Planning your first trip to Costa Rica? We spent two weeks there in early 2025, driving mountain roads to Monteverde, hiking through Manuel Antonio, and soaking in the hot springs at La Fortuna, and came home with a much better understanding of what first-timers actually need to know before they go. This guide covers the […]
We flew to Costa Rica in late February 2025 and spent two weeks driving a loop from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, through the cloud forests of Monteverde, and up to La Fortuna at the base of Arenal Volcano. This 10-day Costa Rica itinerary is almost exactly how we did it, and we came home […]
So, your itinerary is finalized, your flights are booked, your hotel reservations are made, and you’ve picked out which tours you plan to do. Now comes the question, what do I pack for a trip to Costa Rica?! Many trips to Costa Rica include some beach time, a few adventure activities such as ziplining and […]
La Fortuna sits at the base of Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica’s northern lowlands, and it’s home to some of the best things to do in La Fortuna, from rappelling waterfalls and hiking lava fields to spotting sloths on guided rainforest walks and soaking in geothermal hot springs. Few places balance adrenaline and relaxation quite […]
Manuel Antonio was our first stop on a two-week Costa Rica road trip, and it set the tone for everything that followed. We heard a toucan before we even left the hotel property, that distinctive, almost cartoon-like call coming from somewhere in the trees above us. By the time we spotted it from our room […]
We were standing inside a cave, looking out through a curtain of mist at the upper tier of the Nauyaca Waterfalls, when I realized we’d made the right call on the entrance. From where we stood, the full height of the falls was laid out in front of us, something you simply cannot see from […]
Manuel Antonio National Park was the first stop on our two-week Costa Rica road trip and it set the bar high. In a single morning, we spotted sloths, white-faced capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, iguanas, and a rainbow of birds, all with the help of a guide whose scope turned a tangle of branches into a […]
Spotting a male and female Resplendent Quetzal in the same morning. Soaring above the cloud forest canopy on what felt like an endless zipline. Walking through misty, moss-draped trails without another soul around. Monteverde delivered some of the most memorable moments on our two-week trip through Costa Rica. But here’s what nobody tells you before […]