If I Planned Costa Rica Again, Here’s Exactly How I’d Do It
Previously: In My First Week in Costa Rica: What Lived Up to the Hype (and What Surprised Me), I shared the destinations and experiences that made me fall in love with Costa Rica. Now that I’ve experienced the country firsthand, here’s exactly how I’d plan my first trip if I were starting from scratch today.
Costa Rica completely lived up to the hype.
The volcanoes were incredible, the rainforests felt alive, and I finally understood why so many travelers fall in love with the country.
But after spending a week there, I also realized something else.
There isn’t one perfect Costa Rica itinerary.
Some people come for wildlife.
Others come for surfing.
Some want luxury hot springs and volcano views.
Others are chasing cloud forests, coffee farms, or remote beaches.
If I were planning my first trip today, I wouldn’t simply copy the itinerary I followed.
I’d build the trip around the kind of vacation I actually wanted.
Here’s how I’d do it.
Getting to Costa Rica
One thing I appreciated about Costa Rica is how flexible it is to plan.
Most travelers fly into either San José (SJO) or Liberia (LIR) depending on where they’re spending their time. Since our trip focused on La Fortuna and Monteverde before ending along the Pacific coast, flying into San José made the most sense.
Getting between destinations takes longer than the map suggests, so I’d also recommend thinking carefully about your transportation before falling in love with a particular itinerary. Whether you rent a car or rely on shared shuttles like we did, building realistic travel days will make the trip much more enjoyable.
La Fortuna offers one of the best introductions to Costa Rica, combining volcano views, waterfalls, hot springs, wildlife, and adventure activities into one easy-to-explore destination.
La Fortuna
If you’re only choosing one destination for your first trip to Costa Rica, I’d make it La Fortuna.
It offers everything most first-time visitors picture when they imagine Costa Rica.
Arenal Volcano dominates the skyline while waterfalls, hanging bridges, rainforest trails, wildlife, hot springs, and excellent restaurants all sit within a relatively small area. It’s adventurous without feeling overwhelming and has enough variety that almost every traveler can find something they’ll enjoy.
I’d spend at least three nights here.
Nature Lovers
If hiking and outdoor adventures are your priority, this is where I’d dedicate the most time. Beyond La Fortuna Waterfall and the Mistico Hanging Bridges, you can hike through Arenal Volcano National Park, explore the 1968 Lava Flow Trail, or even take a day trip to Río Celeste.
Monteverde
If La Fortuna is about volcanoes, Monteverde is about the cloud forest.
The scenery changes completely. Temperatures cool, the forests become denser, and everything feels quieter.
Monteverde is also where I found some of my favorite memories of the trip—not because of one specific attraction, but because of the variety. One day could be spent ziplining through the canopy, another on a coffee tour, and the evening searching for wildlife before looking up at one of the clearest night skies I’ve ever seen.
I’d happily spend two or three nights here.
Adventure Lovers
Monteverde is where I’d book the activities that excite you most. Ziplining ended up being one of my favorite experiences in Costa Rica, while my friend loved her coffee tour. The night wildlife walk is something I’d recommend to almost everyone.
Guanacaste
After several days of adventure, Guanacaste feels like a reward.
This region is known for beautiful Pacific beaches, luxury resorts, and a slower pace than Costa Rica’s adventure-focused interior.
Even if you only spend one or two nights here, it’s the perfect place to end an active itinerary before flying home.
Looking back, finishing our trip with a luxury stay overlooking Playa Penca was one of the best planning decisions we made.
Beach Lovers
If your ideal vacation revolves around the beach, I’d spend more time here than I did. Guanacaste offers everything from quiet stretches of sand to luxury resorts, snorkeling, surfing, and sunset views over the Pacific.
Manuel Antonio
If I return to Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio is probably the destination I’d prioritize most.
It combines rainforest, beaches, and wildlife into one compact area, making it easy to understand why it’s one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations.
For first-time visitors with around ten days, I think it deserves serious consideration.
Wildlife Lovers
If seeing sloths, monkeys, tropical birds, and other wildlife is your main goal, Manuel Antonio should be near the top of your list.
The Osa Peninsula
If I ever plan a second trip to Costa Rica, this is where I’d spend the majority of my time.
Everything I’ve read points to the Osa Peninsula as one of the country’s most biodiverse regions, making it the ideal destination for travelers who want to immerse themselves in nature rather than move quickly from one attraction to the next.
Instead of filling my days with organized tours, I’d picture myself hiking through Corcovado National Park, taking guided wildlife walks, exploring mangroves by boat or kayak, and keeping an eye out for scarlet macaws, tapirs, monkeys, and other wildlife that’s much harder to find elsewhere in the country.
This feels less like a place to check attractions off a list and more like somewhere to fully disconnect and experience one of the wildest corners of Costa Rica.
Tortuguero
If wildlife is your priority, I’d also seriously consider adding Tortuguero.
Unlike much of Costa Rica, you don’t come here for volcanoes or beaches. Instead, the region is best explored by boat as you wind through a network of canals surrounded by dense rainforest. It’s known for sea turtle nesting, crocodiles, monkeys, sloths, tropical birds, and the chance to spot wildlife in an environment that feels much more remote than the country’s more popular destinations.
This feels like the destination I’d choose if I wanted to spend less time hiking and more time quietly observing Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity. While it isn’t at the top of my own return list, I can completely understand why wildlife enthusiasts consider it one of the country’s must-visit regions.
Costa Rica rewards travelers who slow down. Whether you have five days or two weeks, building your itinerary around fewer regions often leads to a more enjoyable trip than trying to see the entire country at once.
Suggested Trip Lengths
5 Days: La Fortuna
Perfect if you’re short on time. Spend your days exploring waterfalls, hot springs, hanging bridges, wildlife, and Arenal Volcano without constantly changing hotels.
7 Days: La Fortuna + Monteverde
This is what I’d recommend for most first-time visitors. You’ll experience volcanoes, cloud forests, wildlife, and some of Costa Rica’s best adventure activities while keeping travel days manageable.
10 Days: My Recommended First Trip
I’d split my time between La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Guanacaste.
It gives you three of Costa Rica’s biggest contrasts: volcanoes, cloud forests, and the Pacific coast.
10 Days: Wildlife Alternative
If wildlife is your priority, I’d swap Guanacaste for Manuel Antonio. That itinerary offers a better balance of rainforest, beaches, and animal encounters while still giving you plenty of time in La Fortuna and Monteverde.
2 Weeks: See It All
If I were planning my next trip, I’d combine La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, and the Osa Peninsula. If wildlife was the main goal, I’d also look at adding Tortuguero, even if it meant trimming time elsewhere.
Bringing It All Together
Costa Rica completely lived up to everything I’d heard before visiting.
What surprised me wasn’t that it was beautiful.
It was how many completely different vacations one country can offer.
Adventure.
Volcanoes.
Cloud forests.
Wildlife.
Pacific beaches.
Luxury resorts.
Coffee farms.
There isn’t one “perfect” Costa Rica itinerary because there isn’t just one version of Costa Rica.
If I were booking my next trip today, I’d absolutely revisit La Fortuna and Monteverde. But I’d also make room for Manuel Antonio, the Osa Peninsula, and some of the regions I didn’t have time to experience the first time around.
My first visit gave me exactly what I wanted—a fantastic introduction to Costa Rica.
My second trip will be about discovering everything I haven’t seen yet.
Up next: One of the biggest questions I had before visiting Costa Rica was whether renting a car was really necessary. In What Nobody Told Me About Visiting Costa Rica Without a Car, I’ll share what it was actually like relying on shared shuttles, taxis, and Uber—and whether I’d do it the same way again.