2 Week Costa Rica Itinerary: Volcano, Rain Forest, Cloud Forest and Beach

Need tips for planning your 2 week Costa Rica trip? We can help!

We put together this exact 2 week Costa Rica itinerary for my family and friends. They absolutely loved it as it had the perfect mix of adventure, beaches, relaxation and rain forest.

Furthermore, in this sample itinerary, you will find our personal recommendations for hotels, tours, restaurants and travel tips.

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 Airport.

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What to Know About This 2 Week Costa Rica Itinerary

• First, we rented a car because we wanted flexibility and convenience.
• Second, this itinerary flies into and departs from Guanacaste Airport.***
• Third, the best time for this itinerary is dry season which is December, January February, March and April for the best weather. However, it is doable any time of the year.

Want to rent a car? Get our Costa Rica car rental discount and extra freebies.

**Don’t want to drive? Book private shuttles instead. Contact us to get a quote!

*** You can fly to and from San Jose International Airport but then you have to sacrifice one day to travel back to SJO Airport from Playas del Coco at the end of your trip.

Best Time of Year For This Itinerary

We did this itinerary in August, which is right in the middle of the Costa Rica rainy season. As our whole group was from the well known rainy city of Seattle, rain was not a concern.

La Fortuna and Monteverde rained quite a good amount in the afternoons and nights.

Santa Teresa and Coco were drier. Mornings were clear and dry, and it would rain on and off throughout the evenings.

If you want the best weather without rain, we recommend January, February and March. You might still get a bit of rain in La Fortuna but it’ll be less than if you were to go August through October.

Click this link 2 week Costa Rica itinerary to see our interactive map of this itinerary.

Day 1: Land in Guanacaste Airport, Drive to La Fortuna (~3 hours)

Collect your rental car and head to La Fortuna right away. This is about a 3 hour drive without stops and traffic.

It gets dark by 6 PM everyday in Costa Rica and we don’t recommend driving long distances at night in the rainy season.

If you’re landing after 4 PM, you can stay the night by the airport or halfway in the towns of Nuevo Arenal or Tilaran by Lake Arenal.

Here are our suggestions for hotels near Guanacaste airport.

Learn more about the drive to La Fortuna after landing.

WHAT TO KNOW: The section around the lake is VERY curvy and windy. Pop your Drammamine before the drive.

Landing at SJO Airport

If you’re landing at the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO Airport code), it is also about a 3 hour drive.

Same advice as Liberia, we don’t recommend driving if you’re arriving in the late evening, especially in the rainy season. It’s best to stay by the airport and then leave the next day to drive in the daylight.

Check our post for hotels near San Jose Airport for hotel recommendations.

We really like Adventure Inn, a boutique airport hotel with free airport shuttle, cozy rooms, hot breakfast, gym, pool and restaurant: Save 10% with our promo code mytanfeet when booking through their site.

Days 2-4: La Fortuna

La Fortuna is an area in the northern lowlands famous for the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal surrounded by lush rain forests.

As one of the most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica, La Fortuna is the best place for your first introduction to the country.

This area offers many adventure activities as well as wildlife watching opportunities. Spend the next couple days adventuring through the rainforest and volcano!

Where to Stay in La Fortuna

There are a ton of hotel options in La Fortuna and Arenal.

We stayed at Rancho Cerro Azul, a very budget friendly hotel about a 5 minute drive outside downtown La Fortuna. Standalone cabins, property has lush forest and cabins all have air conditioning.

However, if you want to splurge on for hotels on your trip, this is a fantastic place to do so. There are a lot of luxury rainforest resorts in La Fortuna.

Some recommended luxury rainforest resorts are Amor Arenal, Arenal Kioro, Nayara Gardens, Nayara Tented Camp, Nayara Springs (adult only), Tabacon, The Royal Corin adults only and The Springs Resort Arenal.

If you want to stay in town and are on a budget, we recommend Arenal Xilapalo, Hotel Las Colinas or Hotel El Secreto La Fortuna.

You can check our list of recommended hotels in La Fortuna for more tips.

There are also a TON of Airbnbs in La Fortuna, if you want to stay in an apartment/house instead.

What to Do in La Fortuna

• Arenal Volcano National Park or Arenal 1968 private reserve: Hike the trails around Arenal Volcano through lava fields and up to beautiful view points.
• Birding: Hire a guide in La Fortuna for a half or full day birding tour on the Arenal Observatory Lodge property to spot toucans, hummingbirds, hawks, tanagers and more.
• La Fortuna canyoning : Rappel down cliffs and waterfalls in the middle of the rain forest. Get our canyoning discount!
• Rainforest Falls: Rappel down a waterfall, jump into crystal clear pools, swim in a jungle oasis and climb up a rock wall. Book your Rainforest Falls tour with our discount!
• Wildlife Safari Float such as Penas Blancas safari float or the Pure Nature Safari Float.
• La Fortuna hot springs: Soak in natural pools of varying temperatures surrounded by the lush rain forest.
• Farm to table cooking class: Learn about Costa Rican food, sustainable farming and traditional cooking techniques.

Check out our La Fortuna tours booking page to see all the activities we offer discounts for!

What Our Group of Young Adults (mid to late 20’s) Did

Day 2: A full day of hiking, visiting the highlights of the area. Arenal hanging bridges, La Fortuna waterfall, Arenal Volcano 1968 hike on our own.

If you don’t have a car, click the link to book the Arenal 4 in 1 combination tour with transportation, lunch, bilingual guide and entrance fees included.

Day 3: Visited Arenal Observatory Lodge at 9 AM to walk their trails, climb their observation platforms, walk the hanging bridge and see the waterfall (~3 hours).

Then drove to La Fortuna town to shop and have lunch at Raul Castaño (Arenal location). Afterwards, visited La Fortuna Hikes and Trails for a 1 hour sloth spotting walk.

Then, we went to Hot Springs Pura Vida to enjoy the naturally warm river and pools. If you’re looking for a beautiful, luxurious hot springs resort, check out The Springs! We offer a discount for the Springs Resort 2 day hot springs pass.

Day 4: Canyoning or waterfall rappelling in the morning with lunch (click the link to book the tour with our discount) Then, a 2 hour coffee and chocolate tour at 3 PM.

Went back to hotel to relax and chill the rest of the day. Ate a nice dinner at Don Rufino with the group (steak/seafood).

Recommended Restaurants

La Fortuna Pub, Organico, Restaurante El Corral, Travesia, Rainforest Cafe, Restaurante Fortueño, Don Rufino and Soda La Hormiga.

Days 5: Travel to Monteverde (~3 Hour Drive)

Leave mid morning to your second destination, Monteverde.

Travel day tip: To make the most of our day, we stopped by Rio Celeste on the way from La Fortuna to Monteverde to see the sky blue river.

We left La Fortuna at 630 AM to get to the Tenorio National Park at 8 AM, hiked the park for 3 hours, had lunch in Bijagua and then drove 2.5 hours to Monteverde, arriving around 5 PM before dark.

IMPORTANT: You need to purchase park tickets beforehand on the SINAC website and you cannot be late to your appointed time slot.

If you don’t have a car, you can take the taxi boat taxi across Lake Arenal. Way more fun than sitting on a bus/shuttle. Book your La Fortuna taxi boat service here!

Day 6 and 7: Monteverde

Monteverde is home to an incredible tropical cloud forest, has excellent hiking, ziplining and birdwatching and is also the site of the first zipline in Costa Rica.

Where to stay in Monteverde

El Establo Hotel, Hotel Belmar and Senda Monteverde are the more high end options.

For mid range options, you can use our 5% promo code “mytanfeet” for the following hotels: Hotel Poco a Poco, Monteverde Country Lodge and Sibu Lodge. All wonderful places to stay in Monteverde with a great location, excellent restaurant and very cozy and comfortable rooms.

We stayed at Monteverde Country Lodge which was very clean and comfortable with a nice hot breakfast buffet included.

You can also find vacation rental houses for large groups, which may be more comfortable.

What to Do in Monteverde

• Ziplining: Monteverde is famous for their cloud forest canopy tours, with some of the longest and highest in the country. The most popular canopy tours are Treetopia Park, Selvatura Park and 100% Aventura.
• Hanging bridges: Discover the wonders of the cloud forest by walking on hanging bridges high up in the tree top canopy.
• Bird watching: Monteverde is a premiere birding destination, particularly for hummingbirds and the Resplendant Quetzal.
• Hike the cloud forests: The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve and Bosque Nuboso Reserva Santa Elena all have beautiful viewpoints and well maintained hiking trails.

What We Did

Day 5: We relaxed at our hotel and checked out the town the day we arrived. After dinner at Restaurante Sabor Tico, we did a bit of souvenir shopping in town.

Day 6: Full day at Selvatura Park to go ziplining, walk the hanging bridges and visit their butterfly garden, sloth center, and reptile exhibit. Book your Selvatura Park passes here!

Afterwards, we had lunch at Stellas and then went back to our hotel to shower and rest a bit. For dinner, we went to the Tree House in downtown.

Day 7: Morning guided walk at Curi Cancha Reserve to see birds and walk the trails. Checked out some art and souvenir stores in town and then had lunch at The Open Kitchen.

At 2 PM went on a guided nature walk at El Enigma de la Semilla to see more birds and animals on a very easy 1.5 km trail.

Book your morning Curi Cancha tour and afternoon El Enigma de la Semilla nature walk here.

Recommended Restaurants

Tree House, Tramonti, Monteverde Brewing Company, Panaderia Jimenez, Orchid Coffee, Choco Cafe, Taco Taco and Restaurante Sabor Tico (our favorite Costa Rican restaurant in Monteverde).

Tramonti has amazing pizza and Sabor Tico is the super yummy for local food. Orchid is great for breakfast and lunch. Panaderia Jimenez is a local bakery with great Costa Rican breakfasts.

Day 8: Travel to Santa Teresa (~5 hours)

Today was a travel day to a popular surf town in the Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa. We first went to Puntarenas to catch the ferry to Paquera and then drove to Santa Teresa.

Find out how to take the Puntarenas ferry in our guide.

The ferry is very nice with beautiful views of the Gulf of Nicoya.

If you’re not driving, the best option is to take a door to door shuttle. Shared shuttles are around $65 USD per person, private is around $300-350 USD. Get our Interbus shared shuttle discount here!

You can also take the public bus but it’s quite complicated. Better to book the shared shuttle if you’re just 1 or 2 people.

For the bus, take the bus from Monteverde to Puntarenas (4:30 AM, 6 AM and 15:00) and grab a taxi to the ferry dock. Once you arrive at Paquera dock, take the public bus to Cobano (6:15, 8:15, 10:15, 12:15, 15:15, 16:30, 18:15).

If you arrive in time, you can get a bus from Cobano to Santa Teresa, or take a taxi. Last bus from Cobano to Santa Teresa is 14:30.

Days 9-10: Santa Teresa, Mal Pais, Playa Carmen

The next couple days are yours to enjoy at the beautiful beaches of Santa Teresa, Mal Pais, Playa Hermosa and Playa Carmen.

Santa Teresa attracts surfers, yogis and those who want to visit vast, long beaches.

What to do in Santa Teresa

You can book a surf lesson, watch the beautiful sunsets, lay out and tan, go on long beach walks, or take a yoga class.

The one excursion we booked was a bioluminescent kayak tour which was absolutely incredible. It takes place in Paquera and best during the dry season (December through April) during a new moon for the darkest skies.

Other than that, it was nice to have a couple days during our 2 week Costa Rica itinerary to sleep in with no schedule, lay by the pool and enjoy the beach.

Where to Stay in Santa Teresa

There are a ton of hotels in Santa Teresa and Airbnb options.

We stayed at Hotel Santa Teresa which we enjoyed. It’s about a 1 minute walk to the beach and close to small supermarkets and restaurants.

Casa Chameleon Mal Pais Adults Only is an incredibly nice hotel for couples and honeymooners.

If you’re on a budget, Surf Paradise Hostel is a great option that’s centrally located in town and close to the beach. Very fun hostel vibe with air conditioning in rooms, private and shared rooms available.

If you prefer to be in a quieter part of this area, we highly recommend Lua Villas in Playa Hermosa. We stayed here for a surf trip with a different group and it was fantastic. It’s about a 15 minute drive to Santa Teresa downtown however, so you need a car.

Recommended Restaurants

Drift Bar, Banana Beach, The Bakery, Eat Street, Zula restaurante, Somos Cafe and Soda Pura Vida. If you’re vegan/vegetarian, Drift Bar is a fantastic option.

The Bakery is a local favorite for pastries and coffee.

Day 11: Drive to Playas del Coco ~4 hours

Today is a travel day and the fourth destination in this 2 week Costa Rica itinerary is Playas del Coco. This town is a small fishing village in the North Pacific.

For the best driving route (with no river crossings), take Route 160 around the Nicoya Peninsula, and then connect to Route 21, and finally Route 151.

Take your time on this drive and make sure to leave by mid-morning so you drive during daylight. We do not recommend to drive this route at night.

For this drive, do NOT stray off the main road. There are many rural roads on this route that may show up as detours according to Waze but do not take them. Stay on the main road!

Days 12-13: Playas del Coco

For our last few days in Costa Rica, we relaxed and enjoyed a lot of downtime by the pool and the beach.

We only did one excursion: a private boating tour around the Gulf of Papagayo to snorkel and beach hop.

Our Recommendations

Private beach hopping, snorkeling and fishing tour: Visit beautiful hidden beaches and go snorkeling.

Fish, watch the sunset, snorkel, have the best beach experience on this private beach hopping and boating tour in Playas del Coco.

*Dedicate one full day to do a full day beach hopping and snorkeling tour which is what we did* Click this link to book your private boating tour in the Gulf of Papagayo!

Shop, relax, eat, watch the sunset, swim at the pool, walk on the beach, just enjoy!

Where to stay

We stayed at Hotel Villa del Sol. It has a pool and hot breakfast included with a lot of pretty gardens.

It’s on the most northern end of the beach, so it’s a bit far to walk to town but doable under a very hot sun.

You can also check out the many vacation rentals and condos around, such as Breeze Residences.

Recommended Restaurants

Java Coffee, Coconutz, Johann Bistro, Soda Teresita, buzzed Monkey BBQ & Grill, Cafe Corazon, Zi Lounge and Villa Italia.

Day 14: Fly out of Guancaste Airport(~30 minute drive)

And the two week Costa Rica trip has come to an end.

Fly out of Guanacaste Airport and make sure to leave to arrive at your rental car office around 2.5-3 hours before to return the car and get shuttled to the airport.

Important Tips for this Two Week Costa Rica Itinerary

• Monteverde is considerably cooler, so bring a jacket and long pants
• Bring appropriate clothing and gear for the activities such as hiking sandals or water shoes, microfiber towel, waterproof backpack, mosquito repellent and reef safe sunscreen.
• Check our packing list for Costa Rica or our Mytanfeet Amazon store to see items we personally use and recommend.
• Have a few more days? Add more beach time in Santa Teresa and/or Playas del Coco.
• Want to add another destination? Head to Samara or Nosara for more beach or you can check out the Curubande area for tropical dry forest.
• If you’re looking for more of a party vibe, stay in Tamarindo instead of Playas del Coco.

Want more itinerary ideas?

Check out this 1 week Costa Rica itinerary, this 5 day Guanacaste itinerary, another 14 day itinerary or this 10 day Costa Rica itinerary.

Flying into San Jose International Airport? Check out this 2 week Costa Rica birding and wildlife itinerary. Heavy focus on birding and nature walks.

Costa Rica Vacation Checklist

• First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
• Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
• Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
• Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
• Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
• Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica. Get 10% off your Airalo eSIM package with our promo code “mytanfeet”
• Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.

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