Day 1: Drive from San Jose International Airport to Quepos
Our trip didn't exactly have a relaxing start when we arrived at the car rental company only to find out that most rental car companies in Costa Rica require a physical credit card (and mine got hacked in Brazil, so I only have a digital one). Eventually, we were able to rent a car with Thrifty, who accepted either a debit card or a digital credit card. So, we were off, just with a 2-hour delay!
This also meant that we had to stop in Jaco, about an hour before our final destination, to teach an online class since we wouldn't be able to make it to our accommodation on time. All good, such are the adventures of digital nomad life!
Day 2: Manuel Antonio National Park
Today’s plan was to explore Manuel Antonio National Park. With the entry (without a guide) costing $18 USD and our tight budget, we decided to explore the park without a guide. The park is famous for its diverse fauna, especially the quintessential Costa Rican sloth.
As soon as we entered the park and saw groups of people with guides and binoculars, we were certain we wouldn’t be able to spot a single animal. But after walking for about 20 minutes, the universe aligned and granted us a sloth encounter! We saw a group of people staring up at a tree. And there he was! The famously slow and cute sloth climbing up a tree. We felt extremely lucky to have spotted one and enjoyed the rest of the morning walking through the park without the pressure of having to see anything in particular.
My favourite part, however, was Manuel Antonio beach. Pristine and not crowded, a refreshing dip was exactly what we needed after the 2-hour walk through the park.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 3: Drive from Quepos to Monteverde via hot springs Finca Lindora
This morning we set off on the drive to Monteverde (a 3.5-hour drive according to Google), which was quite uneventful, with the obligatory pit stop for the famous gallo pinto (a traditional breakfast consisting of rice and beans, eggs, plantains, and a corn tortilla).
Just about 10 minutes from our final destination, we saw a sign for Finca Lindora Hot Springs. We thought, why not, let’s check it out! This is a local farm that offers horse riding and a visit to the hot springs. We passed on the horse riding and paid $10 USD per person for entry to the hot springs. The lady explained to us how to get to the hot springs down the hill and while it seemed simple at the time, it turned out to be much more complicated!
First, the dry gravel and rocks made the path very slippery. The instructions were something like, ‘keep to the left following the path, then turn right by the trees.’
Huh, which trees?
Then we saw a gate, but the arrow was pointing towards a wired fence… We tried the gate first, but then remembered the ‘keep to the left’ part and figured that you could actually open the barbed wire as a gate… After about 20 minutes of walking, we finally made it to the hot springs. Let’s just say it was an adventurous walk in nature!
But it was all worth it. The hot spring was lovely, and not too hot, which was perfect for this hot day. My skin felt really smooth after soaking in it for some 20mins or so.
Hot springs Finca Lindora
Day 4: Monte Verde Cloud Forest & Cascada de Murcielagos
This morning we visited Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. The reserve only allows 250 visitors at a time, which is quite nice as it doesn’t seem crowded at all. We had booked in advance ($26 USD per person) and were glad we did as it was sold out for the day. It was a lovely morning, pleasantly warm (not hot), and we explored several of the trails available in the reserve. We ended up having lunch at the onsite restaurant, which has amazing views of the greenery
Monteverde Cloud Forest
While the Cloud Forest was beautiful, the highlight of the day was again an unplanned stop, this time at the nearby Cataratas Murciélago waterfalls. The entry was $8 USD and after a 20-minute walk down the hill, we arrived at this lovely waterfall, and we had it all to ourselves! The water was COLD, therefore refreshing! You need water shoes or sandals that you don’t mind getting wet as the bottom is very rocky and slippery. After a refreshing swim, we headed back up. Perfect timing as we passed two groups of people heading down and it also started drizzling a little. We have been very lucky with the weather as May is the beginning of the rainy season, but so far, we have only witnessed two afternoon showers.
Cataratas Murciélago
Day 5: Drive from Monte Verde to Tamarindo
Another 3.5-hour drive took us to Tamarindo, on the Guanacaste Pacific Coast. It got very hot again as we made our way out of the Monteverde mountain area towards Liberia and the coast. Perhaps we got used to the cooler climate of Monteverde and therefore found this heat a bit too much, so we stayed indoors until just before sunset. It was still hot then (29 °C and 80% humidity), but much more bearable.
Tamarindo beach
Tamarindo is a small surf town catering to international tourists. There is the paved main strip with shops (fairly expensive boutiques, surf shops, restaurants and a couple of mini supermarkets). The rest of the town consists of dirt roads and has a very laid-back feel to it. We found Tamarindo (like much of Costa Rica) expensive compared to other Latin American countries. Apart from alcohol, which is cheaper, restaurants, grocery stores and petrol all seem to have comparable prices to Australia, if not higher at times. Accommodation is still much cheaper, though.
The sunset at the beach was spectacular, and although we are not into surfing, we enjoyed the chilled vibes at dusk and the atmosphere of tropical beach bars. I often wish that Australia would adopt some of these beachfront bars, but I know that will never happen!
Day 6 & 7: Tamarindo
The next couple of days were spent lazing around the hotel pool, trying out the local gym and yoga classes, and working in the evenings. I went to the beach for a dip at 7 am, and it was already very hot! I kind of wish I had traveled to this part of the world when I was younger and more tolerant of heat and humidity!
Day 8: La Leona Waterfall and drive to La Fortuna
This morning we set off just before 7am for a 20-hour drive to La Leona waterfall in the Rincon de la Vieja region. We joined a guided walk to the waterfall (that’s the only way to visit this stunning site) and this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far!
The whole trip took about 2.5 hours as we walked through the river bed, climbed up and down rocks and little ladders, swam though the gorge along ropes to help us fight the current, and pulled up on the rope to make our way to two stunning waterfalls. This was such a fun, refreshing, and exhilarating little adventure!
La Leona Waterfall
We continued driving for another 3hours to La Fortuna, with a stop for delicious ceviche at Sr. Pulpo in Cañas (right next to the church). Once we reached Arenal Lake, the drive became very scenic, with views of the Arenal Volcano hiding behind the clouds.
Our last stop was at the Choyin Thermal River, a free hot spring river just a 15-minute drive from La Fortuna town. We were expecting it to be crowded, but it wasn’t! (Another perk of travelling during the shoulder season.) There were plenty of little pools so we could to lie in and soak in this lovely hot spring.
Day 9: La Fortuna
This morning we set off early again to beat the crowds at La Fortuna Waterfalls. We arrived at 7:30am (it opens at 7am), paid $20 US each and made our way down the 500 stairs towards the waterfall. When we got there, there were only a few people around and at one point, I was the only one swimming, so it was definitely worth getting in early.
After the refreshing dip and a walk back up (the 500 stairs turned out to be very manageable), we headed into La Fortuna town for a stroll and then down towards the river at El Salto (you can swing on a rope and jump into the river, for free). We didn’t jump, but had another refreshing swim before heading back to our lovely Airbnb, where we chilled and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the lush views. The vegetation at La Fortuna is really something else- so green and tropical. The weather slowly changed and it started raining in the afternoon, so I guess the rainy season has officially started!
Day 10: Depart La Fortuna and drive to San Jose International Airport
This morning we lazed around a bit more, finished packing and got ready for the drive back to the airport (2.5-3 hours, depending on traffic). So this concludes our 10-day trip around Costa Rica! My favourite part was definitely swimming in the the waterfalls, soaking in natural hot springs and enjoying the stunning nature around La Fortuna.
Here are 10 Fun Facts about Costa Rica
Costa Rica has no army
All petrol stations are government regulated and have fixed prices
Costa Rica accounts for 6% of global biodiversity
99% of Costa Rica’s Energy is renewable
You can drink tap water almost everywhere in Costa Rica
Gallo pinto is a traditional breakfast dish
US dollars are widely accepted
Costa Rica is the most expensive Central-American country
It is nicknamed the 'Switzerland of Latin America'
Pura Vida is the Costa Rican way of life
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