Day 1 · Rincón de la Vieja
Arrive in Liberia
You are met at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia and taken to collect your car. Drive the short way to Rincón de la Vieja for your first night.
- Travel
- 35 km, about 1 hour
11 days · 10 nights
Volcanoes, rainforest and both coasts, with your own car and a guide for Tortuguero.
Choose your dates when you enquire
Ask about datesCollect your car at Liberia airport and drive a loop of the whole country. Bubbling mud pots at Rincón de la Vieja and two nights by Arenal give way to the rivers of Sarapiquí, two guided nights in Tortuguero, a night in San José and another in the hills by Poás Volcano, before two slow days on the Pacific near Jacó.
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.
Rincón de la Vieja
Day 1 · Rincón de la Vieja
You are met at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia and taken to collect your car. Drive the short way to Rincón de la Vieja for your first night.
Rincón de la Vieja and Arenal
Day 2 · Rincón de la Vieja and Arenal
In the morning you can walk the 3.5 km Las Pailas loop in Rincón de la Vieja National Park, past fumaroles, boiling pools and bubbling mud, through dry forest home to over 300 bird species. In the early afternoon drive to Arenal, with the rest of the day free.
Arenal
Day 3 · Arenal
Walk the trails of Arenal Volcano National Park on your own, looking out for sloths, howler monkeys and anteaters. The afternoon is free to rest or try the activity you did not choose yesterday.
Sarapiquí
Day 4 · Sarapiquí
Drive east to Sarapiquí, in the foothills of Braulio Carrillo National Park, where mountain streams run through rainforest and farmland. Spend the afternoon at your lodge, or try rafting, a chocolate tour on an old cacao plot, or a zipline through the canopy.
Tortuguero
Day 5 · Tortuguero
Drive to Guápiles to meet your guide over breakfast, then leave the car at the pier and continue by boat through the canals to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you visit Tortuguero village and its beach, and in hatching season, September to December, look for young turtles making for the sea.
Day 6 · Tortuguero
A three-hour trip into the national park, where birds, monkeys, crocodiles and sloths live among the waterways, with free time at the pool as well. From July to September you can join a late-night turtle nesting walk, booked at the lodge.
San José
Day 7 · San José
Take the boat back to Guápiles for lunch, collect your car and drive to San José, in time for a walk through the city centre.
Vara Blanca
Day 8 · Vara Blanca
A short drive brings you to the green hills of Vara Blanca beside Poás Volcano. Nearby La Paz Waterfall Gardens has five waterfalls, forest trails, a butterfly observatory and animal exhibits.
Jacó
Day 9 · Jacó
Drive down to the central Pacific coast near Herradura Beach and Jacó, an area of sandy beaches and protected wildlife. The rest of the day is free.
Day 10 · Jacó
Spend the day at the hotel or on the beach. For something livelier, a zipline course in the hills looks out over Herradura Bay and the Gulf of Nicoya, with a chance of seeing scarlet macaws and toucans.
Liberia
Day 11 · Liberia
Drive north to Liberia, return the car near the airport and take the shuttle to the terminal for your flight.
The hotels for each stop. Your advisor confirms them, or something just as good, for your dates.
Rincón de la Vieja · 1 night
Or similar
Arenal · 2 nights
Or similar
Sarapiquí · 1 night
Or similar
Tortuguero · 2 nights
Reached by boat, with a pool. Or similar
San José · 1 night
Or similar
Vara Blanca · 1 night
Near Poás Volcano. Or similar
Jacó · 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 your car at Liberia airport and drive a loop of the whole country. Bubbling mud pots at Rincón de la Vieja and two nights by Arenal give way to the rivers of Sarapiquí, two guided nights in Tortuguero, a night in San José and another in the hills by Poás Volcano, before two slow days on the Pacific near Jacó.
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 | 12 days | San José · Tortuguero · Manuel Antonio | Price on enquiry.
Small group tour | 10 days | San José · Tortuguero · Monteverde | Price on enquiry.
Small group tour | 10 days | San José · Tortuguero · Manuel Antonio
Small group tour | 10 days | San Jose · Tortuguero · Samara
