Volcanoes, cloud forest, Pacific beaches and Caribbean canals: an itinerary built region by region around the month you travel, with a concierge reachable 24/7 while you’re there.
A tailor-made Costa Rica vacation is an itinerary written for you, starting with the month you plan to travel. In practice, that means three or four regions in two weeks, at least two nights in each, places to stay that we know and drive times that reflect real road conditions. We design it in Geneva and stay with you until you’re back home.
In winter, Edelweiss flies from Zurich to San José and Liberia with no change of plane, in about twelve hours. From Geneva, plan on one connection, in Zurich, Madrid, Amsterdam or Paris. Several US hubs, including Miami, Houston, Atlanta and New York, have nonstop flights to San José (SJO) and Liberia (LIR). Costa Rica is seven hours behind Switzerland in winter and eight in summer, so your first night is near the airport, not four hours down the road.
What our travelers remember afterward is specific: the Tabacón hot springs, a quetzal spotted in Santa Elena, a night on a finca that grows its own coffee. In Guanacaste, we work with the Guanacaste Water Center, a nonprofit in the town of Santa Cruz that is reforesting the Nandamojo River watershed.
12 to 16 days
Long enough for three or four regions without spending your vacation in the car.
December to April
The dry season on the Pacific side. The Caribbean coast is drier in September and October.
Two nights per stop
At least. Distances look short on the map, but mountain roads are slow.
Reachable 24/7
A rescheduled flight, a road closed by rain: one number to call for the whole trip.
Costa Rica is a little larger than Switzerland: 51,100 km² (19,700 sq mi), compared with 41,300 km² (15,900 sq mi). But the mountain roads between its volcanoes and cloud forests make every drive longer than it looks: Arenal and Monteverde, neighbors on the map, are three to four hours apart by road. With two weeks, pick three or four regions.
013 to 5 nights · North Pacific
The driest region in the country: from December to April, it barely rains. Beaches of pale sand, dry forest and Rincón de la Vieja Volcano with its hot springs. The quieter Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world’s five Blue Zones, regions known for the longevity of their residents. Our 13-day self-drive itinerary makes its base here, at Playa Matapalo.
022 to 3 nights · Northern Plains
The most symmetrical cone in the country, dormant since 2010, rises above Lake Arenal and the rainforest. Visitors come for the volcano-heated hot springs, the hanging bridges through the canopy and La Fortuna Waterfall. A night with a view of the crater is the stop our travelers keep asking for, and the summit often clears early in the morning.
032 nights · Tilarán Range
At over 1,400 meters (4,600 ft), this forest of mosses, bromeliads and tree ferns is wrapped in mist for much of the day. You explore the Monteverde and Santa Elena reserves with a naturalist guide, by day and again after dark. Pack a warm jacket: evenings are cool.
042 to 3 nights · Central Pacific
A small national park, and one of the most visited in the country: the forest, home to capuchin monkeys, sloths and iguanas, runs right down to white-sand coves. Tickets are sold online in limited numbers and the park is closed one day a week, so we book yours along with the rest of the trip. Farther south, off Uvita, humpback whales pass through from July to October and again from December to March.
053 to 4 nights · South Pacific
The wildest part of the country, best saved for the end of a three-week trip. You reach the lodges at Drake Bay by boat from Sierpe or by small plane from San José. Corcovado can only be visited with a certified guide: the park is home to tapirs, scarlet macaws and all four of Costa Rica’s monkey species.
062 to 5 nights · Caribbean coast
There’s no road to Tortuguero: you arrive by boat or small plane, then explore the canals in a small open boat at daybreak. From July to October, green turtles come ashore to nest, with a peak in August. Farther south, Cahuita and Puerto Viejo offer Afro-Caribbean culture and beaches backed by forest.
Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, then a night on a finca: one traveler’s account of a Costa Rica trip planned with us.
Read the Costa Rica trip reportYou can visit Costa Rica any time of year, as long as you match the regions to the month. The two coasts don’t get their rain at the same time.
Sunny weather in Guanacaste, along the Pacific coast and in the Central Valley. It’s also high season: for Christmas, New Year’s and February, the best lodges book up several months in advance.
High seasonClear mornings, afternoon showers and lower prices, with the forest at its greenest. September and October are the wettest months on the Pacific side.
Green seasonThese are the driest months on the Caribbean coast, while the Pacific side is at its wettest. They also mark the end of the green turtle nesting season in Tortuguero.
Caribbean coastTwo populations of humpback whales take turns off Uvita, in Marino Ballena National Park: one from July to October, the other from December to March.
South PacificThree sample itineraries that we adapt to your dates, your pace and the season. Each one starts with a night near the airport.
One night on arrival, then Arenal (two nights), Monteverde (two nights) and four nights in Guanacaste or Manuel Antonio, depending on the season. If you end in Guanacaste, you fly home from Liberia.
10 days · 3 regionsTortuguero (two nights), Arenal (three nights), Monteverde (two nights) and Manuel Antonio (four nights), with a night in San José at each end. Both the Caribbean and the Pacific in one trip.
14 days · 4 regionsThe 14-day itinerary, extended by a week: Cahuita on the Caribbean coast, then three or four nights at a lodge on the Osa Peninsula. The flight back from Drake Bay to San José takes about an hour, instead of a full day by boat and road.
21 days · 5 regionsA detailed day-by-day example: our 13-day self-drive itinerary, from Poás Volcano to the beaches of Guanacaste, with a day trip to Nicaragua.
See the 13-day Costa Rica self-drive itinerary
Travel with meaning
Ten days of immersion in a small group: eco-lodges run by locals, meetings with entrepreneurs and farmers, sustainability initiatives in Guanacaste. Costa Rica as it is actually lived.
Meaningful TravelHow you get around shapes both the pace and the cost of your trip. We work it out with you, leg by leg, and often combine more than one option.
The most flexible option. A 4x4 is recommended for the Osa Peninsula and some mountain roads. We plan each leg so you arrive before dark: the sun sets between 5:15 and 6 p.m. year-round.
Most flexibleA naturalist guide does the driving, spots sloths in the trees, knows the detours when a road is closed and leaves you free to enjoy the scenery. A good fit for long transfers.
Most relaxingTortuguero can only be reached by boat or small plane, and Drake Bay by boat from Sierpe or by air. A domestic flight turns five to six hours on the road into about an hour in the air.
Fastest
Years traveling the world
30
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Round-the-world trips
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A magnificent trip to Morocco, discovering Marrakech (a splendid hotel, local restaurants with rooftop terraces, sightseeing, souks), excursions into the desert and an ATV ride… thank you, Sunshine Adventures!
The budget depends mostly on the season, the standard of the hotels and lodges, domestic flights and how many days you spend with a guide. Flights from Switzerland cost more between Christmas and February. You get a price with the first draft itinerary, which is free and comes with no obligation.
December to April, during the dry season, for the Pacific coast and Guanacaste. On the Caribbean coast, September and October are the driest months. The green season, from May to November, is still pleasant: afternoon showers, but fewer crowds and lower prices.
Twelve to sixteen days gives you three or four regions without spending all your time on the road. With ten days, stick to three neighboring regions; with three weeks, add the Osa Peninsula or the southern Caribbean coast.
Not for a tourist stay if you hold a Swiss, EU or US passport. Your passport must be valid for your entire stay, and you may be asked for proof of onward travel on arrival. We check the current entry requirements before every departure.
Yes. A Swiss or US driver’s license is enough for a tourist stay. Main roads are paved, but some dirt roads call for a 4x4, especially on the Osa Peninsula. Our rule: no driving after dark, and at least two nights per stop.
Yes. From Guanacaste, you can see Granada and Masaya Volcano on a day trip, as in our 13-day self-drive itinerary. From the Caribbean coast, you can reach Panama’s Bocas del Toro archipelago through the Sixaola border crossing.
