Weatherwise, the best time to visit this city is at the beginning or end of the dry season, when the heat is still tame. Recreo. The Ultimate 5-Day Costa Rica Itinerary | Exploring Guanacaste & Arenal This 5-Day Costa Rica Itinerary is perfect for those flying into Liberia who want to explore beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and volcanoes. It is also geared for those who are more on a budget and/or are backpackers. However, the final ascent up to Monteverde is an unpaved, winding road. This drive takes about 4.5 hours. heading back to San Jose to return your rental car and get settled before departing the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Today, tourism is fast becoming a significant contributor to the economy. Liberia is a great travel destination with a lot to do and see, but sometimes you need to get away and explore the surrounding areas. La Fortuna has a medium sized town and many small to medium resorts outside of town. The itinerary has been optimized in such a way that you get a taste of beaches, cloud forests, waterfalls, hot springs, volcanoes, wildlife, but without much hassle of long distance travels. Get to the heart of Liberia with one of our in-depth, There are a few different ways to get from Monteverde to La Fortuna, but we recommend the jeep-boat-jeep. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Home to Costa Ricas second largest international airport, and just a stones throw from the border with Nicaragua (and some of the countrys most spectacular beaches), Liberia has long been a transportation hub and pit stop for travelers in the region. 2020 ThemeSphere. For this 1 week in Costa Rica, you will need to rent a car. There are many flights to Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a great destination for nature seekers. Destinations: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, La Fortuna and Monteverde. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Click to read our Costa Rica 1 month itinerary. So you can conclude the day with a dinner at a nice restaurant. As you glide in air, enjoy the views of the vast expanse of the cloud forests. This one week itinerary goes fast as you are visiting three destinations in 7 days. I would recommend starting with Monteverde. 160 Reviews . If you are re-energized after all the days rest, you can still fit in a Monteverde activity on this Day 3 of your Costa Rica 10 day itinerary. You can find several different hiking trails up into the lava fields. Known colloquially as the "Ciudad Blanca" (White City) due to its whitewashed houses, Liberia is the only town in Costa Rica that seems truly colonial in style and character. Costa Rica is an amazing destination for kids. The group of zip-lining tour customers is always accompanied by a professional crew. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. With various ongoing conservation efforts, Monteverde has retained its natural biodiversity and thus is home to several species of flora and fauna. If you want more beach time, you can also head to Nosara on day 4. You can also find one free hot spring spot in town and you just need to park on the side of the road and walk down a short path to enjoy the springs. But you will be burning a lot of calories as the day involves quite a few hours of walking. One can include a tour of this museum, if interested. Due to Beccas upset stomach, we saved those activities for Day 4. For more details, read our complete guide to Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. Rafiki Safari Lodge. With an expanding international airport, Liberia is a safer and more chilled-out Costa Rican gateway than San Jos. There are so many options of amazing places to stay and awesome things to do that putting together the perfect Costa Rica 7-day Itinerary can be difficult. Also, walk on the Insta-famous Avellanas Bridge. At the very least, we recommend enjoying your time at the beach because its not necessarily going to be as sunny or warm in the rainforest where you go next. One such bird is the elusive Resplendent Quetzal. So, you are never far from the elements of nature in Monteverde. Enjoy Some Hot Springs Thanks to the thermal activity related to the Arenal Volcano, you can find many hot springs in the area. west of Liberia and just a 30-60 min. Its also become a haven for people seeking eco-friendly vacations. If you are not comfortable driving in a foreign country, you can ask your hotels to arrange for airport transfers and pick-up and drop-off between destinations. Check out this Costa Rica itinerary if San Jose airport works better for you as points of arrival and departure. There are many other hostels and hotels to book in Monteverde as well if Casa Jungle isnt what youre looking for. Costa Rica / April 4, 2022 . Visit Proyecto Asis This is a small animal rescue located near La Fortuna. . Bajo del Tigre is a small sector of the largest reserve in Costa Rica, Childrens Eternal Rainforest. Driving distance: 156 km. Samara Beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. In addition to the beach at sunset, we also saw lots of monkeys and a boa constrictor. We searched many different sites, but ultimately booked through Kiwi.com but I encourage you to check multiple platforms to find the best deal. 2023 Lonely Planet, a Red Ventures company. The ride from Tamarindo to Monteverde is pretty smooth most of the way. Most adventure parks in Monteverde offer both the tours, individually and as combo, which you can also pair with some other lighter activities, based on the package you purchase. Receive an early booking discount! For organized guided tours, check out these options. You will experience beach, rainforest and nature but you will not have a ton of time to do excursions so you need to manage your time and choose your activities wisely. Apart from its cloud forests, this mountain town is also known for several exciting activities and attractions, and hence your next couple of days in Monteverde are going to be packed. The latter is the one next to the Hacienda Guachipelin property and thus the one you can visit easily on this day. Enjoy the views of this wildly beautiful waterfall from the viewing deck. The shuttle will take about 1.5 hours. Read 24,353 traveler reviews and view photos of different trips from Liberia to various destinations. Sign up for a coffee farm tour which lasts for about 2 to 2.5 hours. Re: 7 day itinerary help.split Arenal/Guanacaste from Liberia 2 years ago Save There are plenty of places to stay near Arenal. Dress accordingly the only people wearing jeans here are locals. This sample 5 day Guanacaste itinerary helps you decide where in Guanacaste to stay, what to do and how to get around. If you keep driving southwards from Playa Avellanas, you will come across a few other beaches within a distance of 10 km (6.2 miles), each having its own character. Costa Rica itinerary from liberia Arrival to Liberia Airport Daniel Oduber Quirs, Guanacaste - only a few miles from the closest beach, makes it an ideal gateway to some of the most spectacular and exclusive destinations in Costa Rica Written by: Trip Advisor Date published: 01/12/2016 5 / 5 stars Weather. From La Fortuna, you can also take a side trip to the magical Rio Celeste waterfall. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Gretchen is here to share 15+ years of experience working in outdoor education and 13 years of parenting and sharing adventures with her own family. To create a new feed, first connect to YouTube using the "Connect to YouTube to Create a Feed" button on the settings page and connect any account. It is a beautiful place to visit and you can go into several different areas to see different species of butterflies. Stop for provisions or for a meal at Caf Restaurant Europa. Walking on the hanging bridges is a hiking activity of about 2 to 2.5 hours. There is a hotel property by the same name, Hotel Playa Nagra right on the beach, which makes activity at Playa Negra a little more prominent. Were sharing our exact itinerary below, but if you scroll down we also have suggestions for other itineraries or ideas on how to shorten or lengthen your trip. Please contact us for help planning your trip to Costa Rica. HOTEL DEL RiO. The capital of the northwestern province of Guanacaste, known as the White City because its streets were once paved with cascajo (a powdery white gravel) and lined with whitewashed adobe houses, looks rather different today. Liberia is also known to be one of Costa Ricas driest cities and compared to the rest of the country, it doesnt get much rain. That is why the nighttime is also quite active in Tamarindo. Here are some of our accommodation recommendations for your Costa Rica 10 day itinerary. Warning:It will be difficult to sleep, read, eat, or generally look down from the road on this part. Please feel free to send us an email. Once the wedding festivities were finished, we picked up our rental van at Liberia airport and headed on a two-week-long road trip to Costa Rica's National Parks. Volcano-Waterfall and Hot Springs Combo ( Private) 140. from $180 per adult. The sunny rural capital of Guanacaste has long served as a transportation hub to Nicaragua, as well as being the standard-bearer of Costa Ricas sabanero (cowboy) culture. This is also the most popular time to visit and the most crowded. The entire beach lights up and you can watch the surfers out having fun. We took our 2 oldest kids and spent a morning going down a series of waterfalls. Quite precise itinerary. If heights arent your thing, check out 100% Aventuras other offerings like ATV riding, horseback riding, or their hanging bridges tours. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. And you also get to learn more about the natural biodiversity of the area. The organization uses funds raised through tours to help rehabilitate rescued animals in Costa Rica. Monteverde is one of the very few places in Costa Rica where you can spot this majestic looking bird. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Check Availability. Although Playa Avellanas is a favorite beach among the locals of Costa Rica, organized tourism is yet to catch up here. Ocean waves crash on pristine beaches. Looking for new places. In this one week itinerary for Costa Rica, you fly in to Liberia and fly out of San Jos. You can book this tour in many different ways, but you should definitely book in advance. As a complete beginner, this was probably not the best place to learn as the waves were quite big. Must rent a car for the ultimate road trip adventure. 00:00 / 00:00. The tour guides shared lots of information about the rainforest and we were able to see monkeys and enjoyed the walk through the canopy. Time: 3.5hrs. But Tamarindo is always bustling. be sure and spend a day at the adjacent Playa Carrillo which is even prettier (but no facilities or lodging there). Click the link to read our 13 days in Costa Rica itinerary. We've already seen Arenal, Poas, and Manuel Antonio. Day 4, Travel to Monteverde. Includes rainforest, beach, volcano and cloud forest. Hailed as one of Costa Rica's most popular sights, this 1,670m high geothermal wonder last erupted in 2010 and has remained quiet ever since. Read this post for details on the trails and viewpoints of Curi Cancha reserve and how to book the tour. This error message is only visible to WordPress admins, http://mytravelbf.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/IMG_7702.mp4, 20 Photos That Will Make You Want to Visit Costa Rica, Things We Love About Living Abroad in Spain, 4 Fantastic Bars for Tapas in Alcal de Henares, How to Spend One Day in Segovia: Day Trip From Madrid. Help! 266. from $230 per adult. It is a less developed beach in a village of the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. Check out the Nosara Biological Reserve This is a large, private reserve. 1 review 9 day COSTA RICA itinerary suggestions from Liberia airport 4 years ago Save I am going on a 9 day/8night trip to/from Liberia in Jan 2019. I think 10 days in Costa Rica is the ideal amount of time. On the estuary tour, we saw tons of animals, including crocodiles, various species of birds, iguanas, and howler monkeys. All that kind of good stuff so you are prepared for your trip. The Ermita de la Agona is Liberias oldest church, built in 1865. Keep the agenda wide open for the last day of your Costa Rica 10 day itinerary. May, June, and November are also night and less crowded. Zip-lining in Monteverde is a guided activity (of course!). If youre still looking for reasons to visit Costa Rica, here are 20 Photos That Will Make You Want to Visit Costa Rica. Read about other surfing beaches of Costa Rica: Playa Carmen, Playa Hermosa, Playa Dominicalito, Malpais, Santa Teresa. Required fields are marked *. Hi Russ. From the parking lot, its a short walk down a series of stairs to the 70-meter waterfall. This itinerary was created specifically for those who do not plan to rent a car. The previous day you walked over the clouds of the cloud forest and zip-lined high above the cloud forest canopy. Due to an unprecedented amount of interest in traveling to Costa Rica in 2023-2024, our partner properties are booking up well in advance. You will have beach, nature, wildlife, city, culture and relaxation in this specific itinerary. Is ideal for those who like hiking and nature this Costa Rica itinerary goes to just 1 beach town so more rainforest, less beach. In Costa Rica, you can find hotels, hostels and guesthouses of various budget ranges. We chose to do the longer volunteer tour and definitely think the longer tour is worth it. A bit outside of town, we also considered the small luxury Nayara Gardens and glamping at Hotel Arenal Glamping. Book the best day trips from Liberia, Costa Rica directly on Tripadvisor and take the stress out of planning. Check out: How to Plan the Perfect 10 day Panama Itinerary. Getting to Nosara also involved driving through a low river. Its easy to adjust exactly what you do in each location using the information below, or you can follow the itinerary suggestions for each day of your trip. Playa Negra is located around 4.6 km (2.8 miles) south of Avellanas. Beyond that, if you want to add more destinations to your trip, a rule-of-thumb is to add two or three nights to your vacation per destination. Speed. If you decide to use the Liberia Airport for your departure flight after your trip, a visit to the beaches of Guanacaste is normally arranged. The next day in Monteverde is also filled with activities, but they are more calming than thrilling, like birding and hiking. Here is an overview of the itinerary with some suggestions of things to do in Costa Rica: Use this map to plan you 1 week Costa Rica Itinerary. The airport is located 13 km. Directed by Costa Ricas very own retired NASA astronaut, Franklin Chang Daz, Ad Astra is located on the Liberia campus of EARTH University, a world-famous agricultural university. Visits the cloud forest, rainforest, volcano and beach. This two weeks in Costa Rica itinerary goes to La Fortuna, Monteverde, Santa Teresa and Playas del Coco and flies in and out of Guanacaste (Liberia) International Airport. If I was going to go again, I would probably start by taking a surfing lesson. Once it gets dark, one of the best things to do in Monteverde is a night walk in the jungle because at night is when the jungle really comes alive! If hostels arent your thing, check out any number of hotels in Tamarindo or Airbnbs. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Liberias Central Park is a few steps from the Guanacaste Museum. waterfall rappelling/zip-lining adventure, Amazing Things to do in Nosara Costa Rica, 7 days Hawaii Itinerary: 1 Week Adventure on Maui and the Big Island (with both National Parks), How to Hike Mount Osceola and East Osceola, Incredible Hawaiian Big Island 2 Day Itinerary: How to Plan the Perfect Trip, Day 1: Fly into Liberia, Costa Rica, rent a car, and drive to La Fortuna, Day: 2-4 Explore La Fortuna walk in the rainforest, visit an animal rescue, hike to a waterfall, and check out the volcano. Nosara is quieter and has a long a beautiful beach popular for surfing. You need not schedule any activities in advance. The roads are generally easy to drive. Kon-Tiki near Playa Negra has great wood-fired pizza which you can pair with a glass of wine. Due to the positioning of the adjacent small cliffs, you can enjoy the clifftop views of the beach. Do you have questions or suggestions on this itinerary for 1 week in Costa Rica? Good for solo travelers, backpackers, couples and families. Feel free to change them up according to your own wants and needs! Good for couples, backpackers and solo travelers who want to see more places in less time and dont care too much about doing tours. Great for any traveler, all families, couples, solo travelers, backpackers, luxury travelers. These tours can often save money as they include better lodging options and transportation. Day 2: The Arenal Volcano. Disclosure: Please note that this post contains affiliate links. #costarica #costarica #sanjose #lafortuna #tiktoktravel. One Month Coast to Coast 1 month road trip itinerary Highlights Destinations: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, La Fortuna, Monteverde, Playa Hermosa, Samara, Manuel Antonio, Uvita and Drake Bay. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". However, this One Week Itinerary for Costa Rica that starts from Liberia and ends in San Jos allows you to see the best things Costa Rica has to offerthe beach, rainforests, volcanos, and the city. You can view the volcano from afar, but its also possible to hike on the sides of the volcano. Again, make sure to hire the guide when you go. For comparisons of different hanging bridges tours of Monteverde, and details on how to book the tour, what to expect and how to prepare for the tour, read this post on hanging bridges of Monteverde. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please tell us how we can help you plan a trip to Costa Rica. We did the Kinkajou Night Walk and had a great experience. Note: Still wondering what gipipa is? Today, it is time to keep your feet on the ground (pun intended). . To save money while youre there, pack some snacks! 167 Reviews. The wet season is also the time you might see turtles and whales but prepare for more rain. This itinerary is perfect for you if you plan to enter and exit via Liberia airport, one of the two international airports in Costa Rica. Back to the Top. Here they have thermal pools heated by the nearby Arenal Volcano. Our goal is to help you have a more authentic travel experience where you can learn about different cultures around the world and not get stuck in tourist traps. Our 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary includes lush rainforest, rare cloud forest, fantastic local food, challenging adventure activities and some once in a lifetime wildlife opportunities. Cabinas Coco Alegre. With direct flights from North America and Europe, visitors prefer landing here to avoid the 4 to 5-hour drive from San Jos to Guanacaste destinations. The park is quaint and dotted with trees and benches that offer shade and a break from the blistering Guanacaste sun. Day 1 Of 5 Days In Costa Rica Itinerary: San Jose To La Paz. Are you looking for sample Costa Rica itineraries? Rent a Home for Your Next Escape. This itinerary goes coast to coast so youll experience both the Caribbean and Pacific. Another great beach town in Guanacaste is Samara. You must rent a car 4wd or at least a car with high clearance. The Tamarindo estuary is located just north of the city. 7-Day Itineraries Costa Rica Pacific Coast Road Trip - 7 Days Costa Rica Pacific Coast Road Trip - 7 Days View Map This seven-day itinerary is perfect for travelers who want a comprehensive beach holiday. The airport is located 13 km. Due to the road conditions in some parts of the country, driving here can turn out to be adventurous. All rights reserved. This itinerary is dedicated to waterfall hikes and goes to some of the most popular waterfalls in Costa Rica. Today, tourism is fast becoming a significant contributor to the economy. If plasma rocket propulsion systems are your thing, or if youre looking for an outing to entertain and educate the kids, take the family on a tour of Ad Astra Rocket Company, located just 13 km outside of Liberia. west of Liberia and just a 30-60 min. Once in Monteverde, you could immediately go zip-lining, to one of the two cloud forest national parks, or hiking. There are so many things to do in this area that I really think you need 3 full days. We ended up booking a sunset horseback ride. If you decide to do the waterfall hike but are spoilt for choice between the two waterfalls, Catarata La Cangreja and Catarata Escondido, we would suggest La Cangreja waterfall.