A Costa Rica Itinerary: How to Spend 5 Days Zip Lining & More!
Our Costa Rica trip was one of my favorite trips we have done! It was full of adventure and so many fun things! Here is an adventurous Costa Rica itinerary for those who only have 5 days!
I told a friend exactly how we spent our 8 days in Costa Rica because it was epic and I think everyone would love it. However, she said “we only have 5 days.” I get it. As someone who travels around a “normal job,” shorter trips are often required!
So, here is how I would shorten our 8 day trip to an epic 5 day trip! Fly into San Jose, rent a car and spend your time around La Fortuna/Arenal and Monteverde!
- Summary of an Epic 5 Day Costa Rica Itinerary
- Day 1: Monteverde- Zip Lining
- Day 2: Monteverde Cloud Forest & Rio Celeste & Free Hot Springs
- Day 3: Hike Arenal 1968 Trails & Tabacon Hot Springs
- Day 4: Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall & Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
- Day 5: La Fortuna- White Water Rafting
- Final Thoughts on the Costa Rica Itinerary
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Summary of an Epic 5 Day Costa Rica Itinerary
This is going to be the PERFECT loop to/from San Jose airport! The location of all of these places makes it so easy to Start in San Jose, drive up to Monteverde, stop at Rio Celeste and continue to Arenal/La Fortuna!
A nice loop around Lake Arenal that will include epic zip lining, incredible waterfall hikes, white water rafting, volcano hiking and more!
- Day 1: Drive to Monteverde & Zip Line
- Day 2: Cloud Forest & Rio Celeste Waterfall
- Day 3: Hike Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Hot Springs
- Day 4: Hike La Fortuna Waterfall & Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
- Day 5: White Water Raft
One thing to know before heading to Costa Rica is that things are SPREAD OUT and the infrastructure can make for a slow journey. So, if something looks pretty close on a map, its still probably a good distance away.
Just be prepared to factor in some driving into your Costa Rica itinerary if you don’t want to stay in one spot the whole 5 days!
Also, to make this itinerary work, you really need to rent a car!
Here is everything you need to know about hiring a car!
Day 1: Monteverde- Zip Lining
The drive from San Jose airport to Monteverde is nearly 3 hours, so to make this itinerary work you need to land EARLY or, even better, the night before! Especially if you only have 5 days in Costa Rica!
Once you land, pick up your rental car (recommend!) and head to Monteverde!
Where to Stay in Monteverde?
Near Santa Elena
Santa Elena is located just north of Monteverde and is closer to the ziplining and has more accommodation and restaurant options!
Afternoon: Zip Line with 100% Adventura!
Zip lining was CREATED in Costa Rica and FOR SURE needs to be on your Costa Rica itinerary! There are loads of places to zip line and several different cities you can do it.
However, Monteverde is one of the BEST places in Costa Rica to zip line due to its altitude and unique rain forest!
We zip lined with 100% Adventura and it was SO MUCH FUN! It includes 9 regular zip lines, 2 superman zip lines, a rappel and an optional Tarzan swing.
If you are nervous about ziplining, know the setup of the zip line does a great job of easing you into it. You start with a short, pretty low zip line and then work your way up.
The staff was great and made you feel really comfortable as well!
YOU SHOULD KNOW: The last zip line tour is at 2:00 pm.
This means your flight needs to land NO LATER THAN 9:00 or 9:30 am! This gives you time to get through customs then pick your car up and drive the 3 hours to Monteverde.
Want to Zipline in Monteverde?!
We opted to zipline with 100% Adventura and we loved it!
-Cost: $67 per person
-Time: About 2 hours
Evening: Night Tropical Forest Tour
If you don’t visit Monteverde during rainy season, spend the evening take a night tour through the tropical forest!
We tried to do this, but we visited in October, which is rainy season. In every other part of Costa Rica we barely got rain. But in Monteverde, the rain began by early afternoon and didn’t stop until the next morning.
Costa Rica is known for its incredible biodiversity; one of the most diverse in the world!
You can find varieties of tree frogs, snakes and birds, sloths and more. Many of these are nocturnal or easier to find during the night. But, they are also hard to find unless you KNOW what you are looking for and where to look.
This is where the guided tour comes into play. If you just stroll through the jungle on your own, you likely will miss a lot of what there is to see (we learned our less on this in the cloud forest!)
See the Red-Eyed Tree Frog & More!
–Times: 5:30 pm or 8 pm
–Cost: ~28 USD
–Duration: 2 hours
Day 2: Monteverde Cloud Forest & Rio Celeste & Free Hot Springs
Wake up early and visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest and Reserve.
Morning: Monteverde Cloud Forest
Cloud forests are rare in the world; only a small percentage (like 1-2%!) of tropical forests fall into the cloud forest category.
You have to have the right altitude and exposure to mist and fog. And, when this happens, a really unique biodiversity of plants, flora, birds and more is created.
However, if you aren’t sure what you are looking for, it can be hard to appreciate the depth of the biodiversity in the cloud forest.
We opted to do a self-guided tour through the cloud forest (because it seemed like everything required a fee!)
We obviously noticed the fog among the trees and how GREEN everything was. However, without knowing what animals to be on the lookout for and where to be on the lookout, plus not knowing much about the plants and flora, we really felt like we sold ourselves short on the experience.
Plus, the hanging bridges were closed due to a tree falling on it, so that didn’t help either.
However, if I were to do the cloud forest over again, I would do it with a guide who knows what to look for and where to look for it.
With the tour being 2.5 hours, I would choose the 7:30am time so that you can leave by 10am.
Tour the Monteverde Cloud Forest!
–Times: 7:30 am and 11am
–Cost: ~$29 USD
–Duration: 2.5 hours
Afternoon: Rio Celeste
The drive from Monteverde to Rio Celeste is 2.5 hours. So, if you leave by 10:30 am you can be at the Rio Celeste trailhead by around 1:00pm!
Rio Celeste waterfall is THE blue waterfall you see all over the place. I know, its a bit of a drive. But really, its not far off the path from Monteverde to Arenal and worth adding to your Costa Rica itinerary!
Once you get to Arenal you will be done with most of the driving until you leave to go home!
And, in other good news is, the hike to Rio Celeste waterfall is easily enjoyed without a guide if you so wish to save some money!
The trail head has parking, restrooms and some of the best smoothies I had the whole trip!
There is a fee to hike the trail, which is about $7 per person, which you should have cash to pay with.
The hike from the trail head to the falls is about 2 hours and is relatively flat and easy until you get to the stairs that take you down to the waterfall.
The trail continues passed the waterfall, but you only get a view of the creek (no further view of the waterfall from above), so, for time sake, I don’t recommend doing that part of the hike.
If you have time, I recommend driving JUST a little ways down from the Rio Celeste trailhead where you can park and walk down to the river and see it up close and personal!
Everything you need to know about hiking to Rio Celeste Waterfall!
Evening: Free Hot Springs
From Rio Celeste, you only have about an hour and a half until you get to Arenal!
Assuming you hike for around 4 hours then maybe stop and get a smoothie then go take a dip in the river, its probably going to be dark when you arrive in Arenal (especially because the sun sets between 5:30 and 6:00 pm!)
Where to Stay in Near Arenal?
Hotel Lavas Tacotal
We stayed at Hotel Lavas Tacotal the night before splurging at Tabacon. It was clean, affordable and close to the FREE HOT SPRINGS! Recommend!
But, thats okay! Because I recommend visiting the free hot springs in Arenal and you can DEFINITELY visit at night!
We opted to visit during the evening due to having so many things we wanted to do and so little daylight.
A few things to know before visiting:
- It is located just across the street from Tabacon
- There is NO lighting. So bring either a flashlight or be prepared to use your phone light
- On that note, have a waterproof case for your phone that goes around your neck so you can still climb using both hands
- When we arrived at the springs we found a little pool that had a candle lit and sitting there. Someone had left it (which sounds sketchy in hindsight), but it was so nice to have it while we were there! So, consider bringing one, but make sure you do it responsibly and pack it out.
Day 3: Hike Arenal 1968 Trails & Tabacon Hot Springs
Spend day 3 your Costa Rica itinerary exploring the Arenal Volcano area! This is an epic part of Costa Rica with the perfectly symmetrical volcano and the natural hot springs that it produces!
Morning: Hike at Arenal 1968 Trails
You can’t visit Arenal without visiting the Arenal Volcano! Visit the Arenal 1968 trails to get awesome lava fields and vies of the volcano! It is made up of two main trails: the Volcano Trail and the Forest Trail.
With limited time, I recommend hiking just the Volcano Trail and then head back to the entrance and visit the cafe. The Forest Trail doesn’t add much scenery and you don’t get a great view of the volcano.
However, the Volcano Trail will take you through the lava fields and will provide great volcano views throughout the trail!
Once you are done hiking, head to the cafe where you will find one of the BEST views of the volcano!
Entry: $17 USD per person
Afternoon: Tabacon Hot Springs
After working up a sweat in the morning, spend the afternoon enjoying the INCREDIBLE hot springs of Tabacon Resort!
There are a lot of great hot springs that stem naturally from the Arenal Volcano, but Tabacon probably has the biggest and most luxurious collection of springs.
The hot springs pools are well-made with concrete or flat rock bottoms that makes it more comfortable to sit in. And many of the pools have waterfalls flowing in or out of them which makes it feel like you are in a natural hot springs pool.
Plus, there are pools with a swim-up bars and you get head to the Shangri-la Area for an adults only experience.
You can opt to do a day pass to Tabacon Hot Springs, or you get access to the springs with a stay at the resort.
You should do some calculating. Depending on how many people you are traveling with and what time of year you are visiting, you may not pay a LOT more to stay a night at the Tabacon Resort than you would buying day passes.
We paid about $375 for a night in October (which is off-season). For us, traveling with three, we were able to split the cost of the room 3 ways ($125 per person) so the difference between the day passes ($80 then) and the nightly rate was only about $45 per person for the night!
Experience a Night of Luxury!
Day passes to Tabacon are about $99-$125 per person now.
Even if you are traveling as a couple, day passes will be at least $200.
Depending on what time of year you visit, the remaining price of a night at Tabacon may be comparable to other nearby hotels.
I do recommend booking this in advance, though. It is popular and prices will go UP the more it books up!
Day 4: Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall & Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
Arenal and La Fortuna are VERY close to each other, so they are often combined together as a “location.”
However, I recommend staying a couple nights closer to Arenal, the volcano and the hot springs and then drive to La Fortuna and stay closer to the main town of the area.
Morning: Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall
Spend the morning hiking to another epic waterfall in Costa Rica, the La Fortuna waterfall.
Though not gatorade blue like Rio Celeste waterfall, it is much taller and is located in a gorge that is beautiful.
The hike isn’t long, but it is steep. There are about 552 steps that lead down to the waterfall, and yes, you have to climb them back out as well!
Good news is, you CAN swim in this waterfall area (unlike Rio Celeste waterfall.) So wear a swim suit and enjoy the COOL water at the bottom.
A few things to know:
- Cost: $20 USD per person (one thing you will learn quickly is that everything costs money in CR)
- There are no restrooms at the bottom of the waterfall, so do your business before you hike down
- The waterfall is powerful, so be careful when swimming in the hole directly under it. However, there are nice spots further down the stream that are slower moving
- To get to the water you have to climb over rocks, most of which are slippery. So, be agile and bring the proper shoes!
Book Skip-the-Line Tickets to La Fortuna Waterfall or read everything you need to know about hiking to La Fortuna waterfall!
Afternoon: Explore Downtown La Fortuna
Once you get back from your hike, take some time to explore the town of La Fortuna. Here you can grab some lunch and do a little shopping!
La Fortuna has a nice town square centered around a park and beautiful church. Around this area you’ll find a lot of restaurant options as well as little shops to buy your refrigerator magnet and more!
It doesn’t take long to walk the downtown area, so get your food and your fill of shopping and then head to another hot springs!
Evening: Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
Can you have too many hot sprigs visits? I don’t know. But after climbing up and down stairs and doing all of the Costa Rican activities it is nice to enjoy a hot springs!
Volcano Lodge is another great place to get a good collection of hot springs pools.
You can either opt to stay a night here (since you probably don’t want to pay the price of Tabacon twice!), OR, you can stay at San Bosco Inn which grants you access to the hot springs at Volcano Lodge!
We opted for the latter since we had already splurged on the night at Tabacon. San Bosco is nothing fancy by any means but it was clean and had a great location in La Fortuna that was walking distance to loads of restaurants and shops.
| Volcano Lodge Hotel and Thermal Experience | San Bosco Inn |
| -Closer to Arenal -3 star hotel -Cost: ~$250 a night | -Downtown La Fortuna -3 star hotel -Cost: $75 a night |
Day 5: La Fortuna- White Water Rafting
Another of our favorite activities on our Costa Rica itinerary was white water rafting!
Morning/Afternoon: Go White Water Rafting!
The Balsa River is a popular place to go water rafting class in the La Fortuna area. It consists of either class 2/3 or 3/4 rapids, so you can choose how intense you want your float to be.
With a GREAT recommendation by someone we met at the hot springs, we opted to raft with Arenal Rafting Company, and it was such a good experience!
They picked us up at our hotel, provided fresh fruit on the water, cooked us lunch when we returned, pointed out a sloth and a point dart frog and really just made us feel comfortable and provided fun throughout the whole experience!
Cost: Around $68 per person for the class 2/3 and about $85 per person for the class 3/4 rapid float.
White Water Raft with Arenal Rafting Company
This was one of the TOP things we did while in Costa Rica! (along with ziplining ๐) We really enjoyed our tour with Arenal Rafting Company. They were organized, safe and fun!
Afternoon/Evening: La Fortuna Nightlife or Another Hot Spring
Rafting will make for a pretty full day. Start times are around 9:00 am and last about 5 hours, so once you get done and dropped off at your hotel, you won’t have a LOT of daylight left.
But, this is your last evening in Costa Rica! Aside from getting all packed up, you have a couple of options for your last night.
You can either:
- Enjoy some farewell drinks in downtown La Fortuna
- Go back to Volcano Lodge Hot Springs (since it will be included if you are staying at San Bosco!)
- Or you can check out another hot springs!
There are no shortages of resorts in this area with hot springs!
Paradise Hot Springs is a 5 star hotel that offers a day pass for around $47 per adult (little less for kids.)
The Royal Corin Thermal Water and Spa is an adult only resort that offers a day pass and dinner for $85 per person.
There are lots of options! Baldi is another popular one, but it is a 3 star hotel with not as good reviews for the same price as Paradise Hot Springs.
Final Thoughts on the Costa Rica Itinerary
If you like to DO things on your trip, you will really like Costa Rica! This Costa Rica itinerary just scratches the surfaces of what the country can offer! But, I promise you won’t be bored!
Again, if you can fly in late the night before this itinerary, it will really free up your first day a little.
Or, if you are convinced you would want to spend more days in Costa Rica, here is our 8 day Costa Rica itinerary that starts in Manuel Antonio where you can get LOTS of sloth and monkey sights plus a pitstop to see the wild crocodiles of Rio Tarcoles!
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