Costa Rica: Two Incredible Weeks

Hi everyone,

Taking advantage of the quiet days that Covid-19 has brought us, I thought it was time to share my experience in Costa Rica. Once again, I found a lot of helpful information on this forum, so if I can help in return, I’d be happy to!

Here’s some general info: - 2-week trip in a 4x4 during the dry season, from 01/27 to 02/10 - Two 27-year-old travelers, no kids And here’s our itinerary: Day 1: Arrival in San José Day 2: San José - Tortuguero Day 3: Tortuguero Day 4: Tortuguero - Arenal Day 5: Arenal Day 6: Arenal - Tenorio Day 7: Tenorio - Monteverde Day 8: Monteverde - Quepos Day 9: Quepos Day 10: Quepos - Uvita Day 11: Uvita - Sierpe - Bahía Drake Day 12 & 13: Bahía Drake Day 14: Bahía Drake - San José Day 15: Flight back to Switzerland...

Of course, we had to make choices—it’s impossible to see everything in two weeks—but honestly, we’re *really* happy with our route. We even saw more than we expected!

So, ready 😉? Here we go!

DAY 1 – Arrival in San José

After a smooth Zürich-Frankfurt-San José flight, we finally made it to San José 😎!! After months of planning and excitement, we’re here! Since we’d booked a 4x4 with the ToutCostaRica agency for the next day, we stayed at one of their hotels, the Melrost. One of their agents was there to pick us up at the airport and take us to the hotel, which is really close. It was early evening, and it was already dark, so no exploring the city tonight. We treated ourselves to a first local beer on the terrace, listening to the birds, and then headed straight to bed.

Hotel Melrost: A simple little building, but super convenient for just one night in San José (well, Alajuela) before moving on. The room was great, and breakfast was excellent!



DAY 2 – Off to Tortuguero

This morning, we had a meet-up at the hotel with ToutCostaRica, where we’d rented our 4x4. They held a briefing in small groups for all the car renters to discuss our routes, tips, the country, and other advice. We found it interesting, but *way* too long! They could’ve kept it shorter—reminding us to wear sunscreen in the sun and not to leave valuables in the car seems pretty obvious... Anyway, after a while, we thanked them for all the advice and set off in our brand-new Toyota Rav4! The rental went perfectly with TCR—everything was great. After leaving the traffic jams of San José behind, we hit some pretty little roads (some in better shape than others) until we reached La Pavona. There, we left our car in a guarded parking lot and took a boat (departure at 3:00 PM) to Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast. Just the boat ride was amazing—we were lucky enough to spot a basilisk, iguanas, and tons of birds. After 40 minutes, we docked right at the pier of our hotel, Casa Marbella. After dropping off our stuff in the room, we headed out to explore the village via its one main street. Lively, colorful, and hot! Since we didn’t have anything else planned for the day, we went back to the hotel terrace to enjoy a juice by the canals. Then, a quick dinner and off to bed to be fresh for tomorrow morning!

Casa Marbella: Really nice, with a convenient pier/terrace for arriving and leaving by boat. Breakfast was absolutely delicious! The room was good, though the AC wasn’t working.





More to come soon!

Oh awesome! I'm jumping in because I'm actually hesitating about planning this destination for next February with my family—our 14-year-old teen is used to traveling... I'm on the fence because I've read a lot of mixed reviews about this destination, which is also quite expensive. Having been to Indonesia twice (and other places around the world), we've already seen volcanoes, primary forests, waterfalls, and surfing... but on the other hand, the active and fun side of Costa Rica appeals to us too. We're also worried about the rainy weather, even in February... So, I'll let you kick off your travel journal—it might help me decide!

See you soon! 😛 Clem

Hi there,

Cool, thanks for joining in! 😛 I hope I can answer a few questions. We didn’t test the "surf" side of Costa Rica (which seems to be more on the Nicoya side), but for the rest, it’s done and highly approved. I also read a lot of mixed reviews, which I admit I didn’t understand once we got back... I feel like those were people who didn’t go to the right places or expected to see a puma every 2 meters! As for the rain, almost no issues on that front, but if you keep following this travel journal a few more days, you’ll see which region was a bit damp 😉. But really, just 1 day out of 2 weeks of travel—that’s nothing.

Enjoy the rest!

DAY 3 - Tortuguero

This morning, we woke up at dawn because we had a meet-up at 5:45 AM with EcoExperience (booked in advance) for a canoe tour on the Tortuguero canals. At the boat dock, there were quite a few people boarding, but once on the water, we didn’t run into many other tourists. We were a group of six with our guide Andrei in a kayak where everyone helped paddle. Sure, it was probably a bit more tiring than the motorboats we saw, but way more fun! We explored the canals for three hours, and time just flew by! Monkeys, caimans, birds, and reptiles—it was absolutely amazing. The sky was overcast, and since it’s very humid, there was sometimes a light drizzle, but nothing that soaked us. Our guide was great, really interesting, and happy to answer questions. EcoExperience seems a bit pricier than some other agencies, but I recommend it because it’s very well organized, and being in a kayak felt much nicer than being with 20 people on a boat. Plus, we could go into some shallow areas where the canal was narrow and full of roots—a motorboat would never have made it.

Young Spectacled Caiman



Jacana and Great Blue Heron

Back on solid ground and after breakfast at the hotel, we headed straight to the national park. Very often, if you buy a morning canoe tour, the park ticket is included.



It was already really hot by morning, and very humid. Caribbean vibes! We walked for about three hours in the park, enough time to go to the end of the trail and back. We crossed through the forest and walked along the beach, which gave us some beautiful views of the sea. And just like this morning, the wildlife was out in full force. We spotted a toucan, green macaws, spider monkeys, and all kinds of insects. It’s worth noting that this hike was without a guide. It’s incredible to see animals like this in the wild. We’re already under the spell... The walk wasn’t difficult, and since it’s not a loop, you can turn back anytime.



Snowy Cotinga (though if any ornithology expert reads this, I’d love confirmation!)

Great Green Macaw

The heat was a bit overwhelming, so after leaving the park, we grabbed a drink on a terrace and relaxed in our room for a bit. But not for long because we were off again for our last activity of the day! A night walk booked the day before directly at Casa Marbella, our hotel. Meet-up at 6:00 PM at the dock with our guide Ray and five other people. Casa Marbella provided rubber boots, which were essential for the tour, and the guide had flashlights. We took the boat for a short while to head deep into the forest. Ray was fantastic and reminded us that we weren’t in our backyard—some of the locals weren’t harmless, so he advised us not to wander off. Alright, let’s go! For two hours, we happily discovered frogs, spiders, amazing trees, and other insects. It was really great. We learned a lot and even saw those famous poison dart frogs! Don’t hesitate to do this. Back in the village, we found a little restaurant where they served us fries *again* with the rice... It’s funny, not something we’re used to, but that’s what makes it great!

Oophaga pumilio

Stick Insect

What a beautiful day! Before we left, I was really excited to see so many animals, to the point that my partner was worried I’d be disappointed. But after just two days, I’m amazed by the biodiversity of this little country. Can’t wait for what’s next!

See you soon!

Good evening,

Thank you for taking us on a journey with these beautiful photos during this gloomy time.

Have a great evening.

DAY 4 - Tortuguero to Arenal

It's already time to leave Tortuguero and continue our journey. We set off with the first boat of the morning at 5:30 AM, right from the hotel terrace. We arrive at the first light of day at La Pavona parking lot to retrieve our car. We drive toward the Arenal Volcano region. We make a few ticos laugh when we stop by the roadside to take photos of banana plantations 😄! Our first stop is in Muelle, almost 3 hours later. There’s a bridge there, surrounded by trees where an impressive number of iguanas have made their home! Some are really massive. They’re not enclosed and can go anywhere, but we see a few old lettuce leaves here and there. Locals must feed them a bit to keep the nearby café and souvenir shop running. Well, it’s still better than a zoo, and we still recommend the spot because it’s fun, and there’s no pressure to visit the shop—it’s really nice.





Just 25 kilometers to go, and we’re in La Fortuna, at the foot of the volcano, which is currently covered in clouds. We know we’ll need some luck to see it completely clear! We’ve planned to walk to La Fortuna Waterfall, not far from the center. You have to pay the entrance fee and then descend the 500 steps that lead you to the waterfall. And yes, we’ll have to climb them back up... 🤪. The falls are stunning, with their 70-meter drop and all the greenery around. We find a spot to picnic on a rock, facing the waterfall. Sam takes a dip in the river, which I find a bit chilly 😇. It’s really beautiful—we see a Blue Morpho butterfly flying nearby and spot loads of fish in the water, not bothered by the few swimmers. Then, we tackle the climb back up the steps! I didn’t time it, but it was quicker than I expected. At the top, there’s a little flower garden where you can observe some really pretty butterflies. A quick beer, and we head to our hotel, the Arenal Oasis Eco Lodge.







This place was the highlight of our trip! Nestled in the forest, they have their own hiking trail and a spot called the hummingbird garden, free for lodge guests. We head straight there to see if we can spot these little colorful birds. The place is gorgeous! It’s not a greenhouse—we’re right in the middle of trees and flowers, and we can observe tons of birds. The hummingbirds aren’t easy to photograph, so we spend a good while trying to capture them—it was really fun. The trails close at 4:00 PM, so we head off to grab a drink on the restaurant terrace. And then, it’s just magical. We see loads of colorful birds, coatis, squirrels—all right in front of us. We could’ve stayed there for hours. We even had a rare (according to a guide at the next table) visit from a toucan! Wow, what a beautiful bird...



Rufous Motmot Keel-billed Toucan

Collared Aracari We almost reluctantly head back to our lodge to shower before heading out to eat in La Fortuna. The little town is lively—it’s great. Tonight, no local dinner, but an amazing Japanese restaurant where we had some really good sushi.

We go to bed after this beautiful day, with colorful images filling our heads. See you soon!

Arenal Oasis Eco Lodge: Our favorite! The lodges are spacious, well-equipped, the welcome is perfect, the breakfast superb, the terrace for birdwatching ideal, etc.—really, we absolutely recommend it! Value for money is spot on. However, you have to be okay with sleeping in a place where a few little critters might wander in. We had visits from two very respectable-sized spiders 🤪, plus various geckos and insects that didn’t bother us.

DAY 5 - Arenal

Breakfast on the terrace with the birds is a lovely way to start the day! Especially with their delicious pancakes... We're ready to explore Arenal Volcano, so we head to Arenal 1968 Park. There aren't too many people in the parking lot, and we start our hike under a radiant sky. It took us 2h15 to complete the loop, passing by some gorgeous viewpoints of the lake and the old lava flows from the volcano. The summit is still covered in clouds, but it's still impressive! The walk was really nice, with no difficulties. We spotted a few birds, lizards, and of course, tons of leafcutter ants.







Next, following our travel guide's recommendation, we head a bit further to El Castillo to visit Arenal Ecozoo, a kind of vivarium. The reviews were really good in the book and online, but once we got there, we were a bit disappointed... There was no one around, and after calling out "Hola" and "Hello" everywhere, a woman finally came to open the door and let us pay the entrance fee. Sam and I were a bit skeptical after the visit. The place is really poorly maintained, with no explanations about the animals we saw, and a bit expensive for what it is. However, there are many different species of frogs and snakes. They offer guided tours, which might be better than exploring on your own... But as we were leaving, we were lucky enough to see the volcano almost cloud-free!



After that, we're hungry and stop at a small *soda* by the roadside that seems nice. While we're looking at the menu, the people at the next table get up to leave, and the man discreetly whispers to me as he passes, "I wouldn't choose the chicken.." 😄😄 Well, well, well... Okay, now that we're seated, we'll stay, but we'll follow the man's advice and skip the chicken! In the end, it was good and cheap, and we had a good laugh about it. We then return to the lodge to explore their reserve, which we didn't have time to visit yesterday. It's really beautiful, and there are even howler monkeys! Since we still have some time before closing, we head back to their hummingbird garden. There are just as many as yesterday, and they're just as fast 😏!

Leafcutter ants Howler monkeys

Tonight, we're staying at the lodge's restaurant for dinner on the terrace. It was good, and we got to watch a raccoon come by to say good evening :).

Tomorrow, we'll leave La Fortuna, really happy with our time in the area!

See you soon

Thanks for the rest of the tour!!

Is the lodge’s wildlife-viewing site also accessible to non-guests (for a fee, I assume...) or not?

I can’t wait for the next part... Clem

I’m not sure if you can just walk in like that... They offer several tours (birdwatching, night walk) in the reserve, so I don’t think access is free for non-lodge guests. But maybe it’s possible if you pay an "entry fee."

Sorry I can’t be more help! Shoot them an email—it’s safer. Or just grab a juice on the terrace as you pass by—it’s still pretty great ;).

Have a good evening

Day 6: Arenal - Tenorio

After a final breakfast on the terrace, still surrounded by birds, we pack up and leave this amazing place. We even got a little surprise on our way to reception! We spotted 2-3 howler monkeys in the trees. So, in great spirits, we head toward Tenorio Volcano National Park. There are several possible routes, and we chose the one along the lake. It was really beautiful. Of course, we eventually had to leave the lake, and the road we took afterward was... rough! No pavement, potholes, rocks—this is where we truly understood why a 4x4 is necessary for Costa Rica. It was epic, and to make things harder, the closer we got, the more it rained! We arrive at the Rio Celeste trailhead in late morning. The sky is overcast, but it’s still hot. A toucan watches us from a tree in the paid parking lot. After buying our tickets and having our bags searched (no drones, cigarettes, or knives allowed), we can finally start the hike.



We reach the famous Rio Celeste waterfall pretty quickly, visible at the bottom of a series of stairs. It’s raining quite a bit when we get down there, but the beauty of the place makes us quickly forget the weather. It’s magical—the color of the water is incredible. The contrast between the water and the forest is stunning. We climb back up the stairs to continue our hike on a muddy, slippery trail. There are some gorgeous viewpoints along the river, but the best part is at the end, where two rivers meet and the Rio Celeste takes on its beautiful color. It’s peaceful and breathtaking.







The return trip is still in the rain, but we’re rewarded with two lovely encounters—a sloth and an eyelash viper. We’re back at the car after about 2.5 hours of round-trip hiking. It was a fantastic hike, and the rain didn’t ruin the experience at all.



The rest of our day is spent at Finca Amistad, a cocoa farm a bit off the beaten path (with a disastrous access road). We’ve booked a night there in a small cabin by the plantation. Several activities are offered, and we dive into making chocolate. It’s really fascinating—Luis, our "guide," is super nice. Roasting, crushing, grinding, adding ingredients—we handle the whole process. We leave the mixture in a machine that will stir it all night, then head out with Luis for a tour of the property. It’s the cocoa tour, which anyone can do, even if you’re not staying overnight. Again, we learn so much.





Tonight, we have dinner on-site, and it’s probably one of the best meals we’ll have on the whole trip! Local, home-style, generous—pure happiness.

We go to bed looking forward to picking up our chocolate tomorrow morning!

See you later!

Finca la Amistad Cacao lodge: Another amazing place! It’s a bit remote, and you have to really want to go there, but it’s worth it once you arrive. The cocoa tour is a must—the staff is super friendly. Dinner and breakfast were absolutely excellent!

Awesome, I’ve been following your trip... I actually looked into staying at that farm and doing their cocoa tour too! Anyway, if we can get away by next February...🤪

A country I only hear great things about. I'm so jealous you got to go there! 😛

Oh yes, let's stay positive for 2021😉! I’m crossing my fingers for you too, and if your trip takes you near this farm, make sure to stop by—it’s totally worth it!

DAY 7: Tenorio - Monteverde

Apparently, it rained all night, but we didn’t hear a thing! There was even a little frog that came to take shelter in the shower. We had an early meet-up with Luis before breakfast to finish our chocolate. Thanks to the machine running all night, the chocolate mass had turned liquid and warm. After several tempering steps, it was finally ready to be poured into the different molds available.



After that, everything went into the fridge while we had breakfast with... chocolate! A nice cold choco to start the day, paired with delicious fresh fruit—it was perfect. Before leaving, we picked up our chocolate and set off, really happy we came. Now, quite a bit of road ahead to Monteverde. Plus, the road was obviously terrible... The weather didn’t help; the closer we got, the harder it rained, with strong winds and thick fog in some spots. We wondered if our afternoon activity would still go ahead... We’d booked a tour with Selvatura Park for a suspended bridges and zipline tour. Finally, we arrived a little after noon at Selvatura Park in the Monteverde region. Our tour started right away with a visit to the butterfly garden, where we could observe the Blue Morpho. We’d seen one in the wild but couldn’t get close or take a photo, whereas here it was much easier.



Next, we set off to explore the suspended bridges. It was raining, and the fog was so thick that sometimes we couldn’t even see the other end of the bridge. It gave the place a mystical atmosphere—still really beautiful. The upside was that there was almost no one around! After an hour, we’d done the whole circuit.







Time to grab our picnic and head to the next activity: the zipline course! We got geared up, received a few safety instructions, and off we went for the park’s 13 ziplines. There were short ones, long ones, ones to do in pairs, and even a Tarzan jump (kind of a small bungee jump attached by the waist) in the middle. It was all really fun! That said, the weather was awful, and it started to get cold. Especially since we had to wait quite a bit between platforms, which wasn’t the most pleasant. But once we were on the zipline, we just laughed about the situation! We were freezing, couldn’t see where we were going, the rain stung when we opened our eyes, yet we were laughing our heads off the whole time ! Pura Vida! The last zipline was the longest, at 1 km. Awesome! It was around 5:00 PM when we finished. It was a really fun afternoon, but it must be even nicer with the sun.



We’d booked a lodge nearby, at Cabinas Capulin. We spotted our first agouti right outside! A hot shower felt great, and after such a day, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal. We stopped at a kind of Argentine steakhouse, where the meat was grilled over an open fire in the corner of the room. We got our last surprise of the day at the end of the meal when Sam asked for a coffee and the waitress replied: *We don’t have coffee.* We thought you could find it everywhere in Costa Rica—guess not... Back at the wooden lodge, we wondered if it might blow away with the wind still howling 😛. A great day where we really understood what a rainforest is!

See you later, Adeline

This is exactly the kind of day I’m dreading in Costa Rica... 😛

So, this makes me lean toward one option: I was hesitating about scheduling Monteverde because it’s always rainy and chilly there, not to mention the rough roads... and instead, doing activities around Arenal, which seems drier climate-wise... and then adding 2 days near Bajos del Toro...

Well, that’s assuming we can travel abroad again...😕 In the meantime, we’re traveling through travel journals! 😉

In Monteverde, we shortened our 3-night stay to 2 nights, and it was perfect like that. We were there in February, and the weather was amazing—though I would’ve loved some mist 😅. With the RER, it’s not an essential stop.

Hi there, thanks so much for this super helpful and detailed trip report! But... after day 7, I don’t see the rest. Am I just not finding it? If that’s the case, could you please send it to me? I’m really torn between Tortuguero and Corcovado. I won’t be able to do both because of the budget. Thanks again! Isabelle

Hello, thank you for this amazing and very helpful travel journal. But... after day 7, I don't see the rest. Is it me who can't find it? If so, could you please send it to me?

The post is from 2020 and the author hasn't been back on the forum since 2023.

I'm really torn between Tortuguero and Corcovado. I won't be able to do both because of the budget. Thanks again. Isabelle

Here’s my take: if it’s indeed Corcovado National Park, near Bahía Drake, it’s the wildest and most authentic place I’ve visited in Costa Rica. So no comparison with Tortuguero.