Epic Costa Rica One Month Itinerary

If you’re lucky enough to have a full month in Costa Rica, here is an epic one month Costa Rica road trip itinerary.

This one month Costa Rica itinerary takes you all around the country from coast to coast, experiencing the best of what Costa Rica has to offer.

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Costa Rica One Month Road Trip Route

The destinations in this Costa Rica road trip itinerary are San Jose, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, La Fortuna, Monteverde, Playa Hermosa Guanacaste, Samara, Manuel Antonio, Uvita and Drake Bay.

You get everything Costa Rica has to offer: beach, rainforest, cloud forest and volcano.

You need to fly in and out of San Jose International Airport.

What Type of Car to Rent for This Costa Rica One Month Road Trip

It is best to rent a 4wd because of Monteverde and Uvita. A high clearance 4×2 SUV can work in the drier months like February, March and April, as long as your accommodation does not require a 4×4.

However, if you are visiting in the rainy season, staying in accommodation up in the mountains or traveling heavy, we recommend a 4wd with high clearance.

If you are on a budget, visiting during dry season, traveling light and staying hotels in the town center, a sedan can work.

We can help you get the best rate and deal for your car rental. Read our renting a car in Costa Rica tips and get our Costa Rica car rental discount!

What to Pack

Swimsuit, flip flops/sandals, trail running shoes or sturdy sneakers, rain jacket, clothes that are lightweight, dry fast and wick away moisture, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, microfiber towel, battery pack, head lamp/small flashlight and toiletries.

Get our full Costa Rica packing list and our Costa Rica rainy season packing list here.

Best Time to Visit Costa Rica for this 1 Month Road Trip Itinerary

January, February, March and April for the best weather in Costa Rica as this is the tropical dry season.

December can work as well however that is the tail end of rainy season so it may still rain a lot and roads are in the worst condition. Likewise, Christmas and New Years is super expensive and busy.

It is possible to do this itinerary May – November, just be prepared for rain.

However if you can only visit in the rainiest month of October, I recommend removing Drake Bay and adding more days to the Caribbean (Tortuguero and Puerto Viejo).

This is because the Caribbean coast has a different weather pattern and October is their summer month.

Read more about Costa Rica weather and best time to visit Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Road Trip Map

The map below has all the destinations, the driving route, hotel and activities recommendations for this one month Costa Rica itinerary.

Click the sidebar for more information.

For any tours, please contact us as we have discounts and partnerships with tour companies in various parts of the country.

Day 1: Fly into SJO, Travel to Puerto Viejo

Land in San Jose International Airport, pick up your car rental and drive to Puerto Viejo, the Caribbean beach town.

It’s about a 5-6 hour drive depending on traffic.

Puerto Viejo Hotel Recommendations

Le Chameleon: Beautiful luxury resort

Cariblue: Very nice, relaxing resort

Villas del Caribe: Spacious rooms on Playa Chiquita

If you are landing in the afternoon, then we do not recommend driving to Puerto Viejo right away as this is a long drive.

It is best to stay somewhere in San Jose and then leave the next morning to drive in daylight. Everyday, it gets dark at 6 PM in Costa Rica.

Day 2, 3, 4 & 5: Puerto Viejo

Puerto Viejo is famous for gorgeous beaches, lush jungles, a chill atmosphere, parties and abundant wildlife.

On day 2, we recommend visiting Playa Cocles. You can relax on the beach, read a book, book a surf lesson and work on your tan. In the afternoon/evening, you can walk around Puerto Viejo town to shop and have dinner.

Then on days 3, 4 and 5, here are some recommendations.

Day 3: Morning visit to Cahuita National Park to hike the beach trails, highly recommended to book a tour with a guide. Then in the afternoon, do a chocolate experience at the BriBri indigenous communities.

If you don’t have your own transportation, book a BriBri and Cahuita tour with transportation from Puerto Viejo.

Day 4: Go kayaking down Punta Uva river in the morning. Hang out on Playa Punta Uva and then do a guided tour of Jaguar Rescue Center in the afternoon.

Day 5: Go on the Pacuare River white water rafting Class 3 & 4 full day trip. This is an amazing rafting trip and one of our favorite things to do in Costa Rica!

We offer a small discount for the Pacuare rafting tour.

You can read about other things to do in Puerto Viejo here.

You can also do a 1 day trip to Tortuguero for a canal boat tour.

Day 6: Travel to La Fortuna

Today is a travel day and the second destination on this one month Costa Rica road trip is La Fortuna, the main town near Arenal Volcano.

The drive from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna takes around 5 hours.

We recommend to leave around mid morning so you can get to La Fortuna before dark. Early is best however, since there is a lot of traffic out of Puerto Viejo during the day.

La Fortuna Hotel Recommendations

• Hotel El Secreto: Cute little hotel in La Fortuna town, cheaper/mid range with hot breakfast included.
• Arenal Xilopalo: Budget friendly hotel near town with a pool and restaurant.
• Arenal Observatory Lodge – Best lodge for nature lovers. Has the closest view of the volcano and has their own hiking trails, waterfall and hanging bridge.
• Nayara Springs: Romantic luxury adult only hotel with bungalows that each have their own private plunge pool.
• Los Lagos Hotel: Beautiful hot springs, rooms and property, popular with families.
• The Springs Resort & Spa: Luxury hotel with their own outdoor center, two separate hot springs sections and beautiful rooms with a stunning volcano view.

If you’re on your honeymoon or want to splurge on a nice hotel, La Fortuna is one of the best places to do so! You can find a handful of luxury hotels here.

Read more about where to stay in La Fortuna here.

Day 7, 8 & 9: La Fortuna

La Fortuna is the adventure capital of Costa Rica and the amount of amazing things to do is endless, such as canyoning, hiking, rafting, ziplining, horseback riding, tubing, ATV’ing, mountain biking and so much more!

You can check our La Fortuna tours booking page to see a list of tours we offer with discounts.

Here are some ideas:

Day 7: Morning La Fortuna waterfall, afternoon walk in Arenal Volcano National Park. Arenal hot springs at night.

Day 8: Morning river wildlife watching safari float. Peñas Blancas safari float is about 3.5 hours. Another option is the Pure Nature, an exclusive safari float that is around 5 hours. Afternoon relax at hotel, go to the pool, or go to town to shop.

Day 9: Canyoning in the morning, then easy sloth walk in the afternoon. Can go back to hot springs at night or go on a night walk in La Fortuna.

Or check out our specific La Fortuna 3 days itinerary for ideas.

Day 10: Travel to Monteverde

Today is a travel day to Monteverde. You’ll drive around Lake Arenal and go around to the other end to Monteverde.

This route has some gorgeous views so go slow and enjoy the drive. The section past Lake Arenal turns unpaved, so drive slowly.

Tour on the way: In case you want to do a tour on the way, you can go an early morning 8 AM 2 hour ATV tour.

Monteverde Hotel Recommendations

Use our 5% promo code “mytanfeet” to save $$ at 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.

Day 11: Monteverde

Monteverde is famous for the cloud forests, birdwatching and ziplining.

Since you only have one day in Monteverde, head to the adventure parks for a full day of ziplining and hanging bridges.

Selvatura Park, Treetopia Monteverde, 100% Aventura are some of the best.

If you’re more into hiking and birding, take a guided nature walk at Santa Elena Cloud Forest, Monteverde Cloud Forest or Curi-Cancha Reserve.

For birders, Curi-Cancha is a must as it’s an excellent place to spot Resplendant Quetzals!

Our recommendation: Full day ziplining and hanging bridges at Selvatura Park. Watch sunset at Mirador Valle Escondido Preserve.

Perfect way to experience the absolute best of Monteverde!

Day 12: Travel to Playa Hermosa GTE

The fourth stop on this Costa Rica road trip is Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste. The next week is all about relaxing at the beach.

This drive is around 3.5 hours via Route 145 (Las Juntas) from Monteverde.

Activity en route: If you want to, you can do a 4 hour, 7 AM guided walk at Curi Cancha in the morning. Leave right after for Playa Hermosa. It’s not a very strenuous or high level hike, as you will go slow and stop enough to see birds and wildlife.

Playa Hermosa Hotels

• Hotel Bosque del Mar: Lovely hotel on the beach
• Villas Sol: Rooms and condos, also has an all-inclusive option
• Condovac La Costa: Resort with beach club and villas

Day 13 and 14: Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa is a very beautiful, quiet beach in the Gulf of Papagayo. There’s not much going on which makes it perfect for relaxing.

We highly recommend to do a boating tour in Gulf of Papagayo. Playa Hermosa is a dark sand beach and doesn’t have good snorkeling.

If you take a boating tour, you’ll find gorgeous boat access only white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters in the Gulf! You can also go fishing for mahi mahi, snapper, wahoo and other fish.

You can also head into Playas del Coco one night for souvenir shopping, nightlife and to check out the town because Hermosa is pretty low key.

Day 15: Travel to Samara

Now it’s onto a beach town further south in Guanacaste, Samara. This is a small but lively and family friendly coastal village with beautiful beaches.

Samara Hotels:

• Hideaway Hotel Samara: Cute boutique hotel with a pool on the road towards Carrillo.
• Villas Kalimba: 6 villas with a pool and Jacuzzi
• Sol Samara: Walking distance to the beach, simple, basic but clean rooms

Day 16, 17 & 18: Samara

Samara is an excellent beach town for all tourists, especially families in Costa Rica.

There are lots of restaurants, hotels and activities and it has a very family friendly atmosphere.

You can take a surf lesson, visit Puerto Carrillo beach, go for a guided walk at Camaronal Wildlife Refuge, go horseback riding, kayak to Isla Chorro and go snorkeling or visit Barrigona beach.

If anything, you have to watch the sunset on the beach. Samara has some of the most beautiful sunsets in Costa Rica!

Here are some of our ideas.

Day 16: Just relax at the beach. Walk, swim, read a book, lay by the pool. Just chill and watch the beautiful sunsets.

Day 17: Take a surf lesson and relax at the beach. Go to the pool, go shopping in town.

Day 18: Visit Barrigona beach or do a kayak to Isla Chorro and snorkeling tour.

Day 19: Ferry and Travel to Manuel Antonio

Today is a long travel day. It’s time to head down the Central and South Pacific coast in the Puntarenas province.

You’ll drive around the Nicoya Peninsula to take the Naranjo ferry to Puntarenas and then drive to Manuel Antonio.

The drive to the Naranjo ferry dock from Samara is 2 hours. The ferry is about 1 hour and the drive from Puntarenas to Manuel Antonio is about 2.5.

I recommend to take the morning ferry so you can drive to Manuel Antonio in daylight.

The ferry has beautiful views of the Nicoya Peninsula and if you’re lucky, you may see some whales or dolphins!

Manuel Antonio Hotels

• Hotel La Mariposa: Beautiful luxury resort with infinity pool
• El Faro Containers Beach Hotel: clean and comfortable hotel with pools and ac. Very close to the national park
• Jungle Beach Hotel: Nice “jungley” comfortable hotel by the beach.
• Hotel San Bada: Closest hotel to the national park. Has two pools, two restaurants, spa and nice comfortable rooms
• Tulemar: Luxury vacation rental that has its own beach and offers an exclusive sloth walk to guests.

Manuel Antonio is another great destination to splurge on a nice hotel. You can find a handful of luxury resorts, all with ocean views!

Day 20 & 21: Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio has gorgeous beaches, lush jungles and a national park that was named as one of the most beautiful parks in the world.

Day 20: Full day at Manuel Antonio National Park. You can visit the national park on your own, or take a guided tour. If you book a Manuel Antonio National Park tour, you can stay in the park afterwards to swim, hike more and enjoy the park.

Day 21: Enjoy the hotel pool and resort, chill. Head down to Playa Manuel Antonio (beach outside the national park) to go parasailing, swim, take a surf lesson or just hang out and watch the sunset.

Read about other things to do in Manuel Antonio here.

Day 22: Travel to Uvita

For the next stop on your Costa Rica road trip, head down to Uvita, the small beach town in the Costa Ballena. The drive is only about 1 hour.

Uvita Hotels

• Hotel Cuna del Angel: Hotel with beautiful gardens, pool and spacious rooms.
• Hotel Los Laureles: Nice family owned property. They have cabins and their own rainforest trails.
• Manoas: Beautiful glamping and villa resort by a river, 2km from town.
• Karandi Hostel: Typical hostel near town with shared kitchen, shared bathrooms and dorms. Has Wifi, parking and an attached restaurant. Clean rooms, no air conditioning.
• Hotel Uvita Forest: Gated property with a small pool and standard rooms, furnished with a TV, fridge, air conditioning and hot water. Right next to a food court.

Another option is to stay in Dominical, a laid back surfing town 45 minutes south of Manuel Antonio. As it’s only 15 minutes from Uvita, you can do the same things and take the same day trips.

You can even stay in Ojochal, a small town 20 minutes south of Uvita. These three towns: Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal are collectively known as the “Costa Ballena.”

Day 23, 24 & 25: Uvita

Uvita has the perfect mix of pristine jungle and beach.

You can spend one day at Marino Ballena National Park, another day visiting Nauyaca Waterfalls and another day snorkeling at Caño Island.

If you visit during January – April or July – November, you have a good chance of seeing humpback whales so you should definitely take a humpback whale watching tour. Best times are August and September.

Here are some ideas to spend your days in Uvita.

Day 23: Whale and dolphin tour in the morning. Hang out in the national park afterwards, watch sunset. If not in whale season, check out Uvita Waterfall and go to Marino Ballena National Park in the afternoon (before 2 PM).

Day 24: Nauyaca Waterfalls. This can take most of the day.

Day 25: Hang out in town, lay by the pool, go to the national park one more time to see Whale’s Tail if you missed in on day 23. Can take a surf lesson.

You can read about more things to do in Uvita here.

Day 26: Take Boat from Sierpe to Drake Bay

On your last stop for your Costa Rica road trip, you’re actually going to return your rental car!.

Since you’ll be going to Drake Bay via boat and then flying back to San Jose, you’ll return your car rental at the Sierpe dock.

The drive from Uvita to Sierpe is around 1 hour and the boat ride is around 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The boat ride is fantastic with wonderful views. It will drop you off at your hotel in Drake Bay.

Read our guide on taking the boat from Sierpe to Drake Bay here.

Drake Bay Hotels

• Tranquilo Lodge: Beautiful luxury boutique hotel up in the hills with ocean view and two pools with 3 meals included. Modern and luxury cabins with air conditioning and wi-fi.
• Copa del Arbol: Amazing eco-luxury boat access hotel with a very big property, 3 meals included, 10 different cabins, air conditioning, and steps from the beach. Save 5% with our promo code mytanfeet on their website Copa de Arbol!
• Aguila de Osa: Small rainforest lodge located at the southern end of the bay, great location. 3 meals included. No air conditioning or pool. Has their own private boat from Sierpe.

Day 27, 28 & 29: Drake Bay

Drake Bay is in the Osa Peninsula, one of the most biologically diverse places in the world. It’s known as the “last frontier” of Costa Rica for its remoteness and wildness.

Spend your last few days in Costa Rica getting your fill of nature and wildlife in Drake Bay.

You can go fishing, hike Corcovado National Park, go scuba diving or just relax and soak up all the jungles and sunsets before you go home.

Recommended ideas:

Day 27: Full day tour of Corcovado National Park. Tours usually go to San Pedrillo or Sirena, depending on your hotel and your guide.

Day 28: Caño Island snorkeling or scuba diving.

Day 29: Hang out and enjoy your last day.

Day 30: Fly to SJO Airport, Fly Home

Today you’ll take a local flight from Drake Bay to San Jose and then fly out of San Jose Internatinoal Airport back home.

If your domestic flight and international flight times don’t match up, you may need to stay a night in a hotel near the SJO Airport.

Adapting the Itinerary to a Two Week Costa Rica Road Trip

You can perfectly adapt this itinerary to a two week Costa Rica road trip.

A sample Costa Rica two week road trip itinerary is San Jose – Puerto Viejo – La Fortuna – Monteverde – San Jose.

Another one is San Jose – La Fortuna – Jaco/Manuel Antonio/Uvita, San Jose.

If you want to do a more adventurous, jungle, nature and beach itinerary to mostly the Central and South Pacific, we recommend San Jose – Manuel Antonio – Uvita – Drake Bay – Puerto Jimenez – Dominical – San Jose.

This is a great itinerary to explore the Osa Peninsula and experience one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Here is what it’s like to drive to Drake Bay.

We have written a two week Costa Rica road trip itinerary you can read here.

Ten Day Costa Rica Road Trip

We have also written a ten day Costa Rica road trip itinerary and one week Costa Rica itinerary for those who are shorter on time.

For more ideas, check out our Costa Rica itinerary page. We hope this Costa Rica road trip planner helps you create the perfect vacation!

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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