How to visit Costa Rica in 8 days to soak up the tropical rainforest – use this itinerary! This fast paced itinerary goes to three of Costa Rica’s most popular national parks to see wildlife, nature and a volcano.
The places you will go for your Costa Rica in 8 days trip is Tortuguero, Bijagua and La Fortuna.
This itinerary does not include beach time or much adventure – it focuses more on nature, wildlife and hiking. Tortuguero has a beach, but it is not suitable for swimming or ocean activities as it is part of the national park.
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Which Airport to Fly Into
You need to fly into San Jose International Airport, also known as Juan Santamaria International Airport. Airport code is SJO.
How to Get Around
Due to the longer distances between destinations and short vacation time, you will have to rent a car for this itinerary.
The first part of the itinerary to Tortuguero will be with a tour company that provides transportation. You will then have a rental car for Bijagua, La Fortuna and back to San Jose International Airport.
First time driving in Costa Rica? Check out our tips for driving in Costa Rica for a safe experience.
Tortuguero
Tortuguero’s nickname of “Little Amazon” comes from the plethora of wildlife living in its long, rainforest covered canals inside Tortuguero National Park.
The national park was created to protect the largest gathering of nesting Green Sea Turtles, which nest from May to October.
To visit Tortuguero, we recommend to book an all-inclusive Tortuguero tour package due to its remote location and small handful of lodging options.
The tour packages include free transportation from San Jose, lodging, meals, a bilingual guide and activities.
We have a partnership with Pachira Lodge to give a 7% Tortuguero discount for their three lodges: Pachira, Evergreen and Aninga. They are located on one of the canals outside of the village.
If you prefer to be closer to village in a smaller hotel, Mawamba Lodge is beachfront and lovely with lots of wildlife and a pool.
Bijagua
Bijagua is a tiny rural farming town that has grown drastically in tourism, thanks to its close proximity to Tenorio Volcano National Park. This national park protects the Tenorio Volcano and Rio Celeste, a sky blue river.
The surrounding rainforests offer excellent birdwatching opportunities.
To get from Tortuguero to Bijagua, the tour operator will drop you off in Guapiles where you will then pick up your rental car. From Guapiles, you will drive around 3.5 hours to Bijagua.
La Fortuna
La Fortuna is known as Costa Rica’s adventure and wellness capital, thanks to its excellent location near rainforests, Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal and many hot springs resorts.
It has excellent tourist infrastructure with lots of fun outdoor adventure and delicious restaurants.
The drive between Bijagua to La Fortuna is around 1.5 hours.
Day 1: Fly Into SJO and Go To Hotel
Welcome to Costa Rica! If you land earlier in the day, you can spend the afternoon walking around downtown and checking out the Central Market (closes at 5 PM).
How to get to downtown: ~30 minute drive from airport to downtown. Can call Uber from airport.
If you do not land during the day, go straight to your hotel to rest and get ready for the next day. You will be getting picked up bright and early to go to Tortuguero (~6 AM).
Hotel Recommendations
All of these hotels include free transportation by the tour operator for your Tortuguero trip.
This may vary depending on which hotel you book with. Please double check with them to make sure they can pick you up from these hotels.
If you want to stay near San Jose downtown: D Sabana Hotel, Sleep Inn Paseo Las Damas, Hotel Presidente, Balmoral Hotel, Hotel Cultura Plaza, Urban Green Hotel & Suites, Delta Hotels by Marriott San Jose Aurola
If you want to stay near the airport (some of these may have free airport shuttle): Alajuela City Hotel, Hampton by Hilton San Jose Airport, Holiday Inn Express San Jose Costa Rica Airport, Rivera Family Apartments
Day 2: Travel to Tortuguero
You will get picked up around 6 AM from your hotel to Tortuguero.
With Pachira/Evergreen/Aninga, the first day schedule includes breakfast in Guapiles along the way, the boat ride from La Pavona dock to the lodge, lunch, a visit to the village, dinner and then free time in the evening.
A 3 days, 2 nights Tortuguero tour package costs approximately $430 USD per adult in a double room. Rates vary depending on time of year and which lodge you book with. Get our Tortuguero tour package with Pachira here!
You may book a night time turtle nesting tour directly at the lodge if you want.
Day 3: Tortuguero
Journey into Tortuguero National Park on a 2 hour motorized, guided boat safari tour in the morning.
Your guide will point out wildlife such as spider monkeys, Great Green Macaws, toucans, sloths and other animals.
The other included activity is a guided walk on the grounds. This is around 1.5 hours. Furthermore, you may sign up for another night time turtle tour if you wish.
Day 4: Travel to Bijagua (Full Travel Day, ~8 Hours)
Today, you will travel to Bijagua. The tour company will bring you to Guapiles where you will have lunch.
From Guapiles, you’ll pick up your rental car and drive around 3.5-4 hours to Bijagua. Approximate arrival time is around 6 PM.
Rental car recommendations: Our partner, Adobe Rent a Car, delivers cars to Guapiles for a small fee. We offer a car rental discount and extra freebies for our readers such as two free additional drivers, free cooler, free luggage cover and much more. A high clearance SUV in dry season or a 4×4 in rainy season is recommended.
Get our Costa Rica car rental discount and freebies here.
Hotel Recommendations
You can stay in Bijagua or near the national park. The drive time between Bijagua downtown and Tenorio Volcano National Park is around 30 minutes.
These hotels are located closer to Tenorio Volcano National Park: Rio Celeste Hideaway (upscale, luxury), Celeste Mountain Lodge, Hotel Catarata Rio Celeste, Tenorio Lodge, Rio Celeste Springs Blue Lodge.
Hotels closer to Bijagua: Casitas Tenorio B&B, Albergue Heliconias Lodge, Kakao Lodge and Garden Rio Celeste, Finca Verde Lodge
Day 5: Tenorio Volcano National Park and Sloth Walk
Today you will visit Tenorio Volcano National Park to see Rio Celeste, the sky blue river. The trail is around 7 kilometers total (4.3 miles) and you’ll see the waterfall and the creation point of the river.
~$14 USD per adult ticket fee. You must purchase park tickets in advance on the SINAC website.
We recommend to go in the morning when the park opens at 8 AM to finish the walk around 11 AM. You do not need a guide to visit the national park.
Then, drive 1 kilometer to dip your toes in the actual sky blue river in the public Rio Celeste swimming hole outside the national park. Afterwards, have lunch at one of the local restaurants near the park entrance.
After lunch, head to Finca Verde Lodge for a nature walk (10 minute drive). This guided easy 1 kilometer walk is a great opportunity to see sloths.
Day 6: Birdwatching or Heliconias Hanging Bridges Walk in the Morning, Then Travel to La Fortuna
Before you leave for La Fortuna, we highly recommend to do an early morning birdwatching tour in Bijagua. You can see lots of cool birds like toucans, hummingbirds and mot mots. Usually around 530 AM – 8 AM.
If birding is not your thing, you can walk the hanging bridges of the Albergue Heliconias Lodge property in the morning.
They have three very cool hanging bridges over the rainforest for beautiful views. You can do them on your own or hire a guide from the lodge.
After checking out of the hotel, drive the 1.5 hours to La Fortuna. You can go straight away to one of the easy trails in town, such as La Fortuna Hikes and Trails to spot sloths and birds.
Then at night, go to the hot springs. If your hotel has its own hot springs, awesome. If you don’t want to go to the hot springs on Day 6 because you will go on Day 7, you can go to downtown La Fortuna to do some souvenir shopping and walk around the central park.
Hotel Recommendations
La Fortuna has a TON of accommodation options. Over 100 hotels to choose from and even more Airbnbs.
As you are renting a car, you can choose to stay closer to Arenal Volcano for better views, or you can go budget friendly and stay closer to downtown.
You can also choose to stay at a hotel with its own hot springs for an even more relaxing stay.
Budget friendly near downtown: Arenal Xilopalo, El Secreto, Monte Real Hotel, Hotel Sierra Arenal
Mid range – upscale with its own hot springs: Volcano Lodge, Amor Arenal adults only, The Royal Corin adults only, Los Lagos Hotel, Arenal Kioro, Tabacon, Nayara Springs adults only, The Springs Resort and Spa, Kokoro, Arenal Paraiso, Arenal Springs Resort, Relax Termalitas, Baldi Resort, Paradise Thermal Springs Hotel, Hotel El Silencio del Campo, Arenal Manoa, Hotel Moñtana de Fuego
Upscale without its own hot springs but has a pool: Hotel Lomas del Volcan, Noah’s Forest by Tifakara, Casa del Rio
Mid range with nature: Rancho Cerro Azul, Catarata Eco-Lodge, Princesa de la Luna Ecolodge, Arenal Oasis Eco Lodge & Wildlife Refuge, Hotel Casa Luna
Day 7: Arenal Volcano National Park
Today you will visit your third national park in Costa Rica: Arenal Volcano National Park. This national park has several trails for amazing view points of Arenal Volcano and to walk through the lava fields, leftover from the 1968 eruption.
~$18 USD per adult ticket fee. Can purchase tickets at the door.
There are two sectors in the national park and you can visit both in one day. The two sectors are about a 10 minute drive apart. Your park ticket works for both sectors.
The other sector, the Peninsula sector, has an easy walk through the rainforest out to an observation platform with beautiful views of Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano.
The total time at both sectors is around 4 hours if you walk the main trail and Ficus trail in the Volcano Sector and the one trail in the Peninsula Sector.
We recommend to go early in the morning when the park opens at 8 AM.
Afternoon
In the afternoon after lunch, you can throw in some adventure or short tour. Go ziplining, horseback riding, book a chocolate/coffee tour or do a cooking class.
We offer a discount for all of these tours which you can check out on our La Fortuna tours booking page.
Then in the evening, head to the hot springs to end the day. Ecotermales, Paradise, Tabacon, and Baldi are popular options. Check out our recommendations for best La Fortuna hot springs.
Day 8: Fly Home
Today you will leave La Fortuna and fly home out of San Jose International Airport.
Just a note – you could also fly out of Guanacaste Airport if you need to. The distances to both airports is approximately the same, around 2 hours and 45 minutes without traffic.
Please make sure to leave with plenty of time to get to the airport at least 2.5 hours before your flight. We recommend to leave around 5 hours before your departure time, to have some cushion for traffic and to return your rental car.
If you have a very early morning flight, then we recommend you to leave for San Jose on Day 7, after the afternoon activities. Return your rental car and stay at a hotel close to San Jose International Airport.
What to Pack for This Costa Rica in 8 Days Itinerary
Essentials: Original valid passport, original and valid driver’s license, first aid kit, travel insurance, credit card that has no international transaction fee (at least one Visa or Mastercard), essential medications, mosquito repellent, sunscreen at least SPF 30.
Learn about handling money in Costa Rica here. Credit cards are readily accepted, but we recommend to bring at least $100 USD or 50,000 CRC in cash. Either local currency (Costa Rican colones) or USD which is readily accepted in touristic destinations.
Clothing: Waterproof rain jacket, dry fast and moisture wicking clothes, microfiber clothing, bathing suit, microfiber towel, shorts, t-shirts, light weight long hiking pants/
All three of these areas are rainforests and tend to rain a bit more, even in the dry season. Do not leave your waterproof backpack or rain jacket at home! You will need it, whichever month you visit. Learn more about Costa Rica weather here.
Shoes: Closed toed hiking sandals, good walking or trail shoes, sandals/flip flops
Other: insulated water bottle, microfiber towel, battery pack, phone pouch, hat, visor, ear plugs, sleep mask, laundry bag
Get our FULL Costa Rica packing list in the link. You can also check our Amazon store to see what we personally use!
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.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
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