Creating the Perfect Costa Rica Itinerary: A Travel Expert’s Guide

Planning a Costa Rica vacation? This article offers insider tips from an ex-travel consultant on creating the perfect itinerary to make the most of this beautiful country, no matter how much time you have.

Once upon a time, I was a travel consultant here in Costa Rica, working for Namu Travel’s Costa Rican Vacations. People interested in a Costa Rica vacation contacted me, and I would put together a customized itinerary for them based on the time they had, what they wanted to experience, their budget, and so on. Other factors, like number of people and time of year, also came into play.

I did this for a long time, and I still receive occasional emails and referrals from former clients, asking me to arrange another trip for them or their friends. Nowadays, I pass these onto one of Namu’s other travel consultants for them to help (if you’re interested in becoming a Costa Rican Vacations travel consultant, click here for more info and also check out the video below at the end of this article).

That said, I picked up a thing or two over my twelve years as a travel consultant. And one of those things was how to put together a great – make that perfect – Costa Rica itinerary.

I’m aware it’s not rocket science. No one will ever win a Nobel prize for planning vacations. Our itinerary emails will never win a Pulitzer. But if you’re not familiar with Costa Rica, planning a vacation here can be daunting. Look at the expat Facebook groups down here. Every day someone asks where they should go or what they should visit first. This country can confuse you.

Why Costa Rica Is Different

Costa Rica isn’t like some other vacation destinations where you can stay in one place and experience everything. You can stay in one place, sure. Plenty do and that’s fine. If you’re just looking for a beach resort with a great pool and round-the-clock margaritas, that’s cool. We have many such places.

But I’d suggest you’re better off in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, or Mexico if you prefer a relaxing week in a beach resort. It’s much cheaper. Indeed, many people in Costa Rica go to Cancún or San Andreas for easy, all-inclusive beach vacations at a great price.

This is one of the first things a good Costa Rica travel consultant will tell you. It’s all about managing expectations, you see. If you want to experience the best of Costa Rica, move around.

To experience the best of Costa Rica, you should stay in smaller, more boutique, individual accommodations. If you’re planning a vacation here, it’s worth knowing that. This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with chilling at a great resort. And we have plenty here in Costa Rica where you can stay. But we recommend traveling first. To someone used to resort-style vacations, that can be off-putting.

Planning Your Perfect Week

So where do you start? Well, when planning your Costa Rican itinerary, you start how I used to start with my clients, by asking them what they want from their trip. What does Costa Rica mean to them, what are their “bucket list” items? Oh – and how much time do they have?

Ask yourself why Costa Rica? What have you found out about the place? Like I said, you didn’t hear Costa Rica was a great place for a cheap all-inclusive on a white-sand beach with turquoise waters.

So what did you find out? Allow me to make an educated guess. You read somewhere, or someone told you that Costa Rica was excellent for animals and wildlife, an adventure destination and the home of eco-tourism. You want to go zip lining, you want to see the rainforest. Oh yeah, and you want to check out a tropical beach!

You have a week. A week is about the length of a North American’s Costa Rican vacation. Europeans tend to stay for longer – at least 10-14 nights.

Understanding Travel Times and Destinations

You look at a map and see that Costa Rica is tiny. You figure you can stay in one place and travel all over the country from there, seeing everything you want to see. Or you go the other way and figure you can go to four or five areas in a week.

Keeping it real, you can’t go either of these routes. Well, you can but you shouldn’t. Costa Rica might be small, but the roads – although better than they used to be – aren’t good. It takes a while to get from A to B. So too much traveling means more time in a car, bus, or transfer van. That means less time doing the cool stuff you came here to do.

A good travel consultant will explain all this to the potential traveler. They’ll suggest that, for a week, two places is perfect. When you’re creating your Costa Rica itinerary, if you have a week, two places is enough. Beyond that, if you want to add more destinations to your trip, a rule-of-thumb is to add two or three nights to your vacation per destination.

The Classic Costa Rica Experience

For a week-long trip, that means the La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano area for the adventure. They don’t call this the adventure capital of Central America for nothing. Chances are if you’ve seen a photo or watched a video of someone rafting, zip lining, hiking, and all that good stuff, it was around here. Great for couples, families, groups, and individual travelers alike, the Arenal area is unmissable. Especially for your first trip.

And after that, either the Central Pacific (Jacó, Esterillos, Manuel Antonio) or Guanacaste (Tamarindo, Coco, etc.) for the beach. That is the archetypical, classic Costa Rica vacation and perfect for a first-timer.

If you fly in and out of San José (SJO), then the Central Pacific is better for the beach part. If Guanacaste (LIR) is your airport, then you’ll stay in Guanacaste for the beach part. You can get to the La Fortuna/Arenal area in less than four hours from both airports.

Extended Stay Options and Seasonal Tips

Let’s now take a look at some longer trips, like, say, a two-week Costa Rica itinerary. You’re either from Europe or you got time on your hands. Either way, congrats! Costa Rica is excellent for a week, but it’s better for two. You’ll see more and also relax more.

Again, think of the core of your vacation as La Fortuna/Arenal and the beach. Or even two beaches. A great trip here would be to do Arenal and Manuel Antonio like discussed above. That would be adventure-packed. And then head up to a resort in Guanacaste to do nothing for six or seven nights. Best of both worlds.

You could also add in some nights in Monteverde (for the cloud forests and cooler climes) after Arenal. Say four nights Arenal, three nights Monteverde, seven nights beach (Central Pacific or Guanacaste).

Once you have an idea of where you’re going, you might want to think about when. When a potential client contacts us, they already have their dates for the most part. But if your Costa Rica itinerary dates are wide open, it’s worth knowing the basics about the weather and when it’s best to travel.

Final Travel Tips and Considerations

A point to remember about airports and domestic flights: When putting together a Costa Rica itinerary, try to never arrange a domestic flight on the same day as an international flight.

If you’re going to or coming from someplace by plane, give yourself a night near your international airport before or after. For example, if you’re returning from the Osa, don’t do it on the same day you’re leaving. Delays are not unheard of, especially during the green season. You don’t want to miss your flight home.

Again, this isn’t complicated stuff here. But if you don’t know the country, it can seem like it is. But a little research and planning can be the difference between doing Costa Rica like a pro or finding yourself stuck in a place you don’t want to be, miles from where you do want to be.

This goes for whether you’re rolling deep in luxury or backpacking around on public buses. The premise is the same. If it gets overwhelming, hit up a travel consultant. These guys can make the whole planning process seamless for you, so go ahead and contact one.

And, if you ever feel like life as a Costa Rica travel consultant, where testing out luxury hotels in gorgeous, tropical settings might seem like a perfect way to make a living, then watch the video below and learn more about how you too can create itineraries for a living.

So, get planning your own Costa Rica itinerary… or start learning how to make a great living planning itineraries for others. What are you waiting for?

James Dyde is the editor of centralamerica.com. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.