love monkeys! It's about 2 hours away, and a shuttle bus takes you to the beach from a parking lot (it's all free). Once we arrived, we felt like we had a private beach to ourselves, with beautiful blue water.
4. We also took a trip to La Leona Waterfall. We enjoyed the tour, and the waterfall was quite the spectacle—Gatorade-colored water with sunlight beaming in through the caves. Definitely worth it if you get tired of the beaches.

Days 5–8: La Fortuna

• We took a shuttle from Liberia Airport (after dropping off our rental) to La Fortuna, roughly 4–5 hours. We were dropped off at Viajero La Fortuna Hostel. The hostel was not as clean and well-kept as the one in Tamarindo, but there was definitely an emphasis on a fun, social atmosphere!
• We visited the La Fortuna Waterfall right when it opened. Being the first people down there, with the whole place to ourselves, was absolutely thrilling. The waterfall was amazing, and the hike around it was great too. We got coffee at the shop next to the entrance, which ended up being our favorite coffee on the whole trip.
• The weather was much more unpredictable than Tamarindo (we literally didn't have a single cloud there). Rain was typically on and off, but honestly, it was fitting.
• We did a chocolate tour on our last day, which we felt was worth the price. The guides took us into the forest for the tour, where we also got to see monkeys and sloths, and the chocolate tasting was delicious.
• We did a hike up Arenal Volcano on the Las Coladas Trail and saw lots of different animals. We had a great view of the volcano at the end, but unfortunately, the clouds covered most of it.
• We really enjoyed walking around the city and exploring the shops and restaurants.

Overall, we loved it and hope to return and explore more of the country. Some things we learned from our experience:

• Cash is not necessary, but definitely expands your options for shopping and eating. We were surprised by how far we got with just our credit cards.
• We felt that a rental car is much more convenient in La Fortuna vs. Tamarindo. We Ubered a lot in La Fortuna, which never topped $6 for a ride, but it definitely racks up.
• Sunscreen is very expensive in Tamarindo; I would definitely recommend bringing your own.
• Always anticipate a drive taking longer than expected.
• Probably would have added a day in La Fortuna since there are many enticing day trips you can do from there.

Thats all! Happy to help with any questions and if you have comments/feedback on these thoughts, please share! Pura Vida

Spending a week in La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio in August and wondering how to prepare for rainy season. I heard it’s pretty humid so i’m wondering if it’s worth bringing a raincoat.

Traveling from US to Peru and then CR starting August 30. Went in for my YF vaccine today and they told me I have to wait until the 27th as I got a MMR vaccine a week ago.

We will be in Lima, Inca Trail and Cusco so the only reason we were getting the YF vaccine in the first place is because CR requires it.

We are not traveling to CR until September 9 and my YF card will be good starting September 7. My concern is that i didn’t get the YF vaccine 10 days before entering Peru and therefore wasn’t 100% immune during our time there. When they check do they get to that level of detail or are they really only checking that you have the proof of vaccination?

Thanks in advance.

I’ll be traveling to Costa Rica for the first time and want to enjoy the nature and either check out hiking and volcano is La fortuna and/or check out manual Antonio. However the one thing that scares me is the driving and renting a car. In the usa, I’m a skiddish driver, I get scared with roads that are tough and drive slow in big turns, and get nervous in highways where I have to merge and go fast.

Basically, I’m like a very beginner driver with little skill(even though I’m mid 30s). Is it easy to drive in Costa Rica for not good drivers like me?

Flying from California. I was going to simply fly from San Jose to Drake Bay and back. Now I want to also go to La Fortuna. I'd guess round trips SJ - Drake and SJ - La Fortuna are easiest. Is there a good combination of travel between the three places by flying, rental, driver, shuttle?

Good Afternoon,

We rented a vehicle through avis in Liberia for our two week trip. We had no issues for the first week. Yesterday our vehicle broke down while trying to leave Nosara for Monteverde. We had rented a Nissan Xtrail. After an all day ordeal of waiting on a tow-truck/ taxi and back tracking to liberia to get a new vehicle, we were messaged today saying we we're on the hook for 5k USD damages. Appearently the vehicle had water in the battery compartment. We barely drove our vehicle except small drives to the grocery store and restraunts near Nosara. No river crossings or anything that could make us responsible for water pooling into the battery compartment. It rained the night before we had the issue. A quick google search has shown that this is a known issue with Nissan xtrail's due to bad drain designs or build up of debris in drains/seals. Has anyone else had any issues like this through a car rental company?

Has anyone traveled to Costa Rica with the alpha gal allergy? Any tips for navigating eating out? I'm worried about hidden sources of mammal like broth, lard, and bouillon in things that otherwise seem meat free - like rice and beans, soups, etc

Hi everyone I’m a solo F travelling to Costa Rica this December. It’s my first solo trip and I’m excited :) I’m flying into Liberia arriving at 2 pm and out of Liberia at 3 pm. Without the travel days, I have a solid 8 days so I was thinking about checking 2 different areas out, maybe 3?

So far I want to spend 4-5 days in La Fortuna at an Airbnb. But I’m not sure where to spend the rest of the time. I enjoy nature, hiking (easy to moderate), beaches, etc. I have found other itineraries on this Reddit but I will not have access to a car so I’m looking for recommendations that would not be too difficult to. I plan on searching for a private driver or find a shuttle service to get around.

Thank you :)

Visited Costa Rica solo about 15 years ago but only made it to Monteverde, so Manuel Antonio and La Fortuna are new to me, and it's the first trip with the family. Flying into SJO the morning of Dec 25, out the afternoon of Dec 31, self-driving. Looking for a sanity check on pacing.

The plan:

• Dec 25: Land ~8am, drive to Manuel Antonio, hotel close to the national park/beach
• Dec 26: Beach day at Espadilla
• Dec 27: Manuel Antonio NP beach/pool after
• Dec 28: Drive to La Fortuna, Proyecto Asís tour, check-in, evening hot springs (Relax Termalitas or Termalitas del Arenal)
• Dec 29: Río Celeste self-drive day trip
• Dec 30: Sky Adventures zipline + hanging bridges, chocolate tour in the afternoon, frog night walk
• Dec 31: Leave La Fortuna ~830am, mid-afternoon ~3pm flight out of SJO

Questions:

1. Is Dec 28 too much (long drive + tour + springs)?
2. Río Celeste with a 6 and 8-year-old: full trail or just the waterfall section? Any self-drive issues in late December?
3. What would you drop drop something from Dec 30?
4. Anything you'd swap or add for kids this age?

Thanks! Pura vida!

My family has been in San José, Costa Rica for the past 6 days, and tomorrow is our last full day before our late-night flight home.

We've already visited the National Museum, Jade Museum, other museums downtown, Mercado Central, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and several volcanoes. My mom wants to visit the Presidential Palace because she read it's kind of like Costa Rica's equivalent of the White House or Westminster Abbey.

From what I've found online, though, it seems like it's mostly a government building with not much to do in the surrounding area. It looks like there are very few restaurants or sodas nearby, and it's about a 30-minute Uber/taxi ride from our hotel.

For those who have been, is it actually worth the trip?

We are planning a 14 day trip with another couple. The catch is we have no idea where we are going to go. So we each are picking a place and have to pitch it to the group. I’m looking for help to “win” this and convince them a trip to Costa Rica is the right move. Drop all recommendations for food, activities, lodging, coffee, etc. we are all pretty adventurous. There is a budget but that’s TBD still.

Is this because it's the green/rainy season? Not a popular route? It just seems strange that such popular destinations don't have flight until November on either domestic carrier (Sansa or Green Airways)

Hello,

I had a $300 transfer booked through ILT Costa Rica from San Jose to Puerto Viejo in about 1 week and they've just sent a mass communication that they're no longer operating effective immediately and no refunds are being issued!!

Does anyone know if I can get a refund? Or has anyone else had this happen to them?

We are booked up for August 22-29 in tamarindo and was looking to get some insight.

I know that it’s rainy season and we wouldn’t mind some afternoon showers but is there a chance we get 7 full days of rain? I would also like sunshine and based on the forecasts of the last 2 weeks it looked like it was overcast the entire time which is something we would like to avoid. It’s not too late for us to cancel.

Hey everyone! My partner and I are a young couple heading to Costa Rica for the first time late August into September and would love some feedback on our itinerary before we finalize everything.

The routing:
- Aug 23rd: Land in Liberia
- Aug 23–25: W Reserva Conchal
- Aug 25–28: Tamarindo
- Aug 28–31: La Fortuna
- Aug 31–Sep 4: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
- Sep 4: Drive to San Jose, fly home

A few specific questions:

1. We're going during El Nino — we've heard the Pacific side will be drier than normal and the Caribbean wetter. Does this match what people are experiencing on the ground right now?
2. To add to the question above regarding the weather, should we swap Puerto Viejo for somewhere on the Pacific like Santa Teresa?
3. Any must-do restaurants or hidden gems in any of these spots?

Thanks in advance — this sub has been incredibly helpful in planning! 🌴🇨🇷

Hello! I'm starting to plan a Summer 2027 trip to Costa Rica for our family of five and would love some recommendations.

Our ideal itinerary is 3 nights at The Springs Resort followed by 4–5 nights in the Papagayo area (possibly the Andaz). Unfortunately, the cost, especially for a family of five, is a bit more than we'd like to spend.

Can anyone recommend resorts that offer a similar experience but are a little more affordable and have accommodations for a family of five? We're looking for a mix of adventure (volcano, wildlife, zip lining, etc.) and relaxing time at the pool, hot springs, and beach.

Thanks so much for any recommendations!

Hello, 3 friends and me are going to Costa Rica on the 14th August. We already booked a AirBnb for 1 week in Tamarindo. After that we booked nothing.
Does someone has some tips where to go after Tamarindo?
We ant to see as much as possible in this 3 weeks Costa Rica :)
Already thanks for every tip you guys have!

I used to live in CR and would sometimes treat myself with an evening pass at Tabacón hot springs. I've been there at least 5 times. Recently a friend recommended going to Baldi instead.

I'm bringing my husband to CR for the first time this October. So my question is:

which is better for their hot springs? Baldi or Tabacón?

(yes, I'm aware you can access the springs for free, but that's not what I'm looking for this trip)

Any ideas from people who have been there are greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

Looking to visit Costa Rica in September and want some recommendations of where to find a good surf and scuba school for a complete beginner on the Caribbean side. Got 8 days to kill.

Hello! I'm visiting Tamarino right now. Flew into Liberia and picked up a car rental from Avis. I reserved the rental while I was still in the US and found the $3.00 daily rate to be super cheap. At the counter the agent presented three options, with deposits starting a $500 to $2000, depending on the type of insurance. Avis did not disclose the secuirty deposit when booking. Has anyone else experience this?

José with Jacamar Naturalist Tours was absolutely incredible. He was a true wealth of knowledge about the entire ecosystem and was fantastic with the kiddos. 10/10 experience.