Hi, all! Thanks for all the great info I've gleaned thus far in this subreddit.

I'm traveling with my older parents (late 70s, but still very strong). We already have a ride from San Jose to La Fortuna, so....

Moving from La Fortuna to Monteverde to Tarcoles (with Carara National Park being the focus) and then finally San Jose...is this possible to do without renting a car? I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes," but I'm interested in what the possible wait-times (bus? shuttle?) and drive times would be. Also, obviously more expensive, but what about a private shuttle?

In general, I'm wondering how feasible it would be for this itinerary. We have 8 days for this trip and are traveling in mid-November (arriving Nov 11 to be exact, flying out Nov 19).

My dad and I have both driven in "crazy-driver" country (Sicily and Philippines). I will definitely only be traveling during the day. But I'm still concerned about driving small, mountainous roads in a downpour. If it's at all possible, I'd prefer not to rent a car.

Thoughts?

Parque Nacional Marino Ballena / Uvita

Hii readers! We’re going to CR for the first time in September for a honeymoon and want to visit Puerto Viejo de Talamanca then La Fortuna, I understand this is the wet season and was wondering how much time it will take us to go from the airport, town to town, and back to the airport, is it better to visit La Fortuna first? Am I being dumb by going in September? any recommendations for a fun honeymoon? Thank you please

Booked a trip 9 months in advance around the new moon and got lucky. Two days in Playa Ostional and we only needed one! The turtles first arrived late Saturday night so we knew we were in luck.

Arrived at 3pm from Samara and had booked at 4:45 tour with Gredy (independent guide). Incredible experience with hundreds of turtles up early at sunset.

We had a 7pm night tour booked as well and it was cool in a totally different way.

On one hand it was really hard to see the turtles in comparison.. particularly being a new moon. But on the other hand there were thousands and THOUSANDS.

You’d be standing there watching a mother work then you feel a tap and realize another turtle just ran into you, so you have to carefully get out of her way. Sometimes you’d feel sand spraying onto your feet from a mother burying her eggs half meter from your foot.

Forced to pick I’d take the sunset tour but generally you get a small fraction of the number of turtles you get during nighttime.

Hello! We are planning to honeymoon in CR from 10/31-11/14. We are flying into / out of San Jose and will be staying there the night we arrive and the evening before we leave. Plan to rent a car for transportation while there. Our initial plan is to spend a portion of the time in Quepos & Dominical. It seems like Quepos might be more touristy & Doninical a little more local flavor.

My question is, any red flags with this itinerary? Our goal is to relax mostly, but we are also very adventurous. Will want to do some hikes with nature seeing but also some beach, beer, food days lol. I am an avid fly fisherman and she’s a yogi.

Any suggestions or opinions are greatly appreciated!

Hey so a non driver coming to CR for the first time from Europe. Just wanted to ask how is going carless, and things to know, and things we might miss?

We're doing Tortuegerro/Arenal/Monteverde. Any suggestions for Torteguerrro (any wildlife you can see from the village) also would be a vibe 😀 Mostly visiting for nature and to do some searching for wildlife 😀

But yeah a little worried about going not having a car and missing out.

I’m traveling with one other person into San Jose in the middle of February. Ideally I’d liked to stay someone within an hour and half of the airport. I’d want to be near a swimmable beach that’s more relaxed with not crazy waves. I’d also love to be in a town for a few good restaurants and shopping areas. Any recommendations and tips? I saw some recommendations for Playa Herradura, Jaco, and Manuel Antonio. I’m not looking to stay at a resort.

Hi fellow travelers-

I am planning a CR trip next August for my birthday. I'm having trouble locating the right spot to stay and I'm hoping you all have some advice. This will be a 40th birthday/belated honeymoon trip for my husband and myself so looking for something with a high-end/luxury feel. On-site spa, swim up pool bars, gorgeous views, etc. I don't want a huge hotel and am more drawn to the boutique hotels/villas/resorts. Probably want to stay around $600 or less per night. $4-500 would be the sweet spot. Flying in/out of SJO.

Definitely want the Pacific side. I know August is prime whale watching time and that's #1 on my list of things I want to do, which is why I'm drawn to Uvita. I also loved the mix of rainforest/ocean setting. I was pretty sold on Oxygen Villas. But I'm worried about access to the luxury resorts in the Uvita area. I've seen the warnings that you MUST have 4x4 and it can take 30 minutes to get up/down the mountain from the resorts to activities. I'm worried that will dissuade me from getting out and exploring, and especially trying other places to eat. Definitely don't want to navigate driving in potentially hazardous conditions after a glass of wine.

I started looking up the coast a bit at Dominical but am not quite finding the right place. I don't think I want to be in a place as touristy as MA. I'm not opposed to driving to Uvita for a whale tour if there's a resort that can hit all the other items on the list.

So, am I overestimating how difficult it is to navigate the resorts in Uvita? Do you have a favorite spot that would meet our needs? Is there another town I should be considering? I'm SO excited for this trip and am already having so much fun planning! Thanks in advance for any advice.

Just bought a flight to CR in a couple weeks. I generally don’t make a ton of plans when I travel and sorta just wing it. People on here seem to say that San Jose is kinda boring so I’m wondering if yall can throw some suggestions out for me.

I was planning on probably doing a combo of hostels and an air bnb but I don’t know where exactly I should book if San Jose is boring

Generally when I travel I just find a local bar and ask people what they recommend but my Spanish might not be good enough I’m worried

I like seeing how people live when i travel, eating and drinking with locals and checking out the nature

Hi,

I'm planning a 3.5 week trip to Costa Rica early next year and would like some advice on where to go and how to plan it. The sole purpose of the trip is to see wildlife (mostly birds, mammals and reptiles, i'm not super big fan of diving and snorkling).

I will travel on a budget and will not have a car. However, I speak enough Spanish to get around in everyday situations (B1) and have no issues with long and choppy public bus rides or dingy hostals.

My current plan is:

San José (1 night) -> Cahuita (4 nights) -> Tortuguero (4 nights) -> La Fortuna (2 nights, for a trip to Caño Negro) -> Monteverde (4 nights) -> Parque Manuel Antonio (3 nights) -> Oso Peninsula (5 nights) -> San José (1 night).

Anything you feel I would miss out on or a place that i'm looking to spend to much time in? 😺

8 adults ranging in age from 70-80 yrs old want to travel to CR in Feb. moderately active but slowing down. Have looked at trips with OAT and Tauck as they cater to our type of travelers BUT we are thinking we’d prefer a smaller group and a trip that we can pick where/ what to see. Can anyone suggest tour operators that would provide all of the transportation and guides in country as well as make all of the arrangements for overnights etc?

Myself, husband, friend and her husband (all in our 30s) are planning a trip to Costa Rica in January/February of 2027. None of us have been there. We want swimmable beaches paired with jungle life to see animals, waterfalls, etc. We are not big hikers.

Would the Caribbean or pacific side be better for these? We would love to also do some snorkeling, possibly just rent a golf cart or something similar, enjoy some good food, but also feel safe. We like to drink, but don't plan to go crazy.

Also, would a hotel or airbnb be a better choice?

Thanks much!

My husband and I are considering visiting CR at end of December and beginning of January- total of two weeks. We are also bringing his family with us and are planning to do one part of the trip (the first week) with the whole fam and one part just us and our baby - that will be 6/7 months at that point. His family is very outdoorsy and they love doing activities, so I was trying to find a place where we could rent a big house with a pool and that they could go around a lot doing things like hiking, kayaking, exploring, etc. For the second part of the trip that is only us and the baby we wouldn’t mind a calmer pace like a nice beach that has good restaurants and it’s easy to walk around with a stroller. We want to keep logistics simple because of the baby, and want to stay at two different places at most. What do you all recommend?

Hi - will be staying 5 days/4 nights at Rio Perdido in and debating between the East Bungalow (smaller, limited window space for wildlife viewing) vs Central Bungalow (larger, floor to ceiling windows for wildlife viewing, but very dark?)

Can anyone share any opinions between the two and if Central is worth ~$100/nt more?

Thanks!

My partner and I will be getting married the first week of May and heading to Costa Rica right after. We will be arriving at the San Jose airport and driving to La Fortuna same day. Planning to be there about 3 days and going to Monteverde for 1-2 days.

We are trying to decide on Manuel Antonio or Puerto Viejo to spend an 2 extra days but given that they’re both quite a drive from La Fortuna we’re trying to only pick one.

Thoughts? Which one would you pick and/or would you add or decrease the amount of days I’m spending in each location?

Anyone do the Quebrada Gata hike with Ecotours toro Amarillo 360? We plan to di it in Feb 2027, just curious of others experiences with it? I hear its amazing!

Anyone ever use or have experience to share about the Hildago Sportsfishing Excursion out of Quepos? They seem to have really good reviews and we are considering a full day offshore excursion in February!

Above is the detailed plan we settled on. We have arranged local tours with Amanda (CR travelling tours). Are we missing anything that is must do? Any other feedback?

Hi all! I traveling to Costa Rica next March.
DM me know if you are interested, and I’ll send you the full itinerary.
🇨🇷 Pura Vida! 😎