Costa Rica is a great country to get back to nature. There are a handful of cities, but the real beauty of this country is found outside its cities and in its nature. From volcanoes to beaches and gardens to lakes, there’s so much to do and explore. Costa Rica is also a great country for an introduction to Central America. Tourism is a big part of the economy and there is plenty of tourism infrastructure to make it easy to get around. You could easily spend weeks in this country, but for my Costa Rica itinerary, I limited myself to just nine days.
9 Days in Costa Rica
This is the Costa Rica itinerary I used during my trip in February 2020 and I feel it gives a wonderful introduction to this amazing country.
To get around, I used the private shuttle service Interbus. Taking a shuttle service like this is definitely more expensive than public buses. However, I had the convenience of being picked up at my hotel and dropped off at the front door of my next hotel. Since I was trying to see so much of the country in this one week, this worked very well for me.
That said, you could definitely do this Costa Rica itinerary with public buses if you’re on a budget. Your other option is to rent a car, but that won’t work super well with this itinerary. If you’re renting a car, you’d be better off combining La Fortuna and Monteverde and just picking one city. Therefore, you’ll be following a slightly different itinerary.
Day 1 – Hola, Costa Rica
If you’re coming from the United States, you’ll likely arrive late at night. Spend the night at an airport hotel and get an early start tomorrow. That’s when your Costa Rica Itinerary really starts.
If your flight arrives in the morning or early afternoon, you may be able to catch a bus straight to La Fortuna. If this is the case, skip Day 2 of this itinerary and your nine day Costa Rica itinerary will shrink from nine days to eight days. Now that you’ve cut day 2, feel free to add an extra day at any of these stops.
Sleep: San Jose.
Day 2 – San Jose to La Fortuna
Today we journey to our first stop of the Costa Rica itinerary: La Fortuna. There’s several ways to get here, but no matter what you choose, plan to spend most of your morning traveling. The country is small, but it takes time to get around. It’s 71 miles from the San Jose airport to La Fortuna. That sounds super short, but you should expect the drive to take at least three hours.
Check in to your hotel and the afternoon is yours to explore. I recommend wandering through the small town, taking in the views of the Arenal Volcano, and visiting a nearby hot spring. There are several hot springs in the area to choose from. My hotel had a sister hotel with their own hot springs, so I chose that one for convenience.
Sleep: La Fortuna.
Day 3 – Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna Waterfall
Today is the only full day in La Fortuna. While I’d love to give it more time, this Costa Rica itinerary only has nine days and there’s just so much to see in this country.
Given the short time in La Fortuna, it’s important to get up early and make the most of it. Hike around the Arenal Volcano and Fortuna Waterfall and soak in one of the many hot springs in this area. While you may be able to do it on your own (if you rent a car for the day), I chose to do it with a tour.
So many people had signed up for this particular tour, that they split us into two groups: one of twenty and one of twelve. I got lucky and was put in the group of twelve, so I had a nice small group. The company also sent these two groups in opposite directions. One group started at La Fortuna Waterfall and the other started at Arenal Volcano. This made it never feel like you were in a giant group.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have a perfectly clear day, offering phenomenal views of the volcano. Most days, the top of the volcano is covered with cloud, so only the base can be seen. My first day in La Fortuna, clouds covered the top of the mountain, but on the day I went hiking, I was lucky and had almost perfectly clear skies (at least in the morning).
You’ll likely spend almost all of your day exploring. I didn’t return to my hotel after the tour until almost 6:30 pm. That said, it was one of my favorite days of this entire nine day Costa Rica itinerary.
Sleep: La Fortuna.
Day 4 – Jeep-Boat-Jeep to Monteverde
Since you won’t have your own vehicle, this Jeep-Boat-Jeep tour is a great way to get between La Fortuna and Monteverde. Despite it typically being referred to as the “Jeep-Boat-Jeep” tour, you’ll likely be in vans and not Jeeps.
You will be picked up at your hotel and brought to Lake Arenal, where you will transfer to a boat and spent a half hour crossing the river. On the other side, you’ll get into another van and will be brought directly to your hotel. Again, plan for this to take the entire morning.
I arrived in Monteverde in time for lunch. After lunch, you have some choices. You can go zip lining, visit a chocolate farm, walk across hanging bridges, or just wander the town.
On my trip, I did a chocolate farm tour at El Trapice this afternoon, which I arranged through my hostel when I arrived in Monteverde. Since I was arranging it through my hostel, they were able to arrange the transportation to and from the chocolate farm for me.
Sleep: Monteverde.
Day 5 – Monteverde and its Surroundings
Today is the halfway point of your Costa Rica itinerary. It goes by so quickly!
You have more time to explore Monteverde and do some of those activities you didn’t do yesterday. I started my morning with zip lining, returned to the town for lunch and visited the orchid gardens just down the road from my hostel. In the late afternoon, I went for a walk along the hanging bridges. The zip lining I had booked online in advance, but the hanging bridges excursion was once again arranged through my hostel. Both the zip lining and the hanging bridges included transportation to and from my hostel in Monteverde.
Sleep: Monteverde.
Day 6 – Monteverde to Quepos
You’re moving again and finally heading to the wonderful beaches. For this Costa Rica itinerary, I recommend staying either in Quepos or in the Manuel Antonio area. Both of these places have good transportation to Manuel Antonio National Park. That said, I’ve read numerous articles of people who had stayed in Jaco. The further you stay from the park, the more travel you have to get to national park.
It should come as no surprise that driving between Monteverde and Quepos will take the entire morning. In the afternoon, relax on the beach. You’ve had a busy week and deserve a break.
Sleep: Quepos or Manuel Antonio.
Day 7 – Manuel Antonio National Park
Get to Manuel Antonio National Park right when it opens so you can be one of the first people in line. This allows you to do some of the hikes before the trails get full. When you finish your hikes, spend some time enjoying the beaches inside the park. Since you got there early, you’ll also get a chance to enjoy the beaches in the park before they get too busy.
I finished my hikes early and spent the late morning at the beach. There were only a handful of people at the beach when I got here, but when I left (in the very early afternoon), many more people were here.
Consider bringing something for lunch, but be warned that if you leave your bags unattended to go in the water, monkeys may come by to see what food you have and run off with it if they like what they find (this happened to the people next to me!). I only had a granola bar for a quick snack in the morning, so in the early afternoon I left the park to find a restaurant in town.
If there’s still time in the afternoon, you can return to the beaches in town and spend your last bit of time relaxing or playing in the water.
Sleep: Quepos or Manuel Antonio.
Day 8 – Back to San Jose
As tempting as it is to spend another full day in paradise, it’s important to give yourself plenty of time to get back to San Jose. My flight didn’t depart until the next day, but I still left Manuel Antonio the day before. This was the longest drive of my entire trip, and that’s not counting the traffic in San Jose. My shuttle didn’t leave until noon so I spent the morning getting a nice breakfast and enjoying one last walk along the beach.
At noon, my shuttle picked me up and I didn’t arrive at my hotel in San Jose until well after 5:00 pm because the traffic in San Jose was so awful. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get back to San Jose for your flight.
Sleep: San Jose.
Day 9 – Fly Home
Adios, Costa Rica! Your Costa Rica itinerary is over.
Recap and the Hotel’s You’ll Need
Here’s a final recap and overview of the hotels you’ll need to book for nine day Costa Rica itinerary:
Day 1: Sleep in San Jose. This is optional and depends on your arrival into San Jose.
Day 2: Travel to La Fortuna. Sleep in La Fortuna.
Day 3: Explore La Fortuna. Sleep in La Fortuna.
Day 4: Travel to Monteverde. Sleep in Monteverde.
Day 5: Explore Monteverde. Sleep in Monteverde.
Day 6: Travel to Quepos/Manuel Antonio. Sleep in Quepos/Manuel Antonio.
Day 7: Explore Manuel Antonio. Sleep in Quepos/Manuel Antonio.
Day 8: Travel to San Jose. Sleep in San Jose.
Day 9: Fly Home.
Changes to This Costa Rica Itinerary
Renting a car
If you are renting your own car for the entire week, pick either La Fortuna or Monteverde. Do not do both since driving around Lake Arenal is incredibly time consuming. You can spend four days in La Fortuna or Monteverde and not miss out on too much since many of the activities (hanging bridges, chocolate farms, zip lining, etc.) are available in both cities.
With Less Time
While I think nine days is ideal, not everyone has that amount of time. Here’s some suggestions on where you can cut some time to shorten your Costa Rica itinerary.
Eight Days
Option 1 – Spend less time in Quepos. On Day 6, head to Quepos/Manuel Antonio and explore in the afternoon of Day 6 and the morning of Day 7. In the afternoon of Day 7, head back to San Jose. On Day 8, fly home.
Option 2 – Visit Jaco and skip Manuel Antonio. If you’re just looking for the beach and aren’t interested in Manuel Antonio National Park, save the driving time. On Day 6, head to Jaco. You’ll have all afternoon of day 6 and the morning of day 7 in Jaco. On day 7, head back to San Jose in the afternoon and fly home on day 8.
Seven Days
Cut either Monteverde or La Fortuna. Since many of the activities are offered in both places, just pick one city and spend an extra day there. You’ll still have to cut back on the time in Manuel Antonio to make it fit. Your Costa Rica itinerary would look something like:
Day 1 – Arrive in San Jose. Sleep in San Jose.
Day 2 – Travel San Jose to La Fortuna/Monteverde. Sleep in La Fortuna/Monteverde.
Day 3-4 – Explore La Fortuna/Monteverde. Sleep in La Fortuna/Monteverde.
Day 5 – Travel from La Fortuna/Monteverde to Quepos/Manuel Antonio. Sleep in Quepos/Manuel Antonio.
Day 6 – Quepos/Manuel Antonio in the morning and travel back to San Jose in the afternoon. Sleep in San Jose.
Day 7 – Fly home
Final Thoughts
This is an active Costa Rica itinerary. You’ll move hotels every other day and have your days packed with exciting activities. I like active itineraries, but not everyone wants to travel at this pace. You need to know what works best for you.
I booked half of my tours online in advance. This is not necessary as everything can be booked very easily for the exact same price (or cheaper) when you are in Costa Rica. Your hotel, or one of the many tourism offices in town, will be happy to help you. You might also get some deals if you book when you’re in Costa Rica. When I booked my hanging bridges excursion through my hostel, they had a deal where I also got free entry to the hummingbird gardens.
I traveled with Interbus, rather than public buses. They were clean and efficient. Each drive stops about halfway though the journey for twenty to thirty minutes at a shop so you can pick up snacks. These stops can be frustrating, especially when you want to just get to your next destination, but its just one more way to get tourists to spend more money and support the Costa Rican economy.
Continue Your Adventure
Costa Rica Travel Guide: For everything you need to plan the perfect trip to Costa Rica, check out my Costa Rica Travel Guide.
Manuel Antonio: This national park on on the southwestern coast is a favorite among travelers. Learn how to plan a perfect visit to Manuel Antonio.
La Fortuna: One of the best activities is visiting Arenal Volcano and Fortuna Waterfall.
Monteverde: Learn about all of the great things to do in Monteverde.
Transportation in Costa Rica: Or check out this guide for how to take the Jeep-Boat-Jeep tour from Monteverde to La Fortuna.
For more nature based itineraries: Try a 10 Day Colorado Road Trip, 10 Days in the U.S. Southwest, or 5 Days in Iceland (without a car!).
More in Central America: Venture north to Mexico, where one of my favorite experiences was visiting the small towns of Talpa and Mascota.