The Best Way to Spend 8 Days in Costa Rica!
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, it can be hard to narrow down where to go and what to do!
Costa Rica is a big country and the time it takes to drive from one place to another can really effect where you can go, especially if you only have one week in Costa Rica.
We prioritized wildlife and adventure! This 8 day itinerary includes wildlife (sloths, monkeys, crocodiles) in Manuel Antonio, zip lining in Monteverde and volcano hiking, hot springs and white water rafting in Arenal/La Fortuna!
This is still one of our favorite trips we have taken! Here is how to spend your week in Costa Rica!
- Summary of our 8 Days in Costa Rica
- Saturday: Day 1- Arrival in San Jose and Drive to Manuel Antonio
- Sunday: Day 2- Manuel Antonio National Park
- Monday: Day 3- Jaco Beach, Rio Tarcoles Crocs and Monteverde
- Tuesday: Day 4- Monteverde Cloud Forest & Zip Lining
- Wednesday: Day 5- Rio Celeste & Free Hot Springs
- Thursday: Day 6- Arenal 1968 Volcano Trails & Tabacon Hot Springs
- Friday: Day 7- La Fortuna Waterfall & Hot Springs
- Saturday: Day 8- White Water Rafting & Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
- Sunday: Last of your 8 days in Costa Rica
- 8 Days in Costa Rica Recap
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Summary of our 8 Days in Costa Rica
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 zipline through the cloud forest 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
In Summation:
- Manuel Antonio: 2 nights
- Monteverde: 2 nights
- Arenal: 2 nights
- La Fortuna: 2 nights
Saturday: Day 1- Arrival in San Jose and Drive to Manuel Antonio
To maximize your first day and get to Manual Antonio at a decent hour, I recommend catching an EARLY flight to get you to San Jose around noon!
For this itinerary, I HIGHLY suggest renting a car.
You can get to many of the main cities via bus, but trying to get to specific hikes, waterfalls, etc can be difficult.
Rent directly through a car rental agency rather than a 3rd party (such as Expedia) to avoid unforeseen fees.
Here is everything you need to know about hiring a car in Costa Rica!
After picking up a rental car, head out of San Jose toward Manuel Antonio!
The drive time from San Jose airport to Manuel Antonio is around 3 hours.
Even if you land pretty early, by the time you get through customs and pick up your rental car, you will likely arrive in Manuel Antonio after sunset (which is usually between 5:30 and 6 pm!)
If you want a dinner recommendation, try Rafeals! Our hotel staff recommended it, but it was closed when we arrived 🙁
Where to Stay in Manuel Antonio?
Alma Vida Hotel
Again, I recommend staying between Manuel Antonio and the entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park on rd 618. Alma Vida Hotel has a great location and is a bit cheaper than some of the hotels in this area.
Sunday: Day 2- Manuel Antonio National Park
Spend day 2 exploring Manual Antonio!
Morning: Manuel Antonio National park
Manual Antonio National Park is a must when you are in this area! If you are on the mission to see sloths, this is where you want to be!
There is literally a path in the park called “Perezoso Trail” which directly translates to SLOTH TRAIL!
Aside from the sloth trail, there are several trails that go along the beaches as well as up into the jungle.
Prepare to spend around 3 hours in the park (give or take). This allowed us enough to visit the beach, stop and look at the monkeys and do several hikes.
Be sure to pre-purchase your tickets here (required!!). NOTE: You will have to create a login to purchase tickets!
See manuel Antonio with a Nature Specialis!
Not confident you can see the sloths and wildlife on your own? Let someone who knows the area help find the wildlife and provide information on the park!
–Duration: 2 hours
–Price: ~45 euros (entry tickets included)
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: Ride the Zip Coaster
Spend the afternoon exploring a little more of Manuel Antonio. It isn’t a very big town, but it has great coastal vibes and you can see even more wildlife in town (monkeys, macaws, etc).
One thing you can do in the middle of town is the zip coaster. This is a pretty inexpensive activity that will take you through the tree canopies where you can sometimes see more wildlife.
It also only takes about an hour a half to complete. BUT, 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- Jaco Beach, Rio Tarcoles Crocs and Monteverde
Day 3 will be one of the cheapest days of your 8 days in Costa Rica! It will be a travel day from Manuel Antonio to Monteverde and the drive is about 3 hours. I recommend two pit-stops on the way there!
Morning: Black Sand Beach & Crocodiles!
On your drive from Manuel Antonio to Monteverde, you will pass two great spots that don’t even require you to venture too far off your path!
The first pit-stop is at Jaco.
This is a cute little town on the coast.
From the highway you will pass by a lookout with a great view of the ocean, but the star of Jaco may be the black sand beach!
The second stop is at the famous Rio Tarcoles crocodiles!
This stop requires NO veering off the path. As you drive down the highway, you will come upon a bridge that literally says “crocodile bridge” on the GPS.
Find parking on the side of the road and stroll onto the bridge (it has pedestrian walkways.)
I had never seen crocodiles in the wild, so this was a cool experience!
Now, they ARE wild, so how many you see will be up to them. But we saw at least 5 or 6 while sitting there for only about 30-40 minutes.
KNOW THOUGH: You have to be driving yourself around CR in order to make the pitstop.
The road to Monteverde is a little 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: Lunch & Night Tour
If you leave Monteverde at a decent time, you should arrive to Monteverde by about 1:00 pm, even with the pitstops.
I recommend having lunch at Taco Taco if you are into great tacos and DELICIOUS passionfruit margaritas 😍
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!
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!
See the Red-Eyed Tree Frog & More!
–Times: 5:30 pm or 8 pm
–Cost: ~28 USD
–Duration: 2 hours
Tuesday: Day 4- Monteverde Cloud Forest & Zip Lining
Finish exploring Monteverde!
Morning: Monteverde Cloud Forest and Reserve
Head straight to the cloud forest of Monteverde in the morning!
Cloud forests are super rare (like 1-2% of the worlds rain forests,) so I think its a cool experience to have while in Monteverde!
However, going into the forest ourselves, we obviously noticed the fog and incredible greenery. But we saw very little wildlife and didn’t know much about the rare flora.
The cloud forest has an incredibly diverse ecosystem, so I think it would be a completely different experience if we had chosen to go with a guide!
Cost without a guide: ~$25 per person
Tour the Monteverde Cloud Forest!
–Times: 7:30 am and 11am
–Cost: ~$29 USD (entry ticket not included)
–Duration: 2.5 hours
Afternoon: Go Zip Lining!!
A Costa Rica itinerary isn’t complete without zip lining! The best place to do this in Costa Rica (in my opinion) is Monteverde! This is actually where zip lining was created!
Plus, it has some of the highest and longest zip lines in Costa Rica and will give you the best Costa Rica zip line experience!
We chose to go with 100% Adventura and I 100% recommend the company!
It POURED through nearly the entire zip line, but everything was well-organized, sturdy and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable!
Want to Zipline in Monteverde?!
We opted to zipline with 100% Adventura and we loved it!
–Cost: $67 per person
–Time: About 2 hours
Tip from Experience:
We got our car stuck in the airbnb driveway 🙃
Though the owner of our AirBnb graciously helped get us out and her dad cooked us a delicious Costa Rican meal 😍 and it turned out great, I don’t recommend it.
So be sure to get a 4-wheel drive when renting a car in Costa Rica if you are visiting during rainy season!
Wednesday: Day 5- Rio Celeste & Free Hot Springs
Make your way from Monteverde to La Fortuna/Arenal area. I recommend making another pitstop to hike to Rio Celeste waterfall!
The drive from Monteverde to Arenal is about 4.5 total hours, so making the pitstop will break up your drive and get you a little exercise as well!
Morning: Hike to Rio Celeste Waterfall
The drive from Monteverde to the Rio Celeste trailhead is about 3 hours.
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!
Everything you need to know about hiking Rio Celeste waterfall!
After the hike it is about a 1.5 drive from Rio Celeste to Arenal.
Guided Tour to Rio Celeste
Still not feeling the rental car thing? But still want to visit Rio Celeste? You can take a full day tour to Rio Celeste from La Fortuna!
Evening: Free Hot Springs!
I recommend spending 4 days in the Arenal/La Fortuna area. They are close together, but far enough apart that it is convenient to have a stay in both places. Plus, there is PLENTY to do in both areas! So, start in Arenal, which is the closest from Monteverde!
By the time you make it to Arenal, it will likely be dark. So grab some dinner and then head to the free hot springs!
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 😍
After dinner take a night swim in the free hot springs! RECOMMEND! This free hot springs is located just across the street from Tabacon hotel and is such a unique experience!
Whereas your other hot springs experiences in the area will likely be within a hotel or resort and more organized, sometimes concreted pools, this is just a creek! This stream if fed from underneath the Arenal volcano and it is super cool!
It isn’t well-lit so take a headlamp or some source of light!
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!
Thursday: Day 6- Arenal 1968 Volcano Trails & Tabacon Hot Springs
Day 6 of your 8 days in Costa rica consists of a little hiking around Arenal Volcano and then relaxing in hot springs!
Morning: Hike Arenal 1968
Spend the morning hiking the trails at Arenal 1968!
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
Afternoon: Lunch With a View Then Tabacon Resort and Hot Springs!
Spend the afternoon with a lunch view then enjoy some EPIC hot springs at Tabacon!
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!
I had the traditional Costa Rican lunch and it was great!
After lunch, head to Tabacon Resort! You can opt to either do a day pass here (which has increased to about $90 per person), or you can stay a night which includes access to the hot springs.
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.
It was about $375 for one night in October (off-season), but we split this cost three ways and the day pass was $80 by itself (when we went). So, with the hotel stay, it was only about $40 more per person, so it was justifiable for us!
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!
Friday: Day 7- La Fortuna Waterfall & Hot Springs
Spend the next day hiking to another waterfall and enjoying another hot springs!
Morning: Hike to la Fortuna Waterfall
La Fortuna waterfall is another popular waterfall in the area, but for good reason!
Though not as blue as Rio Celeste Waterfall, it is much higher and more powerful and is in a beautiful gorge!
Cost $20
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!
Everything you need to know about hiking to La Fortuna Waterfall!
Take a Guided Tour to La Fortuna Waterfall and Arenal Volcano! Best Bang for your buck!
Evening: Take Advantage of Your Second Night at Tabacon
If you opt to stay at Tabacon, you have access to the hot springs until about 10pm the following evening. So take advantage of it and get your moneys worth!
If don’t opt to stay a night (and just do the day pass), try out a different hot springs on this night! There is NO SHORTAGE of hot springs in this area.
Paradise Hot Springs is a 5 star hotel that offers a day pass for around $47 per adult (little less for kids.
Or The Royal Corin Thermal Water and Spa is an adult only resort that offers a day pass and dinner for $85 per person.
Saturday: Day 8- White Water Rafting & Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
Saturday was one of my favorite days of our 8 days in Costa Rica 😍
Morning: White Water Rafting
Like zip lining, I think white water rafting is a must in Costa Rica! The La Fortuna area is a great place to do it!
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
White Water Raft with Arenal Rafting Company
This was one of the TOP things we did while in Costa Rica! (along with ziplining 😍) We really enjoyed our tour with Arenal Rafting Company. They were organized, safe and fun!
Evening: Volcano Lodge Hot Springs
After the wild day of white water rafting, decompress at Volcano Lodge Hot Springs!
You can stay at the Volcano Lodge directly, which is a really nice hotel and will be cheaper than the Tabacon while still having really great hot springs
Or, if you want to stay more budget-friendly, 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: Last of your 8 days in Costa Rica
Travel day home and back to work on Monday 😜 (so technically 8.5 days 😬)
Your drive from La Fortuna to San Jose will be about about 3 hours, so PLAN YOUR FLIGHTS ACCORDINGLY!
You also need to make time to drop off your rental car as well, so you won’t want to book a flight any earlier than probably 2-3:00pm to be safe.
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 ziplining 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!!
Don’t have 8 days to go to Costa Rica? Here is how I would condense this into a 5 day itinerary to Costa Rica!
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