Costa Rica in One Week: The Three Stop Itinerary
Three stops is the right number. La Fortuna for Arenal volcano, waterfalls and hot springs. Monteverde for cloud forest, hanging bridges and the best chance of a quetzal. Then either Manuel Antonio on the central Pacific for a national park with beaches and monkeys, or the Osa Peninsula if wildlife is the whole point and you can spare the extra travel. Distances are short and the driving is slow, so allow three to four hours between stops. December to April is dry. May to November is the green season: cheaper, wetter, and better for surf and turtles.
The week
- Day 1, arrive San Jose and drive to La Fortuna, three hours north west. If you land late, sleep near the airport in Alajuela and drive in the morning.
- Day 2, Arenal. The 1968 lava flow trail and the Arenal Observatory Lodge trails give the best volcano views. Hanging bridges at Mistico in the morning for birds, and hot springs in the evening, either a resort or the free river below the Tabacon bridge.
- Day 3, La Fortuna waterfall and one more thing. Five hundred steps down to the fall and back up. Add Rio Celeste in Tenorio National Park, a two hour drive each way for a river the colour of milky turquoise, or take a safari float on the Rio Penas Blancas for sloths and caiman.
- Day 4, La Fortuna to Monteverde, three hours by road or the jeep, boat, jeep transfer across Lake Arenal, which takes the same time and is far more pleasant. Afternoon on the Monteverde hanging bridges or a night walk.
- Day 5, Monteverde cloud forest. Be at the reserve gate at 7am with a guide, which is the difference between seeing a quetzal and seeing green. Santa Elena reserve is the quieter alternative. Afternoon on the zip lines, which here are genuinely the best in the country.
- Day 6, Monteverde to Manuel Antonio, four hours south. Afternoon on Playa Espadilla.
- Day 7, Manuel Antonio National Park at opening time for sloths, capuchins and squirrel monkeys, then the beaches inside the park. Fly home from San Jose, three hours, or from Quepos.
Drive times, which are the whole planning problem
Costa Rica is smaller than West Virginia and it takes far longer to cross than the map suggests. Roads are two lane, mountainous and often behind a lorry.
- San Jose to La Fortuna: 3 hours
- La Fortuna to Monteverde: 3 hours by road, or the jeep boat jeep transfer
- Monteverde to Manuel Antonio: 4 hours
- Manuel Antonio to San Jose: 3 hours
- San Jose to the Osa Peninsula: 6 to 8 hours, or a 50 minute domestic flight
- San Jose to the Caribbean at Puerto Viejo: 4 hours 30 minutes
Domestic flights on the small carriers cost more than the drive and buy back a whole day, which on a one week trip is often the right call for the Osa Peninsula or Tortuguero.
The wildlife version instead
If wildlife is the reason you are going, swap the third stop. Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula holds the densest concentration of large wildlife in the country: tapirs, all four monkey species, scarlet macaws and, genuinely, jaguars nobody sees. Entry requires a certified guide and permits arranged in advance, and the standard trip is a day walk from Drake Bay or an overnight at the Sirena ranger station.
Tortuguero on the Caribbean is the other swap, reachable only by boat or plane, with green turtle nesting from July to October and canals you explore by kayak at dawn.
Dry season or green season
- December to April, dry season. The most reliable weather, the highest prices, and full accommodation over Christmas and Easter. February and March are driest.
- May to November, green season. Mornings are usually clear and rain arrives in the afternoon. Prices drop, the forest is at its best, and September and October are the wettest on the Pacific while being the driest on the Caribbean.
- Turtles: green turtles at Tortuguero July to October, olive ridley arribadas at Ostional between July and December, leatherbacks on the Caribbean February to July.
- Surf: the Pacific is biggest from May to October, which is the green season.
Monteverde is the exception to all of it. At 1,400 metres in cloud forest it is misty and windy most of the year, which is the point.
Practical notes
- Rent a 4x4 or at least high clearance if you are driving to Monteverde or anywhere off the main roads. Take the full insurance, since the mandatory basic cover is not enough.
- Guides are worth paying for. A good naturalist guide with a scope in Monteverde or Manuel Antonio finds ten times what you find alone, and it is the best money in the trip.
- Park opening times matter. Manuel Antonio and Corcovado limit daily numbers, Manuel Antonio closes one day a week, and tickets are bought online in advance.
- Cash and cards. Colones and dollars are both accepted widely, cards almost everywhere, and small towns still want cash.
- Do not swim where locals do not. Rip currents on the Pacific beaches are the main cause of tourist deaths in the country.
Have us plan the week
Tell us your dates and what you most want to see, wildlife, forest or coast, and we will build the three stops around it with guides and transfers booked. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Costa Rica in One Week: The Three Stop Itinerary FAQs
Yes, for three stops. The standard week is La Fortuna for Arenal, Monteverde for cloud forest and a Pacific coast park such as Manuel Antonio. Adding a fourth stop means most of a day back in the car.
Three nights at La Fortuna, two at Monteverde and two at Manuel Antonio, with San Jose at each end. It covers a volcano, hot springs, cloud forest, hanging bridges, zip lines and a coastal national park.
About three hours by road. The jeep, boat, jeep transfer across Lake Arenal takes roughly the same time, costs a little more and is far more comfortable, which is why most people take it.
December to April for the most reliable weather and the highest prices. May to November for lower prices, greener forest and clear mornings with afternoon rain. Turtle nesting and Pacific surf both peak in the green season.
For Monteverde and anywhere off the main highways, yes, or at least high clearance. The main routes between San Jose, La Fortuna and the central Pacific coast are paved, though slow and mountainous.
Manuel Antonio for a one week trip: it is easy to reach, the wildlife is habituated and the beaches are inside the park. Corcovado is far richer for wildlife and needs a certified guide, permits and either a long drive or a domestic flight.
