Costa Rica has been a trip of a lifetime, so I’m happy to share our Costa Rica 2 week itinerary with all of you. In Costa Rica, you always wake up with some soundtrack: monkeys, birds, and frogs give you always a charm “Good Morning!” and always early, around 5:30 AM! We traveled to Costa Rica in summer and at that time of the year, the sun goes down pretty early. Are you ready to read the itinerary me and my family did?
Costa Rica 2 Week Itinerary Overview
- Day 1: San José
- Day 2: Puerto Viejo
- Day 3: Cahuita
- Day 4: Manzanillo
- Day 5: Tortuguero
- Day 6: Arenal Volcano
- Day 7: Cerro Chato
- Day 8: Rio Celeste
- Day 9: Llanos de Cortés
- Day 10: Monteverde Bosque Nuboso
- Day 11: Canopy and Hanging Bridges
- Day 12: Manuel Antonio
- Day 13: Uvita and Parque Marino Ballena
- Day 14: Cataratas Nauyaca
- Day 15: Valle Central
Tips for visiting Costa Rica:
- Get hotels with early breakfast (6-6:30 AM), otherwise, you will lose too much time in the hotel.
- Get a 4×4 car
- Ritmo tico = restaurants service is sometimes slow, so it may be a good idea to gram a Coconut or a Banana for those days that you have a tight schedule
- Download your offline Google Maps of Costa Rica on your phone, you will be able to use it offline and it will give you an idea of how much time you need to move around
- Low Season is great! No tourists, awesome waterfalls, and less heat!
Day 1: San José
We started and ended our trip to San José. Try not to spend too much time in the city because the real beauty of Costa Rica is in natural places. At least that’s what we loved about our Costa Rica itinerary. Our trip started in the last week of August, and we loved the weather. The best thing about visiting Costa Rica in summer is that it’s not crowded at all.
Day 2: Puerto Viejo
Going from the Airport to Cahuita takes you about 4,2h. The route is so nice and there’s jungle everywhere. We had lunch at Playa Negra, Cahuita in a beautiful place just in front of the sea: Sobre Las Olas! Just awesome!
We spent the afternoon in Puerto Viejo, a little village with a hippie atmosphere!
Our hotel was La Costa de Papito for 2 nights in the Caribean. This hotel was amazing! Little houses in the jungle and in front of Cocles’ Beach! We also chose this hotel because it was between Cahuita and Manzanillo.
Day 3: Cahuita
We woke up and went to the National Park (you have to pick between the village’s entrance -which is free- and the tourism office -where it’s easier to spot animals). We didn’t know about that, so went through the village one, which was great because we had a guide, Michael, who sighted lots of them!!
The hike until Punta Cahuita is highly recommended, there’s no need to take a boat. We did Snorkeling on the Coral Reefs (it’s not possible to do it on your own as it’s dangerous, coral is so fragile and can hurt you). We didn’t book the tour in advance and the experience was fine. MUST for a Costa Rica 2-week itinerary! (Some guys we met swam with some sharks in there, but they said they were not dangerous at all!)
Our hotel was once again La Costa de Papito, which I highly recommend to you!
Day 4: Manzanillo
The next morning we explored Manzanillo, a less touristic beach and pure jungle! It’s a must too 🙂
In the afternoon, we did a road trip to Tortuguero. We had a problem here, as we almost didn’t make it to take the last boat to Tortuguero, so make sure to check the boat schedules twice!
Visiting Tortuguero at night is definitely magic, and therefore one of the best things to do in Costa Rica. We were able to observe all the phases of the Green Turtle. Guides take their job very seriously, and we all made our best to not disturb the animal. MUST! Another great thing about Tortuguero is the sky, as that night we saw the cleanest sky ever with an impressive view of the Milky Way.
Our hotel in Tortuguero was Laguna Lodge. The hotel is great, the staff is also nice and we saw lots of animals near the hotel. We were woken up by monkeys and saw several snakes and it was a great experience overall. The only problem is that you need to get a taxi boat to get there, so if you’re going to stay just one night in Tortuguero, I’d recommend you book a hotel in the same town. Otherwise, I’d recommend staying 2 nights in Tortuguero.
Day 5: Tortuguero
Animals in Tortuguero are not easy to find, so I’d recommend booking the first excursion in the morning. We took the first canoa turn to go through the canals of Tortuguero.
Tortuguero by boat is a great way to discover the area.
We also saw some crocodiles!
Bye Beach Side! Hi Volcanoes! The nicest sunsets are those that you don’t expect. And after the long way to get to Arenal, we couldn’t imagine a better “welcome”.
Our hotel was Arenal Waterfall Lodge Villas for the next 2 nights, and it was the most amazing hotel I’ve ever been to. We were a team of 7, and the villa was perfect for us. If you want to hike Cerro Chato (Day 7), I’d highly recommend booking this lodge. The staff was super friendly! My brother loves animals and he offered us a private tour for free around the villa at night. We spotted lots of snakes and spiders. The place looks perfect also for a honeymoon or a yoga retreat.
Day 6: Arenal Volcano
The Arenal National Park is just awesome, and a must for your Costa Rica itinerary. Trees seem to be entire ecosystems by themselves. Blessed mother nature.
Arenal is also a great place to spot wild animals.
In the afternoon, I really recommend you all Tabacón Thermal Baths for your Costa Rica itinerary, it’s a natural hot, volcanic river and their surroundings will make you feel you’re really in Paradise. Oh! And make sure you make it to go during the day, not at night! Must!
Again, this night we slept at Arenal Waterfall Lodge Villas.
Day 7: Cerro Chato trekking and Fortuna Waterfall
So here we are! Cerro Chato is Arenal’s little brother. A difficult (and kind of dangerous also) only recommended for bold people! A 700m slope in just 2km to get to the top of the volcano and then a hard drop to get to the crater.
Our hotel receptionist told us it was a dangerous hike, but we met a local who highly recommended taking the path that started at our hotel. The most important thing is the weather, as the rain would make it really dangerous, so just make sure you check the weather first. There was barbwire everywhere, but the path was stunning!! If you love hiking, that’s definitely a must for your Costa Rica itinerary.
It was without any doubt the best experience of the trip. After 5h we were back in the hotel for a swim in the pool and when we recovered, we headed to Fortuna’s Waterfall! For more volcano travel inspo, don’t miss our posts on the Iceland travel guide and our 4 days in La Palma itinerary.
Visiting La Fortuna waterfall is one of the best things to do in Costa Rica. Don’t lose the chance to swim in the waterfall, or at least put your feet in!
We then headed north to Catarata Celeste. We spent the next 2 nights at Casitas Tenorio B&B and Farm. It was just the perfect place for honeymoons! We loved the breakfast, the views, the hikes you could do around and the overall experience was fantastic.
Day 8: Catarata Celeste
Just “Wow”! Pictures cannot capture the beauty of this place. This is quite out of the typical touristic route, so please, don’t miss it. The color of the river is as blue as it seems.
TIP! Outside the National Park, there’s an allowed zone to get into the river. Ask locals, they’ll let you know.
At night, we did a night tour with a local guide near Catarata Celeste. It was great! In Monteverde, those tours cost you 25$ while this one was only 15$ and the guide was really kind to us and lasted until late at night.
Day 9: Llanos de Cortés
The initial idea was to spend the day at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, but it was too far, so we decided to go to Llanos de Cortés (waterfall) and afterward stop in a little forest where we saw some Guacamayos Macaos and toucans.
In the afternoon, we arrived in Monteverde.
We spent 2 nights at Cabinas Vista al Golfo. The views were stunning, and the breakfast was really tasty. A good point of this hotel is that the breakfast is served early, so you don’t lose too much time there 🙂
Day 10: Monteverde
We woke up early and headed to Monteverde.
Make sure you ask where the hummingbirds are, as we almost missed it, as they are outside the national park.
A secret spot just for ticos! The first one is “Empty Ficus” and the second one “Gamba”. Ask locals how to get there.
We spent the night again at Cabinas Vista al Golfo.
Day 11: Canopy and Hanging Bridges
Don’t think about it, just do it! 100% recommendable, “100% Aventuras”.
And don’t hesitate to do the highest Tarzan Swing of Costa Rica! Must!
In the afternoon, we did the road trip from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio. On the way, we did a quick stop at a place with lots of crocodiles!
Our hotel for the next 4 nights was Hotel Plaza Yara. The location is great, the villas are stunning and we saw lots of monkeys! The staff was also nice and also gave us a free night tour around the area.
Day 12: Manuel Antonio
There was literary nobody on that beach in Manuel Antonio. That’s why visiting Costa Rica in Low Season is really worth it.
Even if you’re visiting in the High Season, Manuel Antonio is a must for a Costa Rica 2 week itinerary.
Day 13: Uvita, Marino Ballena
Uvita and Marino Ballena are great to skip the crowds and discover an unbeaten beach in Costa Rica.
La Parcela. Don’t miss this place to have lunch. We saw whales from the restaurant, as you have a beach on both sides of the restaurant, and the food was delicious. It was the best restaurant of the trip.
We spent some time at our pool at Hotel Plaza Yara.
Day 14: Cataratas Nauyaca
Cataratas Nauyaca is one of those alternative places in Costa Rica. We loved trekking and we didn’t find other tourists. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be a priority for your Costa Rica 2 week itinerary.
Poisonous, also!
We spent the night at Hotel Plaza Yara.
Day 15: San José and end of our Costa Rica itinerary
Good morning! Those little but scary monkeys are at the same time funny and grumpy! We spotted them in our room’s terrace at Hotel Plaza Yara.
So, on the last day, we wanted to visit Poas Volcano, but it’s actually active, so it’s forbidden to get there (and contrary to Cerro Chato, this time there was no way for us to try to get there! haha), so we visited Atenas and the most stunning views of Central Valley from Xandari Hotel. In order to get to the hotel, say you’d like to have a coffee in its restaurant, it was a great experience!
In the afternoon, we headed to the airport.
Costa Rica has been a trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend you to do it. If you have any questions, feel free to write a comment 🙂
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