🌋 10 Days in Costa Rica: A Unique & Active Itinerary

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📍 Itinerary Map

This itinerary takes you to Costa Rica’s top destinations:

• La Fortuna – a small town with over a dozen hot springs, and the gateway to many thrilling outdoor adventures
• Monteverde – a misty town in the Arenal region famous for its cloud forests
• Nosara (Option 1) – a beach town renowned for surfing and its wellness culture
• Manuel Antonio (Option 2) – a beach town known for the Manuel Antonio National Park, which has stunning beaches and lush rainforests

Planning a trip? Here’s what to know about Costa Rica.

🗓️ Itinerary Overview

Below is a great way to spend ten days in Costa Rica (see below on how to extend or shorten your trip). This itinerary is well-researched, highlights major attractions, and reflects lessons from my travel experience.

My Costa Rica trip planner has this itinerary prefilled with more details and tips.

All prices mentioned here are in USD 💵 .

La Fortuna (Days 1-4)

Start in La Fortuna; it’s one of Costa Rica’s most famous destinations and relatively close to one of the country’s main international airports, Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO).

• The adventure capital of the country, La Fortuna is known as one of the best places to do quintessential Costa Rica activities. It’s also known for the iconic Arenal Volcano that overlooks the small town and heats the dozen natural hot springs in the area.

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  • Relax at a hot spring heated by Arenal Volcano (💰 $10-$150 day passes)
  • Whitewater raft on world-class rapids in Río Sarapiquía (💰 $80+ tour)
  • Take a high-quality chocolate and coffee tour (💰 $30-$50 tour)
  • Hike or horseback ride around the base of Arenal Volcano (💰 $100+ tours)
  • Swim in the 230-foot-high La Fortuna Waterfall (💰 $20 entrance fee)
  • See some of the best views of Arenal Volcano on a Sky Tram (💰 $50)
  • Explore La Fortuna’s town; eat casados, pitaya bowls, and chocolate (💰 $10+)
  • Spot wildlife at Místico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park (💰 $32 entrance fee)
  • Zipline over rainforests and waterfalls (💰 $100+)
  • Visit El Salto to into the river on a Tarzan rope swing (💰 free)

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  • Soda La Hormiga – my favorite restaurant in town serving amazing “casados”. I ate here 5x during my one-week stay
  • Travesía – a nice, sit-down restaurant on the edge of town with a great ambiance
  • Soda 5 Tejas – hole-in-the-wall restaurant with great tamales

My Costa Rica trip planner includes reviews of all the La Fortuna places I ate at over a week.

• From San José’s international airport, you can get to La Fortuna in several ways:
  • Rental car – A standard rental car costs about $45 a day, not including gas. While you don’t need a 4×4 rental car to get to La Fortuna, it’s sometimes recommended.
  • Shuttle – Several companies offer daily shared or private shuttles that are cheaper than a rental car.
  • Local flight – La Fortuna has a tiny airport, Arenal Airport. If you don’t mind the higher cost, this is the most convenient way to get there.
  • Public bus – Taking public buses to La Fortuna is the budget option and will take the most time (e.g., 3-6 hours from the airport).

• You can either stay within La Fortuna town or on the outskirts of it. I recommend staying within walking distance of the town since most tours pick up from the center.
  • Cabañas del Río is where I stayed for 3 nights. I liked the tranquil area right outside my cabin but found it difficult to walk into town due to the lack of sidewalks so I often had to call a taxi.
  • Suwa Villa Arenal is an exceptional hotel at the edge of town with an amazing view of Arenal Volcano. This is near the Airbnb I stayed at and I loved the location.

Monteverde (Days 5-6)

After spending four exciting days in La Fortuna, head to Monteverde for a change of scenery.

• Monteverde, which means “Green Mountain” in Spanish, is one of Costa Rica’s most visited destinations due to its famous cloud forests. These are tropical rainforests with a persistent cloud cover at the canopy level, giving the forest a mystical appearance.

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  • See sloths up close in the Selvatura Sloth Sanctuary (💰 $40 tour)
  • Handle insects and butterflies at the Butterfly Garden (💰 $20 entry fee)
  • See critters at night during a Wildlife Refuge Night Walk (💰 $30-$40 tour)
  • Zipline over the mystical Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (💰 $50)
  • Get a guided tour at Bat Jungle and Frog Pond (💰 $15-$20 entry fees)

For more details on each activity, see my Costa Rica trip planner.

• Despite their proximities, there’s no efficient direct road that connects La Fortuna and Monteverde. You can take a shuttle-boat-shuttle across Lake Arenal from La Fortuna, which is the most direct way to travel between the two towns.

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  • Raulito’s Pollo Asado – a local, simple chickens food vendor serving affordable no-frills meals
  • Sabor Tico – a restaurant serving traditional Costa Rican dishes

• Since Monteverde is on a mountain range, several accommodations are perched on the side of a valley and offer stunning views. These accommodations are usually a few minutes’ walk outside Monteverde’s main town area
  • Rainbow Valley Lodge is where I stayed. The cabin is simple, but the view was stunning and I highly recommend it.

Nosara (Days 7-10, Option 1)

After Monteverde, finish your trip at a beach town. One option is Nosara (or really, any beach town in the Nicoya Peninsula).

• Regarded as one of Costa Rica’s best beach towns, Nosara is known for its surf schools taught by expert surfers, notable yoga culture, sandy beaches, and vivid sunsets.

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  • Take surf lessons on world-renowned waves (💰 $60-$90 per lesson)
  • Do a yoga class to enjoy the beautiful lush surroundings (💰 $15+ per lesson)
  • Watch Olive Ridley sea turtles arrive at Playa Ostional (💰 $20 entry fee)
  • Take an ATV tour through rivers, waterfalls, and sugarcane fields (💰 $80+ tour)
  • Catch the vivid sunsets at Guiones Beach (💰 free)

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  • La Luna – one of the best places to catch the sunset if you sit outdoors
  • Beach Dog Cafe – a secluded cafe that sometimes plays live local music
  • Harmony Cafe – a cute cafe with a nice ambiance

• From Monteverde, the best way to travel to Nosara is by shuttle which takes approximately 4 hours. Nosara has a small airport that you can fly into, but it doesn’t save you much time and is significantly more expensive than a shared shuttle.

• The majority of visitors don’t stay in Nosara’s town center. They stay near the shops, yoga studios, surf classes, and restaurants in Downtown Guiones.
  • Olas Verdes Hotel is where I stayed, making it one of the most expensive accommodations I’ve ever booked. The hotel has a direct, short walking path to Guiones Beach. The staff was exceptional, and the attached restaurant had a lot of great options for fresh fruits.

My Costa Rica trip planner has more tips on visiting Nosara.

Manuel Antonio (Days 7-10, Option 2)

After Monteverde, finish your trip at a beach town. Another option is Manuel Antonio.

• Manuel Antonio is a coastal village known for its white sand beaches and lush jungles. It ranks as one of Costa Rica’s most popular beach towns.

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  • Visit the Manuel Antonio National Park and enjoy its well-maintained trails, wildlife, beautiful viewpoints, and stunning white-sand beaches (💰 $18 entry fee)
  • Snorkel or kayak in the tropical Playa Biesanz (💰 free)
  • Catch the vivid sunsets at Espadilla Beach (💰 free)

• From the Arenal region, the best way to get to Manuel Antonio is by a shared shuttle which will take approximately 4-5 hours and cost over $50.

• Consider staying near the Manuel Antonio National Park. This will be convenient for an early visit to the park to beat the crowds, while also being within walking distance of the beach. Alternatively, you can prioritize hillside views and luxury by staying in a nicer accommodation near Hidden Beach.
  • Hotel Villa Prats is near where I stayed; it’s hard to be closer to the national park than this.
  • The Falls is one of the more affordable options if you want to be on the hillside with nice views of the ocean.

See how much I spent during my trip to Costa Rica.

Itinerary Modifications

Here are some ways you can adjust the itinerary:

• For a more off-the-beaten-path experience or during your second visit, you can head east to the Caribbean coast and visit amazing places like Tortuguero National Park. You can also head south to check out Corcovado National Park. Both the eastern and southern regions are more challenging to get to but are great for nature lovers.
• If you’re staying closer to 2 weeks like I did, you can do more beach towns (i.e., visit both Nosara and Manuel Antonio) or head to one of the more remote national parks mentioned above.
• If you’re staying closer to a week, I recommend visiting the Arenal region and focusing on La Fortuna and Monteverde.

Costa Rica Trip Planner 2025

Download my trip planner to make your travel preparation effortless. It features up-to-date travel information and a well-researched itinerary informed by firsthand experience. Each section is customizable so it can be as lightweight or as hyper-organized as you like.

My trip planners are built on Notion, which I use for all my planning. I genuinely love this tool and creating an account is free.