10 Days in Costa Rica Itinerary For Epic Trips

Yes, I know. A 10 days-itinerary in Costa Rica is not enough to grasp all the wonders there are to see here. I feel you. We actually spent four weeks in this magnificent country and even that was barely the minimum.

But: most travellers have full time jobs and just don't have  that much time to explore a big destination.

This is why I decided to put together this short itinerary that covers the main highlights of central Costa Rica - including options for itinerary variations at the end.

Heads up: this is an itinerary best done by car as a road trip. We just love road trips as it gives you a certain freedom to explore a country intensively without loosing too much precious time at airports and such.

Here are some of our favourites so far:

Must-read | Western Austria: a travel guide for road trips

                        Road trip in Slovenia: a 5-day itinerary

                        Road trip in Croatia: driving down the coast

                        Two weeks Belize holiday: a complete guide (+ itineraries)

And here's one you will need in order to have the perfect preparation for such a road trip (even though this one's about Europe, most of it applies to the rest of the world):

Must-read | What to pack for a road trip in Europe: a complete guide

But now, without further ado, here's a 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary for epic trips!

Don't have time to read it now? 

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10 days in Costa Rica itinerary: general stuff

Why did I choose to write about a 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary? Why 10 days? Well, simply to show that it is indeed possible to see some of the best highlights of Costa Rica in just 10 days.

You can easily adapt this Costa Rica itinerary to two or three weeks, of course. Or you could leave out the destinations that are a bit out of the centre and make it a 7 days trip through Costa Rica.

There are other possible variations of Costa Rica itineraries at the end of this post.

And if you want to dig deeper into one specific part of the country or are yearning to know about their delicious food, see below:

Read also | Costa Rica's Caribbean side: incredibly beautiful

                      Costa Rican food is amazing and here is why

Our personal itinerary at a glance

If you look at the map above, this is what our personal itinerary looked like:

San José - Santa Elena - La Fortuna - Tortuguero - Puerto Viejo de Talamanca - Cahuita NP - Quepos - Manuel Antonio NP - San Joseé

But this was done in four weeks. 

If you are a speed traveller who doesn't mind doing hundreds of kilometres/miles a day, you could absolutely do this whole itinerary in just 10 days as well...

But that would be a bit too stressful, wouldn't it?

Our starting point was San José simply because it's the capital city, the geographical centre of the country and it has the biggest international airport so I'd suggest that every Costa Rica itinerary should start here in any case.

The itinerary I lay out below will include most of the stops we did but not all of them.

Our suggestion for a 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary

The map above shows the main stops with stops we suggest for this trip in yellow. Don't worry about the purple ones for now, they will only become relevant at the end of this post.

Basically, the main highlights you will want to have on your itinerary during these 10 days in Costa Rica are the following:

Day 1 - San José, Costa Rica's capital

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Rent a car

First things first: you will want to rent a car when battling a 10 days itinerary in Costa Rica. Trust me.

The easiest is to book the car in advance and pick it up at the International airport of San José.

*casado: the cheapest dish in Costa Rica consisting of rice with beans, salad and some protein (either chicken, beef, pork or fish). The name means "married".

Where to stay in San José?

We stayed at the Costa Rica Guesthouse: lovely huge rooms at about 26 € / 31 US$ the night for two (October 2020), breakfast included. Although you should know that breakfast here means a few slices of toast with jam and coffee. But coffee is free all day long.

Day 2 - Santa Elena, your base for the Monteverde rainforest

Normally, the drive from San José to Santa Elena takes about 3 hours. It all depends on the traffic and the weather that day because if you're visiting Costa Rica in October, you might encounter some flooded streets or muddy paths along the way. 

Or, like in our case, you run into protesters blocking the road. This lead to a detour of more than 2 hours. Given that I travel with medication that has be kept cool all the time, this was quite stressful. 

But we managed to get to Santa Elena anyway.

*Not all the restaurants and hotels are open in Costa Rica in October due to it being rainy season.

**Chifrijo: the name comes from the three main ingredients, being 'chicharrones' (fried pork belly), 'chimichurri' sauce and 'frijoles' (beans).
Vigorón: cabbage salad, boiled Yuca (a root) and chicharrón.

Where to stay in Santa Elena

We stayed at the lovely Greemount Hotel: big rooms, beautifully decorated with lots of wooden details, a huge lounge to chill in and a fantastic jungle-garden.

We paid about 25 € / 30 US$ the night for two (October 2020), (awesome) breakfast included.

You should book ahead as Santa Elena is small and there aren't that many option.

Day 3 - Visit the Monteverde rainforest

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve or 'Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde' is one of Costa Rica's protected nature reserves.

One third of Costa Rica's territory is actually protected this way.

This is why the Monteverde rainforest has to figure in a 10 days Costa Rica itinerary, there's no way around it.

A few facts

The Bosque Nuboso consists of 10.500 hectares of cloud forest with a very rich flora and fauna. About 90 % of it is virgin forest.

In the 1950s, Quaker families from Alabama came to this area in order to avoid the Korean War draft and gave it its name: Monte Verde, which means 'green mountain'.

In the 1960s, biologists began to acknowledge Monteverde's nature and started documenting and researching the residents of the cloud forest.

By 1980, the reserve's tourism had started as well, attracting roughly 70.000 visitors a year.

Visiting the rain forest and driving on the same day?

It is possible, quite honestly. We did literally ALL the trails, started at 9am and finished at about 1 pm.

Also, except for the main trail that leads to 'La Ventana' (the window), one of the major viewpoints in the park (see picture above), there are no hills to battle. And even this one is rather easy.

So if you follow our itinerary, you will leave after lunch to head up East to La Fortuna, our next stop.

Day 4 - La Fortuna, your base for several attractions

Volcán Arenal National Park

After a good night's rest, head to the Volcán Arenal National Park first thing in the morning.

Here you can do a lovely walk of roughly 2 hours where you can marvel at exotic birds, a 400 year old Ceiba tree, creepy spiders and dark, cold lava-streams from different eruptions.

A few facts

Volcano Arenal is the youngest volcano in Costa Rica and used to be the most active one.

When people started to climb the Arenal for the very first time in 1937, they didn't believe it was a volcano because it was so overgrown with plants that they just couldn't see it.

The town of La Fortuna lies at its foot and was originally named 'Casério El Búrio'. It got renamed La Fortuna, meaning 'luck', because it was the only of three towns that survived the 1968 eruption.

Until 2010, glowing lava kept running down the volcanic cone and rocks still fired through the air.

The last big eruption took place in May 2010 and the whole National Park had to be evacuated due to big rocks flying around and a total of eight lava streams running down the cone.

Thanks to this majestic volcano, there are several hot springs all around La Fortuna (this might be a reason to stretch out your visit...).

The hike on itself it quite easy, except for the two or three very short climbs up to the cold lava-streams, the biggest one being from the 1968 eruption.

Because it's too dangerous, you can only hike at the foot of the volcano by yourself. For anything else, you'll need a guide.

Catarata Río Fortuna

In the afternoon, you could head to the Catarata Río Fortuna, a pretty impressive waterfall at about 20 minutes drive from La Fortuna.

I admit, 18 $ is quite a lot but you can spend as much time as you like, swimming and relaxing by the waterfalls. If you're lucky to be a resident, you will spend a fourth of that price actually...

From the entrance of the reserve to the falls you will have to descent 500 steps to get to the bottom. Getting down ain't no problem. It's getting up that will be the challenge.

Bring your swimsuits and change either by the entrance where they have changing rooms and lockers or near the river when no-one is watching (like we did).

Swimming under the waterfall

It is possible to swim underneath the waterfall - well, not underneath, but in front. It's actually prohibited to swim to the sides as the current is very strong. 

I didn't dare to swim there but Sebi did and even he felt that he needed a lot of strength to do it.

The river is easy to swim in, though.

Orchids and butterflies

Before leaving, check out the little Orchids trail they made near the entrance. Unfortunately, most of the flowers had already faded. I actually love orchids and wanted to take pictures for my grandma, a huge orchid-fan herself. 

But the labels everywhere showed that they have a huge variety of orchids which I imagine to be very beautiful in summer.

There's also a little butterfly yard which is quite cute and certainly interesting when travelling with kids.

Oh, and we got to see a cute snake on the way up - still don't know which one it was...

*gallo pinto: a typical Costa Rican breakfast with rice (duh!), beans (duh again!) and scrambled eggs

**patacones: fried plantain chips

***pico de gallo: tomatoes, onion, lime and cilantro

Where to stay in La Fortuna

We stayed in this really cool eco-hotel called Xilopalo where we even got an upgraded room due to the lack of tourists. Huge rooms with beautiful wooden details and an incredible view on the Arenal volcano from the restaurant terrace; all for 21 € / 25 US$ a night for two.

Day 5 - Driving to Tortuguero

This is a destination where I would recommend to spend at least two nights (you can always stretch it out - see the other itineraries at the end) but it should definitely figure on a 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary nonetheless!

Why two nights? 

First of all: from La Fortuna to the embarcadero (the pier) La Pavona it will take you about 3 hours by car. 

Then, you will have to take a boat that will need another hour to get either to Tortuguero or San Francisco de Tortuguero (the only two towns there).

Second: Because that National Park on itself is just stunning!!

Look for accommodation either in Tortuguero to be close to shops and amenities or in San Francisco to escape the crowds (see below).

Spend the night in order to be fit for these amazing experiences awaiting you the next day:

Day 6 - Exploring Central America's Amazonas & turtle wonders

Start your day by going on an adventurous boat trip with a local guide to explore 'Central America's Amazonas' in the morning. 

We did it with our host from the Cabiñas Chinitas in San Francisco de Tortuguero: Gerardo had his own little boat and knew exactly where to go and what to show us.

Later that same day, he took us to the beach on the other side of the river to see tiny baby-turtles hatching. They do this several months a year so chances are high that you will get to see this.

The same night, we went back to that very beach and witnessed something truly incredible: a mama turtle making her nest and laying eggs!

For more details on this amazing place, check our epic experience in National Park of Tortuguero.

Where to stay in Tortuguero

As I said, we stayed at the Cabiñas Chinitas with our lovely hosts Ana Rita and Gerardo: simple, yet cute little rooms in a beautiful jungle garden with hammocks, a restaurant-terrace with a gorgeous view on the river and Ana Rita as your personal chef .

All for 27,50 € / 32,50 US$ per night for two, amazing breakfast included.

I mean, just look at the pictures we took in the garden. It's the garden, folks!

Day 7 - Drive back to San José 

Back in San José, you can have another look at the city, maybe choose another part to stay in. 

During our first visit to the capital, we stayed in an area a bit outside of the centre.

The second stay was in the more colonial part of the city which - frankly - was a lot nicer.

This is where we stayed at the Costa Rica Guesthouse I mentioned earlier. This was the main office of a former coffee-producer which shows in the high ceilings and giant rooms.

I wouldn't plan too much on this day as you will probably be a bit tired from the boat and car journey.

Day 8 - Volcán Irazú & drive to Quepos

Part I of today's day: Irazú volcano

The Volcán Irazú has the huge advantage that you can drive all the way up to the crater with your car.

Up there, there is a short walk along the edge of the crater which takes about 1 hour.

It gives you incredible views and takes less than half a day to visit. 

A few facts

With its 3.432m, the Irazú is the highest volcano in Costa Rica. It is one of the  most dangerous and unpredictable volcanoes in the world - can you imagine??

The last eruption was in 1994. It if would happen again today, Costa Rica's capital San José would be covered in ashes.

If you're lucky, you will see a green acidic lake that forms in the main crater after heavy rainfalls (we didn't).

The crater wall is very thin and this is one of the main dangers of the volcano as it could break and cause tons of stones to slide down as well as the acidic water to spread.

When the weather is clear (sadly not when we went), you can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea!

Part II of today's day: Quepos

From the volcano to Quepos, another small town, it will take you about 3h30 to 4hours, depending on which route you choose.

So you won't be doing anything else on that same day.

But this town is a good sleeping-base for what comes next!

Oh, and depending on your route, you will have the opportunity to cross the famous crocodile bridge over the Tárcoles river to watch the impressive American crocodiles (from a safe distance).

Where to stay in Quepos

In Quepos, we stayed at the Pura Vida Guesthouse which was the cutest thing EVER! The hosts were incredibly friendly and they decorated the place with love and attention to detail!

The price is very budget-friendly as we paid 19,50 € / 23 US$ per night for two, with high-speed internet and a lovely comfy terrace to work outside even when it poured.

Day 9 - Manuel Antonio National Park

This is why you should stay in Quepos: from here, it's only a short 15 min drive to the entrance of the Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the absolute main highlights that has to figure on a 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary!

And this is a park you can easily spend the whole day in.

The walking trails aren't that long and there are several themed ones where you have the opportunity to see lots of cute monkeys and sloths or just get to the viewpoints. In order to do them all, you will want to take your time. 

The chances to spot wildlife are huge but even bigger when walking quietly, which also means slowly...

Wildlife spotting in Manuel Antonio National Park

We saw iguanas, capuchin monkeys, lots of birds and even a Terciopelado (also called Fer-de-Lance Viper), one of the most dangerous snakes in Costa Rica, and a Boa.

The two- and three-fingered sloths are very prominent here as well.

Unfortunately, due to the Covid19-situation, most of the trails were closed and we didn't get to see all of it.

And we still paid the full 18 US $ per person... that was a bit rough.

But we had so much fun at the Manuel Antonio beach (apparently one of the most beautiful beaches IN THE WORLD, people!!) where you can even go for a swim - beware of rip currents, though!

Day 10 - Back to the airport

This is where you say goodbye (for now) after battling a 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary with us.

Or you could choose to visit the Poas volcano close to San José before taking your flight back home or to your next destination.

We didn't do it because a pretty bad experience in the streets of San José had us spend our last day in Costa Rica inside our AirBnB. 

Must read | The day we got mugged in Costa Rica (and why we would still go back)

Of course this is just a glimpse of what you could visit. Costa Rica has SO much more to offer.

We stayed a total of four weeks and there are huge parts we didn't even get to visit, partly because rainy season ain't so fun in these areas (flooded roads, constant rain, etc.).

Read on to see some alternative itineraries for your Costa Rica trip, in case you have a bit more time to spare.

Costa Rica itinerary alternatives

Two weeks in Costa Rica itinerary:

Caribbean paradise Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

You could add this stop between your adventures in Tortuguero and getting back to San José to see the Irazú volcano.

Add a few days in order to live the Caribbean life to the fullest!

Puerto Viejo is a super chill, laid-back town with lots of lovely restaurants and nightlife. Actually, when we went on our two weeks Belize holiday a few months later, we were reminded of that Caribbean vibe of Puerto Viejo when we visited Caye Caulker.

Where to stay in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

We stayed at the Cabinas Montesol right outside the main centre of Puerto Viejo. I say 'right outside' but Puerto Viejo is so small, it's only a 10 to 15 min walk to the bruising centre and the sea from here!

Small rooms but comfortable beds, a lovely community area that's open but roofed - it was really nice to work here while it was raining.

And the internet was super fast. We paid 25 € / 29,60 US$) per night for two.

Cahuita National Park

White beaches, turquoise sea, racoons, iguanas, capuchins and howler monkeys: Cahuita National Park is amazing!

We went there on two different days actually: one day in hiking gear (bad mistake: it was way too hot!), the next day with our swimming stuff just to relax at one of the numerous white beaches with crystal blue waters.

The walking trails are so easy to walk, most of the visitors did them in flip-flops - and you can do too!

Read also | Costa Rica's Caribbean side: incredibly beautiful

Three weeks in Costa Rica itinerary

La Fortuna Hot Springs

If you decide to stretch it out even more: add a day to La Fortuna and visit one of the several hot springs around the town.

A few of them are with free entrance, others got turned into a luxurious Spa.

La Fortuna coffee and chocolate tour

We actually missed out on doing a coffee and chocolate tour! As Costa Rica is famous for excellent coffee, this is a bummer and we want to go back just for that.

Check out these other activities your might be interested in doing in La Fortuna:

In conclusion

A 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary is doable but can be stressful. So if you can, stretch it out to two weeks to see all the highlights mentioned.

Add another week and you can venture out to the West or all the way down South. We missed a lot of beautiful places because we only had four weeks and were in the middle of rainy season.

Obviously, the country has so much more to offer and we can't wait to go back and explore some more in all honesty!

But with this 10 days itinerary in Costa Rica, you will have seen some of the major highlights that make this magnificent country so special.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and don't forget to comment, pin and share this for your next Costa Rican adventure!

As ever

xx

Cyn

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