8 days · 7 nights
Your own car, your own pace: steaming volcano trails, a sky-blue river, cloud forest and a Pacific beach.
Choose your dates when you enquire
Ask about datesCollect a hire car in Liberia and drive yourselves through western Costa Rica, from the bubbling mud pools of Rincon de la Vieja to the quiet farming country around Bijagua. Two nights in the Monteverde cloud forest follow, then two by the beaches and rainforest of Manuel Antonio before the drive back to Liberia.
The same person from your first question to the flight home, with a wedding or vow renewal planned alongside if you like.
How the days unfold. Your advisor tailors the pace, the hotels and the extras to you.
Rincon de la Vieja
Day 1 · Rincon de la Vieja
You are met at Liberia's international airport and taken to collect your hire car. From there it is a short drive to the Rincon de la Vieja area for your first night in Costa Rica.
Rincon de la Vieja and Bijagua
Day 2 · Rincon de la Vieja and Bijagua
Walk the 3.5 km Las Pailas loop in Rincon de la Vieja National Park, where steam and sulphur rise from the ground and grey mud bubbles in open pits. Coatis, monkeys and some of the park's 300 bird species live along the trail. In the early afternoon drive on to Bijagua, a small town between the Miravalles and Tenorio volcanoes.
Bijagua
Day 3 · Bijagua
The day is yours. The local favourite is the trail to Rio Celeste, a river coloured an unlikely sky blue, passing hot springs and a waterfall on the way. Hiking, horse riding and birdwatching are all close by.
Monteverde
Day 4 · Monteverde
Drive into the hills of Monteverde, a misty country of cloud forest, coffee farms and the small town of Santa Elena with its cafes and craft shops. The rest of the day is free to explore.
Day 5 · Monteverde
Spend the day in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, founded in 1972 and home to a remarkable range of birds, mammals, orchids and mosses across several life zones. If you missed one of yesterday's tours, today is a good day for it.
Manuel Antonio
Day 6 · Manuel Antonio
Descend from the hills to the Pacific coast near Quepos, home to Manuel Antonio National Park, small but rich in beaches, mangroves and forest. Settle in and spend the afternoon as you like.
Day 7 · Manuel Antonio
Walk the flat loop trail through the national park, where three of Costa Rica's four monkey species live alongside sloths, birds and wild orchids. Stop for a swim at Third Beach halfway round, then take the rest of the day slowly.
Liberia
Day 8 · Liberia
After breakfast, drive north to Liberia, return the car and take the shared transfer to the airport for your flight home.
The hotels for each stop. Your advisor confirms them, or something just as good, for your dates.
Rincon de la Vieja · 1 night
Or similar
Bijagua · 2 nights
Or similar
Monteverde · 2 nights
Or similar
Manuel Antonio · 2 nights
Or similar
Tell us when you would like to travel. Your advisor confirms dates and hotels, tailors the trip to the two of you, and stays with you until you are home.
Costa Rica
4 days · 3 nights
La Fortuna → Monteverde
Two nights in La Fortuna, in sight of Arenal Volcano, with a guided walk to look for sloths and time for the hotel's thermal pools. Cross Lake Arenal by boat to the misty highlands of Monteverde for a guided night walk in the cloud forest.
Costa Rica
4 days · 3 nights
San José → Arenal → Monteverde → San José
Fly into San José and head north to La Fortuna, at the foot of the Arenal Volcano, for two nights of hot springs, a gentle river float and lunch with a local family. Cross Lake Arenal by boat to Monteverde for a guided walk in the cloud forest, then return to the airport on day four.
Costa Rica
3 days · 2 nights
San José → Arenal → San José
A short trip from San José to La Fortuna, the village beneath the Arenal Volcano. Your one full day crosses the hanging bridges of Mistico Park and ends with a swim below the La Fortuna Waterfall, with two quiet evenings in the rainforest either side.
Collect a hire car in Liberia and drive yourselves through western Costa Rica, from the bubbling mud pools of Rincon de la Vieja to the quiet farming country around Bijagua. Two nights in the Monteverde cloud forest follow, then two by the beaches and rainforest of Manuel Antonio before the drive back to Liberia.
Every trip can be shaped around you before you book.
Arrive early or stay on at the end, in the same hotel or somewhere new.
Your travel expert books flights that fit the first and last day.
Choose a better room or a hotel with a view for the nights that count.
A honeymoon, an anniversary or a birthday, planned into the trip.
Other ways to see Costa Rica, closest in length first.
Small group tour | 8 days | San José · Arenal · Manuel Antonio | Price on enquiry.
Self-drive | 8 days | San José · Arenal · Manuel Antonio
Small group tour | 8 days | San José · Monteverde · Tamarindo
Small group tour | 8 days | Liberia · Rincon de la Vieja · Liberia or San Jose | Price on enquiry.
