If you are planning for 8 days in Costa Rica, here is a fun, action-packed itinerary to fill your days! There is SO MUCH to do in Costa Rica. Nearly every town offers unique outdoor experiences, beautiful hikes, jungles and/or abundant wildlife. We met at least 3 people on our trip that were on a one month trip around Costa Rica. Being as we have jobs and don’t have the luxury of a month of travel, we had to narrow down our destinations.
As we did research and laid out all the popular places to visit in Costa Rica, we narrowed it down to western Costa Rica because:
- We knew we wanted to see the Arenal Volcano
- We wanted to zip-line through the rainforest in Monteverde
- Soaking in the hot springs was on the to-do list
- Travel time from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean coast can take 3-4 hours so we didn’t want to spend that much time traveling
Summary of our 8-Day Costa Rica Itinerary
In Summation: we stayed
- Manuel Antonio: 2 nights
- Monteverde: 2 nights
- Arenal: 2 nights
- La Fortuna: 2 nights
For details on how we filled our 8 days (9th day= travel day) then keep reading!!
Saturday: Day 1
We took a 5:30 am flight out of the US with arrival time of noon in Costa Rica! After picking up a rental car (recommended way to explore Costa Rica), head out of San Jose toward Manuel Antonio!
- Drive time from San Jose airport to Manuel Antonio= 3hours
- Account for extra time to get through customs and to get your rental car
- Upon arrival to Manuel Antonio, it was dark (Sunset ~5:30 pm in October!)
- Have dinner at Rafeals if it is open (recommend by our hotel staff!)
Sunday: Day 2
Morning: Manuel Antonio National Park
- Prepare to spend around 3 hours in the park (give or take). This allowed enough to visit the beach, stop and look at the monkeys and do the hike we wanted to do.
- Be sure to pre-purchase your tickets here (required!!). TO NOTE: You will have to create a login to purchase tickets!
Lunch: We opted for a grocery store-bought lunch at an overlook on the side of the main road. I don’t know the exact location, but as you drive through town keep your eyes peeled for a pull-off with incredible ocean views!
- One of the highlights of the whole trip: 6 Scarlet Macaws flew by in pairs 😍
Afternoon: Zip Coaster
- We spent about an hour and a half doing the zip-coaster. It was relatively in-expensive and we saw a sloth in the trees the coaster started!
- FYI: The zip-coaster doesn’t really “zip”. It is slow-type of ride and takes you through the tree canopies.
Dinner: El Wagon
- We enjoyed this restaurant. It has a patio with jungle views (it was raining when we went and it was such a Costa Rica “vibe” as bad as I hate using that word 🙃.)
Click here for a FULL guide to Manuel Antonio!!
Monday: Day 3
Travel day Manuel Antonio to Monteverde and the drive is about 3 hours. I recommend two pit-stops on the way there!
- Pitstop #1- Rio Tarcoles to see the wild crocodiles
- Have you seen a crocodile in the wild before? Neither had I!
- FREE AND WORTH IT
- You don’t have to veer off your path from Manuel>Monteverde, but you have to be driving yourself around CR in order to make the pitstop.
- You can park on the side of the street and walk onto the bridge to see the crocodiles below!
- Pitstop #2- the black sand beach in Jaco!
- It is right off the road and we stumbled upon it by accident, but it is such a beautiful black sand beach!
- The road to Monteverde was wild. Potholes, steep, curvy and at one point the pavement was washed out and we thought we had gone the wrong way, but we weren’t so know that you just have to keep trucking along
Afternoon/Evening:
- Monteverde arrival: around 1:00 pm.
- Have lunch at Taco Taco if you are into great tacos and DELICIOUS passionfruit margaritas 😍
- If you are visiting Monteverde during dry season, try for a night jungle tour! We went during Monteverde’s rainy season and it POURED in the evenings, so we opted out and kind of had a waste of a late afternoon/evening.
- If you are traveling during rainy season I recommend to have an indoor event planned!
Tuesday: Day 4
We woke up to BEAUTIFUL clear skies.
Morning:
- Head straight to the cloud forest of Monteverde
- $25 per person
- The hanging bridge was closed due to a tree falling on, we didn’t’ see any wildlife on our self-guided tour and the waterfall was underwhelming compared to others we saw on the trip.
- In my humble opinion, it wasn’t worth $25, especially without the hanging bridges. However, I know there is a diverse ecosystem here, so maybe it would be better with a guide!
Afternoon:
- A Costa Rica itinerary isn’t complete without zip-lining!
- We chose to do it through 100% Adventura and I 100% recommend the company!
- It POURED through nearly the entire zipline, but everything was well-organized, sturdy and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable.
- $55 per person
Evening:
- We got our car stuck in the airbnb driveway 🙃
- The owner graciously helped get us out and her dad cooked us a delicious Costa Rican meal 😍
- It turned out great, but recommend 4-wheel drive when renting a car in Costa Rica and, again, be prepared for the October rains in Monteverde!
Wednesday: Day 5
Travel Monteverde to Arenal, which is about 4.5 hours total. However, I recommend a pit stop at Rio Celeste waterfall (3 hours from Monteverde to here):
- I’ve never seen a waterfall and creek with SUCH blue water! Looks like a waterfall of Gatorade!
- The hike is about two hours to the falls. There are additional trails that go beyond the falls, and we went on one expecting a view of the falls from the top. However, you CAN’T see the waterfall further down the trail, so I really don’t recommend doing this extra part of the hike.
Noted: If it has just freshly rained, the water MAY NOT be the blue color you see here and on Instagram. It can become browner and murky and then it WON’T BE WORTH IT AT ALL!
- Know that there is a $7 entry Fee per person and there is no swimming allowed at the falls.
- However, once you leave the parking lot, a little further down the road you will see the blue creek water running that you can walk down to and dip your toes in!
After the hike it is about a 1.5 drive from Rio Celeste to Arenal.
Dinner:
- Arenal area has less options than La Fortuna
- We ate at Que Rico based on a recommendation from the hotel staff. Tilapia stuffed with shrimp was 😍
Evening:
- After dinner take a night swim in the free hot springs! RECOMMEND!
- Located across the street from Tabacon hotel
- It isn’t well-lit to take a headlamp! Also recommend taking a candle to light and sit beside you while you relax in the spring!
Thurdsay: day 6
Morning:
- Hike the Arenal Volcano National Park
- There are two main trails: The Volcano Trail and the Forest Trail
- The Volcano Trail can lead to the Forest Trail, or you can turn back to the entrance
- I recommend hiking the Volcano Trail back to the entrance and then taking a left from the entrance to the restaurant for a nice view of the volcano
- The Forest Trail along the lake didn’t provide anymore views of the volcano and the lake was green and not a good view (kind of felt like a waste of time.)
- Entry is $17 per person
Lunch:
- After you hike , have lunch at El Novillo del Arenal which has a great view of the volcano (depending on your seat) and good food!
Evening:
- Tabacon
- We splurged for a night at the Tabacon because the thought of the beautiful resort surrounded by hot springs fed by the volcano was too appealing!
- One night at the hotel gives you access to the springs until 10 pm the next night.
- Entry into the springs is typically $80 by itself. So, with the hotel stay, it was only about $40 more per person
**Warning: we found fly larvae (little red worm-looking things) in our swimsuits when we got out. I’d rather not share this information, but it is worth you knowing so you can check and shower off ASAP!*
Friday: Day 7
Morning:
- Free breakfast included with the stay
- Hike to the La Fortuna waterfall
- Cost $18
- The hike is only about a 20 minutes to the waterfall on a nice and paved trail. However, know that there are 552 steps down (and back UP!)
- You ARE allowed to swim in this waterfall
- Note, though, that there are no bathrooms at the waterfall. There is one at the parking lot, so take advantage of it before you climb down!
Evening:
- Hot springs at Tabacon
- If you opt to stay at the Tabacon on Thursday, you have access to the springs for two nights! Take advantage of it!
Saturday: Day 8
Morning:
- White water Rafting
- On more than one occasion we had recommendations to do water rafting in La Fortuna
- Arenal Rating Company was recommended by someone who had rafted the day before, and I will continue the recommendation! It was a blast. The staff was great and a homemade, wonderful lunch was provided at the end
- Click here for more info on rafting with Arenal Rafting Company!
Evening:
- Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
- Staying at the San Bosco hotel provides free entry into the springs of Volcano Lodge. San Bosco is no fancy hotel, but it was clean enough for us and we enjoyed being able to see another spring. Also, it is on the list of free pick-ups with Arenal Rafting Company!
Sunday: Day 9
Travel day back to the US, and back to work on Monday 😜
8 Days in Costa Rica Recap
If you are planning a trip, I hope this Costa Rica itinerary helps! We chose an itinerary where we could make the most of the 8 days in Costa Rica and check off the adventures we had on our list. Our thoughts after the trip:
- It felt well spaced-out
- If you are traveling in October or anytime during “rainy season,” I recommend not staying in Monteverde for long. You only get about half a day without rain in Monteverde each day.
- I definitely recommend Zip-lining in Monteverde, but I suggest making it a pitstop or only staying one night during rainy season.
If you are looking for adventure, Costa Rica has it! Enjoy your time and Pura Vida!!