How to Plan a Trip To Costa Rica: The Ideal Costa Rica Itinerary

• Wrong arrival airport (it happens more often than you think)
• Underestimating driving times
• When to rent a car
• Trying to see too much within a limited time frame

With this guide, we hope we can help you learn how our travel experts plan a Costa Rica vacation to avoid these.

We understand that some people don't like talking about money, but one of the first questions our expert travel planners will ask is about your budget. It's all about setting clear and realistic vacation goals from the beginning, you see. Planning a vacation is fun, but without a clear budget, it can throw up some unpleasant surprises, and we want to avoid that.

When budgeting for your Costa Rica vacation, consider the following factors:

• Time of year. The time of year you travel (peak season, high season, low season) directly influences your budget, in terms of both accommodations on the ground and airfare. It's possible to travel in low season and spend far less than you would do for the exact same itinerary in peak/high season, sometimes up to around 50% less.
• Accommodations. It might sound obvious, but some hotels are more budget-busting than others. What's more important to you? A comfortable hotel that serves as a base for your beach and rainforest adventures or something more high-end and luxurious? There's no right or wrong answer here, it all depends on your preferences and your budget.
• All-inclusive or not. Something that surprises many of our clients is that all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica are not the economic option they are elsewhere. Staying in a place that includes breakfast and eating out in local restaurants for lunch and dinner is often less expensive. Again, no right or wrong here—entirely up to you!
• Eating in or out. Talking of food, even inexpensive restaurants can add up throughout a vacation. Renting a home or condo with a kitchen and cooking yourself can often help you out, budget-wise.
• Tours and excursions. Do you want organized tours every day or are you happy to just wing it yourself some days, hanging out poolside or at the beach?

All the above factors can affect your budget, which is why any reputable Costa Rica travel planner will ask you about this straight away, then help you plan a trip based on the realistic budget you give them. This way, you can prioritize what you want to see and do and avoid the stress of overspending.

The length of your Costa Rica vacation is crucial when planning your trip. And although it would be wonderful if you had unlimited time to enjoy Costa Rica, real life gets in the way. You know, things like budget, work, school holidays, family commitments, pets, and so on. We get it. So you need to figure out how long you have and what you want to see and do.

We often have clients contact us wanting to do everything and go everywhere. In a week. One of the main misconceptions about Costa Rica is that it's such a tiny country that it's possible to visit many places in a short length of time. And while Costa Rica is small and it's possible to pack a lot into a week, it's not that small. It's important to manage expectations here in order to provide the best experience possible.

The number of days you have is one of the largest factors in helping to narrow down where you should visit. This also depends on your ideal travel pace. Some travelers really want to see it all and tour around the country, while others prefer to arrive, travel the minimal distance possible, and relax on the beach. It’s important to know how much time you’re willing to spend in transit, so that's something our travel planners will discuss with you and help you with.

Here’s a rough guide on the feasible number of destinations we recommend vs your number of days in Costa Rica. Bear in mind, this is just a guide. For optimal trip logistics, consider your arrival airport, flight arrival/departure times, and your ideal trip pace:

• Four/five-day itinerary: One relaxed location with day trips.
• One-week itinerary: Two destinations (three, perhaps, for those who don't mind being on the road).
• 10-day itinerary: Ample time for three unique or more remote destinations.
• Two-week itinerary: Cross-country trip, with four or more destinations.

Again, these are rough ideas based on over 20 years of Costa Rica vacation planning. Your trip length is vital when determining what's realistic in terms of where to go and what to see and do.

Now we're past boring old budgets and vacation lengths, it's time for the fun stuff. Time to figure out what kind of vacation you want in Costa Rica. After all, in a country with so much to see and do, the sky's the limit—unless, of course, you seek a skiing vacation or something like that! But seriously, what kind of Costa Rica vacation do you want?

It depends on your group dynamics, too. Are you traveling as a family? How old are the kids? This determines the types of hotels, how much in-country traveling you want to do, and the tours/excursions available (small children, for example, can't raft class IV rivers). Maybe you're a couple planning a honeymoon or romantic break. If that's the case, you might want something more adult-orientated and luxurious. Or are you planning a group vacation with friends? Renting a beach house might work as well as staying somewhere with nightlife to enjoy.

Regardless of your group dynamics, what do you like to do while on vacation? Do you like to explore cities and experience culture? Are you looking for nature and wildlife? Or do you just want to hang out on a tropical beach, catching waves? There's something for everyone in Costa Rica and it often helps to chat to an expert to help you plan the perfect trip.

You've probably decided on Costa Rica as a vacation destination based on what you've seen and heard about its natural beauty, tropical beaches, variety of nature, and available activities. Or maybe you have a specific reason to come, like sportfishing or surfing. Either way, what you want to see and do determines where you go. And of course, trip length also factors here.

If you have less than a week, then you're probably better off staying in one location, by the beach. So does that mean rainforest and adventure in Manuel Antonio or a relaxing beach resort in Guanacaste? Travelers with more time, say a week or so, have more flexibility. They can pair the rainforest adventures of the Arenal Volcano area with time on the beach for relaxing. This is the most popular kind of Costa Rica vacation.

Coming down for longer than a week? Then your options open up. Explore the rainforests of Arenal and the highland cloud forests of Monteverde before enjoying your last few days on the beach. Great for adventure and nature lovers who still want time to relax. Bottom line is, the longer your vacation, the more destinations are open to you.

Here's a quick and basic guide to Costa Rica's main destinations and the type of travelers they suit most:

• Arenal Volcano: Adventure and nature (rafting, zip lines, hiking, horseback, rappelling, national parks, and more)
• Monteverde: Nature and adventure (nature hikes, birdwatching, zip lining, and more)
• Central Valley: Culture and nature (cities, hiking, coffee farms, and more)
• Guanacaste: Beaches (surfing, sailing, fishing, relaxing, resorts)
• Nicoya Peninsula: Beaches (surfing and wellness)
• Central Pacific: Beaches, adventure, nature (rafting, zip lining, hiking, national parks, surfing, fishing, and more)
• Southern Pacific: Beaches and nature (surfing, hiking, whale watching, national parks)
• Caribbean: Beaches and nature (surfing, relaxing, national parks)

Please note that the above list does not encompass all of your options, but we hope it gives you some idea of the destinations you should target depending on what you want to see and do. Look around our site for more details, or speak to our travel consultants.

The final consideration when planning your Costa Rica vacation is the logistics. The bread and butter things. Like airports, getting around, all that stuff.

Let's start with your flights because this greatly affects what your itinerary will look like, particularly when it comes to the beach. We have two international airports in Costa Rica, San Jose (SJO) and Guanacaste (LIR). San Jose—or Juan Santamaria—is located in the Central Valley just outside the capital city. It's the largest and principal airport in Costa Rica, receiving direct flights from North and Central America, South America, and Europe. Guanacaste Airport—formerly called Liberia Airport—is located in the city of Liberia in the province of Guanacaste. Much smaller than San José, Guanacaste nonetheless receives flights from North America and a handful from Europe.

If you're traveling around Costa Rica and finishing your vacation on the Central or Southern Pacific coast, then San José is better for you. Depending on your flight times, you might also want to stay near the airport on your first or last night. On the other hand, Guanacaste Airport serves the coastal communities and resorts of the Northern Pacific coast and is super-convenient if you're basing yourself in that part of the country. We can talk to you about what airport works best for you, depending on your itinerary preferences—it's often possible to fly into one airport and out of the other.

And then, especially if you're on a multi-destination vacation, you need to figure out how you'll get around. For shorter trips, private transport is probably a better bet, or even public transportation if you require it. For longer visits and more remote destinations, a rental car might be preferable. And for some vacations, domestic flights will be the way to go. Again, it all depends on what you want to do, when you want to travel, and how long you have.

Speak to our experts about the logistics of your vacation if you have any questions and they will be happy to advise you.