Costa Rica: One Week | wanderlustforyou

One Week Trip

Costa Rica

For this itinerary, you will need to rent a reliable Jeep or small SUV; you will definitely want a larger car with strong tires because most of the roads are dirt, with VERY large potholes and rocks-especially near the rainforest. Our flight schedule was a little ridiculous because we used flight vouchers from United Airlines; we wanted to take the cheapest route possible so we wouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket.. so adjust your schedule accordingly. An important tip for Costa Rica, the sun sets VERY early- most of the days we woke up around 5:30 AM and went to bed around 10:30 PM. Many parks didn't let people in after 3:30 PM because the sun starts to set around 5:30 PM.

Day One: La Fortuna

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We flew into Liberia, Costa Rica late Friday night. We found a cheap hotel near the airport to spend the night in, and we left for La Fortuna first thing in the morning.

Drive from Liberia to La Fortuna (about 2.5 hours)
- We decided to stay in a treehouse that we found on airbnb. The treehouse was incredible!!
  - There was a small kitchenette area, fully stocked with pots & pans. The bathroom was very clean with a nice shower, and we did not have any issues with bugs- the entire tree house is screened in. The temperature was also very comfortable at night, which was our main concern.
  - The tree house is also located on a property with hot springs which you can use as late as you like.
- If you choose to stay at this property, make sure to stop at a grocery store to pick up food. We had to cook most of our dinners because we wanted to be back at the property before the sun set. However, if you feel comfortable driving at night, I'm sure you can find plenty of restaurants in town.
Drive to Catarata Waterfall (a.k.a. La Fortuna Waterfall)
- $15 entree fee
- Short walk to the waterfall- 530 steps
Drive around the Volcano
Lunch in Arenal National Park
- We found a great restaurant with a gorgeous view of the volcano!
Drive back to the airbnb, make dinner & prepare for an early morning!

Day Two: La Fortuna Adventures

We booked a canyoning and white water rafting excursion with Pure Trek Canyoning.

The tour last about 8 hours; we met the tour company at 8:00 AM in the downtown area and they shuttled us to the rainforest
The tour included lunch
Cost $160.00 per person
- This sight offers a 10% discount they also have a list of other activities in the area

After the tour we walked around the downtown area to scope out some of the shops and have dinner. Afterwards, we went back to the airbnb to enjoy the hot springs before another early morning.

Day Three: La Paz Waterfall Gardens & Drive to Monteverde

We drove about 40 minutes to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This attraction has a path with 5 beautiful waterfalls, swimming pools, a great restaurant, and an animal park. You can spend the entire day lounging and relaxing at this resort. It is located on top of a mountain and overlooks one of Costa Rica's amazing cloud forests.

Admission: $40/ person
This resort is also a great option if you are looking for nicer hotel accommodations.

Drive to Monteverde

We left La Paz Waterfall Gardens around 2:00 pm so we could arrive in Monteverde before sunset (about a 3 hour drive to Monteverde).

We stayed in a nice hostel, Camino Verde Hostel and B&B, that was very close to the downtown area in Monteverde.
Once we arrived, we were able to walk into town to grab dinner.
- Once again, we had an early night so we could be ready for our early morning adventure the following day.

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Day Four: Ficus Tree Climb & the Cloud Forest

This day includes one of the most unique experiences I have ever had! We booked a ficus tree climbing tour with Finca Modelo. This excursion gives you the opportunity to climb Costa Rica's unique Ficus trees using three different methods- the via ferrata, the rope climb, and climbing up the trunk of the tree!

Because we had a rental car, we chose to meet the tour guides at their home base. However, they do offer hotel pick-up as well. We were lucky enough to be the only two people who booked the morning tour, so we had a private excursion!

The tour lasts about 3 hours.
The tour starts at 7:30 AM, 10:30 AM, or 1:30 PM
Cost: $45 per person

After our tree climbing adventure, we drove to the Monteverde Cloud Forest to spend the afternoon walking above the trees.

$20 entrance fee, there are discounted prices for students
There is a nice restaurant on the property if you don't want to pack food.
They have zip lining here for an additional fee

After we had our fix in the clouds, we went back to town and explored some of the restaurants & bars. One must-see spot is The Tree House Restaurant & Cafe. This unique restaurant is built entirely around a giant tree. They also have live music some nights.

Day Five: Drive to Tamarindo & Beach Day

After a hardy breakfast at the hostel, hit the road and head to Tamarindo (about a 3 hour drive).

To make up for all of our hostel lodging, we decided to splurge in Tamarindo and stayed at the Wyndham Tamarindo hotel.
- They had an infinity pool that overlooked the beach and beautiful lobby!
- This hotel is located away from the beach, but they have a beach house that all guests have access to.
  - The beach house has a large pool, bars, lounge chairs, and a restaurant.
Once we checked into the hotel, we went down to the bach house and spent the entire day relaxing on the beach, eating at the club house, and lounging in the pool area.

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Day Six: Surfing In Tamarindo

We spent our second day in Tamarindo learning how to surf! If you've never tried surfing, I HIGHLY recommend it! Once again, we lucked out and had a surfing instructor all to ourselves. We booked our surfing lessons through Iguana Surf.