10 Day Costa Rica Itinerary
Are you traveling to Costa Rica for the first time and trying to decide the absolute best route to take? I spent 10 days exploring La Fortuna and Tamarindo and I thought it was the most incredible 10 Day Costa Rica itinerary! The perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. It was important to us to not have too many days spent traveling so we felt we got an incredible Costa Rican experience with these two spots even though you can always add on Monteverde or Manuel Antonio if you have more time.
We went in the beginning of June and even though that is rainy season, we were so nicely surprised with the weather. We had beautiful sunny mornings almost every day in La Fortuna with just some rainstorms in the afternoon and Tamarindo was gorgeous beach weather almost the whole time with just some very short storms.
Check out my itinerary below to help plan your trip:
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Overview
For our 10 day Costa Rica Itinerary we spent 6 Days in La Fortuna and 4 days in Tamarindo. We did lots of adventurous activity in La Fortuna and then mostly spent our time in Tamarindo relaxing by the beach and pool. Here’s the breakdown of our activities each day.
- Arrive at hotel and relax at pool, Night Walk in the Jungle to see frogs and snakes!
- Bogarin Trail to see Sloths and La Fortuna Waterfalll
- Arenal Volcano Hike and Massage
- Tubing and Hot Springs
- Horse Back Riding and Hot Springs
- Mistico Hanging Bridges and Coffee and Chocolate Tour
- Drive to Tamarindo – Sunset drinks and dinner
- Beach relaxation, Massage, sunset happy hour and dinner
- Beach relaxation, Watersports, and sunset dinner
- Beach/Pool relax and fly out
Where to fly into Costa Rica:
We flew in and out of Liberia airport which we really enjoyed as it was a small airport and very convenient to Tamarindo. Here was the travel time breakdowns:
- 3.5 hour drive from Liberia Airport to La Fortuna
- 4 hour drive from La Fortuna to Tamarindo
- 1.5 hour drive from Tamarindo to Liberia
San Jose is the other main airport in Costa Rica. It is about the same distance to La Fortuna from San Jose, but not as convenient to Tamarindo.
How to get around Costa Rica:
We rented a car and really enjoyed the flexibility it gave us, especially in La Fortuna. We found we didn’t really need the car in Tamarindo though since we could walk to everything and Ubers were easily accessible. For La Fortuna it was very useful though to have the flexibility to go to all our activities and into town without having to organize transport every time. We got a 4 wheel drive vehicle through Adobe Rent a Car and it was about $50/day which was very reasonable and the service was great. We used the discount through My Tan Feet and it worked out great!
If you don’t want to rent a car you are able to arrange transfers between the airport and La Fortuna/Tamarindo and around town, but it does get costly, probably more costly than having a car. We were nicely surprised with the road conditions, and although some of the roads were windy and steep with potholes, we had a pretty easy time driving around. I have heard if you go to the lesser known areas the driving can get a bit more precarious, but if you are just staying in these main tourist areas they are all connected by well built roads.
What to do in La Fortuna:
La Fortuna was an absolutely incredible area right at the base of the Arenal Volcano. There were endless incredible activities to do, just be prepared to pay to do everything, even hikes had an entry fee! These were the activities we did and loved every single one!
Mistico Hanging Bridges – This is a top attraction of La Fortuna, it’s a hiking trail with 16 different hanging bridges throughout the park that give you incredible tree top views of the jungle and volcano. I recommend booking a walking tour with a guide as they will help you spot animals and bring a scope with them that lets you see the animals up close by looking though the lens. You’ll be shocked at how hard it is to spot most of these animals on your own! They recommend going early in the morning at 6am for the best animal sightings, but we went at noon and still got to see Coatis, Monkeys, Snakes, and birds.
- Cost: $44USD each with Guide, $25USD without Guide
- Opening Times: 6:00am to 3:50pm (book ahead of time online)
- Time: 2 to 2.5 hours
- Distance: 2 miles
- Difficulty: Low/Medium (some small steeper climbs, but mostly a pretty easy/moderate walking trail
Arenal Volcano Hike – If you find yourself with a beautiful clear day, then make sure to take that opportunity to visit the Arenal Volcano National Park and do the hike that gives you great views of the volcano. If you do this in the rain or fog you might be disappointed as you might not even be able to see the volcano through the fog. We got lucky with a gorgeous day even in the rainy season and it was a great hike through beautiful trees with a view of the volcano and Lake Arenal in the middle. We did the Las Coladas trail and added in the El Ciebo loop which if you have the time I would recommend!
- Cost: $16USD each
- Opening Times: 8am to 4pm ( You can just pay at the entrance)
- Time: 2.5 hours for the Las Coladas and El Ciebo trail. Probably closer to 1.5 hours for just the Las Coladas.
- Distance: Las Coladas is 1.2 miles, El Ciebo is closer to 2 miles
- Difficulty: Low/Medium (some steps and climbs, but mostly flat)
Bogarin Trail: This is a trail right in the town of La Fortuna that is filled with sloths, birds, lizards, toucans and more. I think it’s pretty much guaranteed to see sloths on this trail if you book with a guide. We saw at least 7 or 10 on our walk and apparently the group in the morning saw 20! You definitely want to book this walk with a guide because sloths are practically impossible to see without one. The scope they have also gives you an up close look which is very necessary as most of the sloths are up very high in the trees. We did see a good amount of sloths on other days of our trip in La Fortuna so just know that this isn’t the only place to see sloths, but it’s definitely a fun experience to see so many up close!
- Cost: $45USD each with a guide
- Opening Times: 7am to 5pm
- Time: 2 hours
- Distance: 1.2 mile loop trail
- Difficulty: Easy (flat walking trail)
Night Walk: A lot of creatures in the jungle are nocturnal, so a night walk is a great way to get a chance to see some different types of animals. We booked the Night Tour through the Tropical Forest at Tifakara and had so much fun! We each got our own flashlight and a guide took us through a frog sanctuary where we saw probably 20 frogs including many Red-Eyed frogs and hourglass frogs as well as two snakes and a poisonous dart frog. We realized the importance of booking this tour because we didn’t see a single other frog on the rest of our trip! (Even though we heard lots of them!)
- Cost: $34USD each with a guide
- Time: 1 hour
- Distance: Very short walk
- Difficulty: Easy
La Fortuna Waterfall: This was a highlight of the trip for sure, it was a breathtaking waterfall with the opportunity to swim at the base which was so cool.
- Cost: $20USD
- Opening Times: 7am to 5pm (you can book ahead or pay at entrance)
- Time: 2 hours
- Distance: 500 steps
- Difficulty: Moderate (Be prepared for a lotttt of steps, but there are many rest points along the way so I didn’t find it too challenging)
Coffee and Chocolate Tour: Who doesn’t love coffee and chocolate? These are two things that Costa Rica specializes in making and we had the opportunity to see how they do it straight from the plantation to tasting the final product! This was a very in depth tour where we got to taste a cocoa bean straight from the plant, pick coffee beans from the plant, and press sugar water from a sugar cane! Not to mention lots of little tastes along the way!
- Cost: $46USD a person
- Time: 2.5 hours
Hot Springs: La Fortuna is famous for it’s many hot springs that are naturally heated from the lava of the Arenal Volcano underground. There are many options for where to go to enjoy hot springs from the free hot springs at Rio Chopin to the very luxurious and pricier Springs Resort and Spa with many other options in between. My husband and I chose to go for some luxury at the Springs Resort, because hey you only live once! The Springs Resort is about $1000 a night to stay there (more or less depending on the season), but they offer an awesome 2 day pass to enjoy the property and hot springs and I thought it was so worth it! It was a highlight of the trip for sure and so special. Club Rio is also part of the resort which is an activity center that offers tubing, horse-back riding, a wildlife sanctuary and more for an additional cost.
- Cost: $110USD a person for a two day pass at the Springs Resort (must be consecutive days)
- Opening Times: 8am to 10pm
River Tubing: There are a couple options for tubing down the Arenal River. We chose to book through Club Rio at the Springs Resort since we were already there. It was so fun and much more relaxed than some of the pictures make it look. There were kids as young as 6 years old tubing so we felt we could handle the rapids!
- Cost: $42USD
- Time: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
Horseback Riding: Horse-back riding is another great way to explore the jungle in La Fortuna. There’s a couple great horse-back riding tours, but we also chose to book through Club Rio at the Springs Resort. We had an incredible ride, with the opportunity to gallop or just walk at your own pace and even went through a river. We saw monkeys and a sloth on our ride as well!
- Cost: $52USD
- Time: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
*Club Rio also offers kayaking, a rock wall, bird watching, sunset fishing, ATV tours, a night walk, and a rock wall that you can book while there!
Where to stay in La Fortuna:
There are so many beautiful hotels in La Fortuna for all different price ranges. We stayed at Lomas Del Volcan and absolutely LOVED it! One of my favorite hotel stays ever. We had a bungalow in the middle of the jungle with a gorgeous heated pool with a swim up bar, jacuzzi, yoga classes and a free buffet breakfast. It also has it’s own nature trail and we saw monkeys, coatis and lots of birds on the property. It was a total luxurious jungle getaway.
From doing the 2 day pass at the Springs Resort and Spa we got to see all around the hotel and it was next level. 28 different hot springs, all meticulously designed to be breaktakingly beautiful. It also had a gorgeous view of the volcano from the swim up pool bar and multiple restaurants. If you have a deep pocket book this is definitely an unforgettable place to stay. It’s great for kids too with a game room and Club Rio on the property with lots of activities.
Where to stay in Tamarindo:
We stayed at Capitan Suizo Resort and it was heaven on earth. A gorgeous pool leading out to the ocean with free beach chairs to use for the day and drinks and food brought to you. We had a nice spacious room and a buffet breakfast, not to mention the company of 6 adorable cats that call this hotel home! We had iguanas and birds joining us every morning for breakfast too. The location is about a 15 minute walk along the beach from the main town of Tamarindo which we really appreciated since the town gets very busy and loud so we loved having our little oasis of peace and the option to go into the craziness when we wanted.
In Depth 10 Day Costa Rica Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly into Liberia Airport and drive to La Fortuna
- Fly into Liberia Airport and rent a car. We had a great experience with Adobe Rent a Car that picked us up from the airport to the car rental location and it was a smooth experience. Drive 3.5 hours to La Fortuna and check in.
- Relax at the hotel
- Book a Night Tour through the Tropical Forest at Tifakara to see frogs and snakes!
- Grab dinner in La Fortuna town before going to bed
Day 2: Bogarin Trail and La Fortuna Waterfall
- Book a guided tour to the Bogarin Trail to see sloths and other wildlife!
- Grab lunch in La Fortuna town and then head to the La Fortuna Waterfall only 10 minutes away. Hike down the waterfall and wear your swimsuit to go swimming at the base of the waterfall!
- Go to the hotel, freshen up, go to dinner
Day 3: Hike in the Arenal National Park and Kayak on the Arenal Lake
- Drive to Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal and hike the Las Coladas trail and El Ciebo loop.
- Grab lunch and then go to the Arenal Boat Rental Association and rent some kayaks or paddle boards to go around the lake!
- Grab a massage in town! We went to Los Sueños Spa and it was so good and very reasonably priced!
Day 4: River Tubing and Hot Springs
- Book a 2 Day pass with River Tubing at the Springs Resort and Spa
- Go River Tubing and then spent the afternoon soaking in the many hot springs at Club Rio
- Grab dinner in one of the many restaurants of the resort
Day 5: Horse-back riding and Hot Springs
- Head back to The Springs and go Horse-back riding at Club Rio
- Option to also visit the Wildlife Sanctuary and see beautiful animals up close
- Soak in more hot springs and enjoy another dinner at the resort
Day 6: Mistico Hanging Bridges and Coffee and Chocolate Tour
- Book a time slot online for entry to the Mistico Hanging Bridges. Enjoy a 2 hour tour through the beautiful jungle
- Grab a quick lunch in La Fortuna.
- Book a tour at North Fields Coffee and Chocolate Tour and learn about the whole process of making these delicious treats!
Day 7: Drive to Tamarindo
- Wake up and maybe do one last nature walk before heading to Tamarindo! The drive took us about 4 hours, pretty easy roads.
- Check into your hotel in Tamarindo and enjoy the pool or beach for sunset!
- Go into town for dinner. We went to Portofino for sunset drinks and caught a fire show on the beach, then we went to the Jardin Tamarindo Food Truck Park for some Birria Tacos from Los Primos.
Day 8: Beach Day!
- After all these adventures, it’s time to give yourself a break. Soak up the sun by the beach or pool and enjoy sunset happy hour at a fun spot on the beach.
- Maybe treat yourself to another massage on the beach!
- You can also book a sunset cruise, snorkeling, or estuary tour.
Day 9: Beach Day and Watersports!
- Another beach day to relax, maybe rent a sufboard or take some surf lessons and enjoy the waves! (Our hotel had free boogie boards too which was more our vibe)
- Go shopping in town and grab dinner
Day 10: Check out and head home!
After an incredible 10 Day Costa Rica Itinerary it is time to say goodbye, check out and drive about 1.5 hours to the Liberia airport to catch your flight! Pura Vida!
Where to eat in La Fortuna:
- Restaurante Fortuneño – By far the busiest place in town every night, cute decor, tiki cocktails, and a large menu of costa rican classics, American dishes, and steaks
- Nanku Restaurant – fun Tiki atmosphere, mix of costa Rican dishes and steak
- Soda El Turnito – Local Costa Rican restaurant, casual. We had the Empanadas a lunch snack and they were amazing!
Where to eat in Tamarindo:
1. Pangas Beach Club – upscale, beachfront dining. Gorgeous sunset views with monkeys in the trees up ahead. Delicious steaks and crafted entrees.
2. Nogui’s Restaurant – a long time establishment in Costa Rica since 1974 known for it’s classic Costa Rican dishes and famous cream pies. Beachfront sunset views and happy hour.
3. Patagonian Argentinian Grill & Restaurant – Busy every night with delicious Argentinian Steaks and sides with a buzzing, fun vibe.
4. Jardin Tamarindo Food Truck Park – Vibey Food Truck park with a bar and live music. I got the Birria Tacos at the Los Primos truck and they were delicious!
When to visit Costa Rica:
The Dry Season is from December to April where you can avoid rain and look forward to sunny weather every day. It is pricier and more crowded at this time though.
May to August is the rainy season so if you visit during this time you have to be prepared for daily afternoon showers and storms, but you will often get to enjoy beautiful sunny mornings, lush landscapes, cheaper prices, and less crowds. I went in June and thought the weather was wonderful! We had plenty of sunshine to do many activities and the daily rain storms didn’t get in the way of our fun too much.
Late September through November is the peak of the rainy season and the wettest months so it’s best to avoid those months as it can often be just be endless days of rains and storms.
What to pack for Costa Rica:
The Style in Costa Rica is very relaxed pretty much everywhere you go. It’s humid year round so be prepared with lot of sweat-wicking and waterproof clothes and shoes, swimsuits, sunscreen, bug spray and hats! For women, you can pack some light fun dresses too for the beach or to wear to dinner.
Here’s a couple items I bought for my Costa Rica trip that were perfect:
- Waterproof shoes
- Hiking backpack
- Waterproof phone case
- Hiking shorts
- Quick Dry Hiking pants
- Bug Spray
- Banana Republic Two Piece Dress
- Vuori Pose Plyo Tank Top
- Vuori Villa Textured Crop Tank
- Beach Bag
- Portable Charger
- Some other items to not forget:
- Refillable Water Bottle (the water in Costa Rica is safe to drink and delicious!)
- Sunglasses
- Hat
- Sandals
- Beach Flip Flops
- Sunscreen
- Swimsuits
- Passport
- Socks/underwear
- First Aid Kit
- Medications/Toiletries
- Anti-itch cream
- Shorts
- T-Shirts
- Rainjacket
- Umbrella
- Pajamas
- Binoculars (I wish we brought these for wildlife spotting!)
FAQS: Here’s some good things to know before visiting Costa Rica!
- The tourist areas accept both USD and Colones (the local currency). Most places all took card as well.
- The Water is safe to drink in the tourist areas of Costa Rica.
- There is a mandatory insurance on every rental car that is separate from your own insurance you might have from your credit card.
- Main highways are easy to drive, but rural roads can get quite precarious, drive cautiously.
- 10% Service Charge is included in most restaurants but extra tips are also appreciated.
- Most tourists (U.S., Canadian, EU, etc) do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica for stays up to 90 days.
- Spanish is the local language, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas.
- Pura Vida means “pure life” and is a common greeting and saying in Costa Rica. It reflects the lifestyle of relaxing and enjoying the moment!
Hope you enjoyed reading my 10 Day Costa Rica Itinerary! It was the trip of a lifetime and I hope you have an unforgettable experience as well. Until next time, Pura Vida!
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