San José is walkable and easy for tourists to get around
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The leafy capital
Fly non-stop to San José with British Airways and check into Grano de Oro, a boutique hotel named after the “golden bean†– coffee – which is set in a Victorian mansion on the quieter, western side of the city.
San José is a small, leafy, low-slung capital that’s friendly to walkers and cyclists. You can go it alone or go with a guide; if you opt for the latter, book with local specialist Chepe Cletas, their guides can show you the markets, nature in the parks or local cantinas on foot or on a bike tour.Â
I’d recommend walking off your flight with a stroll around historic Barrio Amón, ogling the mansions of the big coffee-growing families. Continue eastwards into Barrio Escalante, which has lots of cool bars and cafés, including the Beer Factory. Afterwards, have dinner at Alma de Amon, which serves Latin Soul food.Â
Jungle meets sea on Tortuguero’s beaches on the Caribbean coast
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Explore the Caribbean coast
Take the 30-minute Sansa Airlines flight to Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast. It’s a short boat ride to Tortuga Lodge, a sophisticated jungle retreat that has 20 hectares of private jungle trails, a relaxing pool surrounded by hammocks, and a superb Caribbean restaurant.
Tortuguero is a special place. The whole area has national park status. Around the hotel you’ll encounter troops of monkeys, blue morpho butterflies and poison dart frogs.Â
Between July and October, green sea turtles nest on the beaches, hatching from August through to November. Towards dusk, take the hotel’s guided nesting trip to avoid queues and to see unspoilt beaches; you also get to have an alfresco dinner on the riverbank.
Sea turtles nest on the beaches in Tortuguero National Park
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Hit the water
After breakfast, take off on a guided river excursion, arranged by the hotel. Look out for monkeys and three-toed sloths; caiman, iguanas and turtles are routinely seen swimming from shore to shore too.
After lunch at the lodge’s riverside restaurant, why not head out on a half-day sea fishing trip? Acclaimed angler Eddie Brown has great boats and crew and can provide all the tackle and advice you need.Â
For dinner, stay put at the lodge or take a boat to the local village, where there are half a dozen options. A further night excursion, available between July and September, is to see leatherback turtles nesting – Tortuguero Tours can arrange a trip.
Poás Volcano National Park
Days 4, 5 & 6
Poás Volcano National Park has volcanoes, waterfalls and wildlife
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Under the volcanoes
Get up with the birds and head out for a dawn stroll around the gardens, spotting birds, including keel-billed toucans, ringed kingfishers and tiger herons.Â
Depart on an early flight to San José, hire a car, and then make a journey of about an hour and a quarter to the Poás Volcano National Park to see the impressive crater. There are several short trails through forests that have been stunted and twisted by volcanic activity and the high-altitude weather systems. The canopy around Lake Botos, which is inside an extinct crater at the end of one trail, is home to hummingbirds, tanagers, flycatchers, toucanets, the clay-coloured robin – Costa Rica’s national bird – and Central America’s most famous avian resident, the resplendent quetzal.
Afterwards, drive on (under two hours) to El Silencio, a luxury lodge and spa in a remote, densely forested reserve. Dine at El Silencio’s Las Ventanas upscale modern Costa Rican cuisine restaurant. You can request to dine on a table set up in the forest.Â
Spot colourful frogs in the national park
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The Volcano Road to Arenal
After breakfast, your drive north skirts the Juan Castro Blanco National Park, site of three more volcanoes, before heading west towards the Arenal volcano and the national park of the same name. The journey takes at most two hours.Â
For the next two nights, I recommend a stay at the Nayara Gardens, a romantic hotel surrounded by lush rainforest on the fringes of Arenal Volcano National Park. The lush grounds are artfully managed but have retained a wild, organic feel.Â
Once you’ve checked in, set off to join a three-and-a-half-hour guided hike with local firm Pura Vida. Keep an eye out for sloths, frogs and hummingbirds.Â
Book a white water rafting expedition for a thrilling adventure on the river
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Rafting and La Fortuna
Steep mountains, narrow canyons and a tropical climate – most rain falls between May to October – means inland Costa Rica is ideal for white-water rafting. Desafio Costa Rica offers rafting trips on the RÃo Balsa and RÃo SarapiquÃ. The guides will get you involved and it feels very active and exciting – though they have it all under control. Between frantic paddling sessions at low-grade rapids, you’ll have opportunities to sit back and enjoy the views of the forests pressing in.
In the evening, take a 10-minute taxi ride to the town of La Fortuna. It has a lovely park with colourful gardens and an imposing church that looks photogenic with the Arenal volcano rising up behind. There are a few crafts and souvenir shops and tiny art galleries. For dinner, there are excellent steaks at Don Rufino.
Rincón de la Vieja National Park
Days 7 & 8
Rincón de la Vieja National Park has an immensely varied climate
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Road trip to the Hacienda
It’s about three hours by road, using the Panamerican Highway for part of the journey, to the Rincón de la Vieja National Park. This huge park protects 14,087 hectares with widely ranging elevations from 3,215 to 6,519ft and diverse habitats, including tropical montane rainforest, lowland rainforest and tropical dry forest. There are two active volcanoes and one that’s dormant; two visitable geothermal sites contain boiling hot mud, sulphur springs, steam vents, and fumaroles.
Check in at the Hacienda Guachipelin. It has been here since 1880 and rears cattle, horses, pigs, chickens and turkeys. After lunch at the lodge’s own “farm-to-table†restaurant, head out on one of the estate’s mountain bike trails on the Rincon de la Vieja volcano – the only such trails in Costa Rica found on an active volcano.Â
Ride with Costa Rican cowboys at Hacienda Guachipelin
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Saddle up
Set off after breakfast with one of the lodge’s expert naturalists, escorted by sabaneros – Costa Rican equivalents of the Argentine gaucho – on a six-hour horseback riding and hiking excursion that takes you inside the national park. See the bubbling clay and steaming fumaroles of the volcano, visit the Oropendola waterfall and swim in the RÃo Blanco.Â
Return for lunch, with the afternoon free to explore. Visit the butterfly garden, frog habitat and serpentarium. Finish your best day blissing out in the Rio Negro hot springs. In the evening enjoy a barbecue at the lodge.
Explore the famous cloud forest in Monteverde
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Wildlife walks
Drive south for three hours to the tiny corridor of civilisation that sits between the villages of Monteverde and Santa Elena.
Stay in one of the forest-view rooms at the Monteverde Lodge, which can organise activities, including a canopy tour in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Around dusk, set off on a wildlife walk, looking out for olingos, kinkajous, two-toed sloths and possums.Â
Stay on the lookout for creatures like the two-toed sloth
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Hiking in the cloud forests
This morning, take an easy hike with one of the lodge’s guides around the Santa Elena Cloud Forest. Return to the lodge for lunch and, after a rest, spend the afternoon on the Café de Monteverde Coffee Tour, organised by a co-operative of local families.
The beaches on the Nicoya Peninsula have stunning stretches of sand
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Beach break
Drive from Monteverde to the Nicoya Peninsula, which is about a five-hour trip whether you use the road-only route or go via the ferry at Puntarenas. I’d suggest taking along someone to talk you through the regional wildlife, as well as the natural history of the peninsula. For a well-travelled expert guide, contact Costa Rica Expeditions.
On arrival in Santa Teresa, check in to the stylish Florblanca for your last two nights. South of the hotel lies a string of beach resorts, including smart Santa Teresa, picturesque Carmen and grungy Malpais.Â
It’s fun to drive down, stop in at bars, restaurants or hotels for a cocktail or snack, and compare the vibe. There’s everything from pizza shacks for surfer dudes to ultra-smart sushi restaurants – as well as surf schools, bikini boutiques and little grocers’ stores.
Sign up for a surf class for your chance to hit the waves
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Surfing and seafood
You might want to keep today as a total day off, perhaps combining dozing and book-reading with a mahi mahi ceviche lunch at La Cevicheria in Santa Teresa. Alternatively, now’s a good time to book a surfing class, either through the hotel or at one of the many local operators. Planet Surf does lessons for all ages and levels.
Fly from Tambor, the local airport, to San José and back to the UK.
Costa Rica’s dry season is November to April
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When to go
The dry season (roughly mid-November to April) is the best time to visit. Choose November (just after the rains) and early December and April to avoid the boom months when Americans arrive in large numbers. The winter season (i.e. wet season) is May to October.
The Caribbean coast is slightly different from the rest of the country. Here September and October are usually dry and sunny.
The Caribbean coast stays sunny for most of the year
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What to book
Value for money
Trailfinders (020 7084 6500; trailfinders.com) has a 15-night Costa Rica Adventure tour that combines a visit to San José with the Manuel Antonio National Park and a hike to the Arenal volcano and the Sarapiquà Rainforest – followed by stays in Tortuguero and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. From £1,079 per person, including all accommodation, a tour leader and 12 meals. Excludes international flights.
Exodus Travels’ (0203 553 2587; exodus.co.uk) 14-day Pura Vida Costa Rica – Premium Adventure tour ticks off several classic spots, including Tortuguero, the La Fortuna waterfall, hot springs near the Arenal volcano, the Gulf of Nicoya and the Monteverde cloud forest – and also includes a stay in a private reserve near the Rio Perdido. From £5,299 per person, including accommodation, all breakfasts, three lunches, seven dinners and a tour leader throughout. Excluding international flights.
Be sure to pack binoculars for better chances of spotting wildlife
Credit: Getty Images
Insider tips
Costa Rica is more expensive than Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, but you can still do it economically. Sodas are the traditional eateries where Ticos eat and the fare is wholesome and cheap.
Driving is great fun and gives you independence. Whether hiring a car or a car with a driver, bear in mind that distances are deceptive; the rugged terrain can make a 50-mile journey feel like three times that distance.Â
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