2-Week Costa Rica Itinerary Plan

Hi there, sorry for the little jab, but are you going there to relax or to run a marathon? Because 14 days on-site, not even counting jet lag or transportation hiccups (are you renting a vehicle?), your schedule is packed—you're changing locations almost every day, or every 2 days... If you're in marathon mode and never get tired, sure, it's doable. But if you're going for a relaxing vacation, you should cut half of your stops. Like doing Corcovado in one day... That's a real shame. Heading to Tortuguero only to immediately leave for the west coast... total time-waster. With so little time, you should focus on one or two regions of the country and a few parks... The Osa Peninsula alone deserves your full 14 days. But if you love marathon-style trips, just ignore these comments! :)

Hi there,

Your "itinerary" isn’t very easy to read. Even when I squint, I can only make out half of it... Why not print it out to "save time"? From what I could read, even in marathon mode, it’s going to be tough to pull off. A car rally? For some legs, you’ll barely have time to arrive and leave.

Personally, when I’m driving, I often run into obstacles—like when there’s an accident and the vehicles involved stay put until the police arrive, blocking the road. Then there are roadworks, bad weather, closed roads, restricted access, etc.... And these days, I’ve read there are long queues to get into some parks!

Hi Emmanuel, and Merry Christmas! I won’t be the odd one out in this thread—your route is only doable by helicopter. For example, from Bahia Drake to San José, it takes nearly 5 hours. Choosing means missing out, so it’s tough to decide for you… The only answer I can give you is no, your itinerary isn’t feasible.

Thanks everyone,

So I’ve reviewed my plans and updated my itinerary based on the new project:

On March 22, I’ll pick up a rental car and drive to Santa Elena, where our hotel is located. The advantage is that this town is close to Arenal Volcano and the Santa Elena and Monteverde reserves.

From March 22 to 25, we’ll visit Monteverde, Arenal Volcano with its lagoon, and its hot springs.

On March 26, we’ll head to Puntarenas... see Montezuma and stay for 2 days to explore the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve and hopefully observe bioluminescence (does anyone have info on whether seeing this amazing phenomenon is guaranteed?)

On March 29, we’d head to Quepos (maybe a good place to stay?) to explore Manuel Antonio National Park and Los Quetzales National Park, which is in the region, for 2 or 3 days.

We still have 3 days left starting April 1 to explore the country. Any suggestions?

Departure is on April 4.

Thanks again for all your valuable tips.

As for Corcovado, we won’t do it if it’s too tight.

Thanks everyone,

So I’ve revised my itinerary and here’s my updated plan:

On March 22nd, pick up a rental car and drive to Santa Elena, where our hotel is.

If you land in San José, it’s over 4 hours of driving, plus 2 more hours to collect your luggage and the car.

The upside is that this town is close to Arenal Volcano and the Santa Elena and Monteverde reserves.

Santa Elena to La Fortuna—another 3 hours on the road.

On March 29th, we’d head to Quepos (maybe a good place to stay?) to explore Manuel Antonio Park and Los Quetzales Park, which is in the area, for 2 or 3 days.

Los Quetzales to San Antonio? Oh, another 3 hours of driving… And through the mountains! And to spot the quetzals, you’ll need to be there at 6 AM.

I know, this isn’t super helpful… But just so you’re aware: distances in Costa Rica aren’t like ours, especially with all the winding roads.

The mountain guy is exaggerating a bit about the 2 hours to collect luggage + vehicle—they’re actually pretty quick at SJO airport (at least for baggage).

The big mystery for me will always be the driving time: you can drive at 50 km/h to cover 50 km (in Latin America in general), and it’ll still take you 1h30 to do it! :)

Still, your itinerary is more reasonable.

Montagnard is exaggerating a bit about the 2 hours to collect luggage + vehicle—they’re actually pretty quick at SJO airport (at least for the bags)

I’m barely exaggerating

Most rental agencies are outside the airport, so add transfer time + paperwork = mucho tiempo [;)]

Last tip for your trip prep! The site « toutcostarica.com » has a forum where they’re pretty responsive and free. I even booked my Vitara through them because they have a pre-booking system, and since we were post-COVID, there was a chance it could’ve been canceled last minute. Plus, the price was competitive.