How to Spend 8 Days in Costa Rica

If you’ve been following along on my blog, I went to Costa Rica back in February. It was my first international trip in 2 years and it felt so amazing to be back to my normal self, traveling! I’ve been sharing some itineraries and guides about my 8-day trip there, but planning a full 8-day itinerary can be a little overwhelming.

There is so much to do and see in Costa Rica, and 8 days just simply isn’t enough time to see everything. However, don’t let that stop you from planning a trip if you are limited on vacation days. There’s still a lot you can get into 8 days in this country, and hey, you’ll just have an excuse to come back and see more of it!

Here is my breakdown of how I spent 8 days in Costa Rica…

Day One: Travel Day to San Jose then La Fortuna

We arrived at Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica in the early afternoon and had a private shuttle booked to take us to our next destination, which was La Fortuna. This was about a 3-hour drive. Many people choose to rent a car at the airport and drive themselves, but since I hardly drive at home, I wasn’t comfortable driving in another country. So we booked shuttles along the way to each of our new destinations. Public buses and transportation are also available for those being more budget-conscious.

Where we stayed in La Fortuna: La Princesa De La Luna

On the first day since it was a long travel day, we really just went into town for dinner and that was about it. Here are some recommended restaurants to choose from:

• Soda La Hormiga
• Red Frog (I didn’t make it here but my tour guide highly recommended it)
• El Corral
• Nene’s El Rio
• Don Rufino (I ate here one evening and it was REALLY good. Definitely more elevated and on the higher price scale but worth it. Make a reservation online during high season as it gets busy)
• Rainforest Cafe
• Tierra Mia (Recommended by my hotel, we had a great, inexpensive meal here)

Day Two & Three: La Fortuna

The next two days, we spent exploring La Fortuna. There are a ton of activities in this area for literally anyone, of any ability, and any age. Here is what we chose to do:

Hot Springs

The hot springs are a must-do while visiting La Fortuna and there are SO many options and ways you can do them. You can opt for the more bougie hot springs in the area like Tabacon or The Springs. Despite these also being hotels, you can buy just a day pass to visit their hot springs. You’ll get a more elevated experience in places like these. I went to Tabacon because we want to go to the best of the best, however, it was expensive and not conducive to everyone’s budgets, so you can opt for one based on how much you want to pay. Generally here is what’s recommended:

Luxury: Tabacon ($75-$110 USD) or The Springs ($79 USD)

Mid-Range: Baldi ($22-$62 USD) or EcoTermales ($44-$72 USD)

Budget: There are free hot springs in La Fortuna too! Just up from the popular Tabacon Resort, you’ll usually see a bunch of cars/people on the side of the road. There’s a short path on the north side of the road that leads to the river.

You can spend a full day at the hot springs or you can just add these in at the end of a long day doing other activities. It really depends on how much time you want there.

Arenal National Park

Hike in this National Park to see the volcanic rock, some great views, and old lava trails. You can drive yourself to the park and do a trail or hike on your own, or you can do a guided tour. The entrance fee is $15 USD and it’s open daily from 8am-4pm. All the trails are pretty short, so this really can be a family-friendly activity as well. We did the Arenal 1968 Volcano Trail. If you do decide you want a guide, your best option is to hire one beforehand or book a tour. There are no guides you can hire right at the park itself. We did our hike as part of a tour that included the hanging bridges, La Fortuna waterfall, and the national park.

La Fortuna Waterfall

I LOVED this waterfall. It was so refreshing and fun. You can easily drive yourself here and just pay the $18 USD entrance fee to visit the waterfall. You can also buy tickets in advance here. There is no need for a guide here. You basically walk through the entrance and you will walk down 500 stairs to get to the bottom of the waterfall. If you aren’t cut out for the steps, there is also a platform to view the waterfall from the top. Bring your bathing suit and go for a swim! Since I didn’t have a car, I did this as part of the tour I mentioned above and there are several different tour companies you can find through your hotel or the city centre of La Fortuna that can help get you to the waterfall.

Mistico Hanging Bridges

I went to the Mistico Hanging Bridges while in the area and it was a great experience. The views from the bridges are beautiful but what was even better was our guide that pointed up a lot of nature and wildlife along the way. You can definitely do a walk through the hanging bridges alone. However, it’s very unlikely that you will spot ANY wildlife. It’s incredibly hard to spot a lot of the animals hidden in the forest without a guide so I would recommend hiring a guide. You can do this directly with Mistico or book a tour with a tour company in town.

Other Popular Activities:

• White Water Rafting
• Canyoning
• Rio Celeste Waterfall
• Safari Floats
• Horseback Riding
• Cooking Class
• Chocolate Tour
• Coffee Tour
• Night Tour
• Ziplining (ton of parks and options to choose from)
• Sloth Tour

Read my full guide to La Fortuna here

Day Four: Travel to Monteverde

Our next stop on the trip was Monteverde. We took a jeep-boat-jeep which is the most popular way to go if you don’t have your own car. We left at about 8 am and arrived at around noon. The drive was scenic (but bumpy) and was super easy.

Where we stayed in Monteverde: Camino Verde B&B

When we arrived in Monteverde, we spent some time walking around the little town, and having lunch. Here are some options if you’re looking for food:

• Sabor Tico
• Tree House Restaurant
• Tico Y Rico
• Morpho’s (a little bit more of a walk but worth it for the views)
• The Open Kitchen
• Taco Taco
• Monteverde Brewing Company

In the evening, we did a rainforest night walk which is a popular activity in the area to see wildlife that only comes to life at night. You can book a tour here but they basically run every night as it’s a popular activity.

Day Five: Monteverde

We only had one full day in Monteverde in this itinerary, but if you have time, you could do two for sure as there is a lot to offer in this area. We got up and had breakfast at our hotel, but some other breakfast options in the area are:

• Choco Cafe
• Orchid Coffee
• Sabor Tico
• Soda La Salvadita

After breakfast, head to the Cloud Forest bright and early. Of course, like any nature hike in Costa Rica, you can go to the park yourself, buy a ticket, and walk yourself around the forest too. You don’t need a guide, but if you want to spot wildlife and learn more about what you’re actually seeing, then a guide is always the way and highly recommended. You can book tickets and/or tours here. Make sure to stop at the Hummingbird Cafe on your way out of the park to enjoy a coffee with the hummingbirds before you leave.

When you’re back in town, opt for lunch at one of the suggested restaurants above. Then choose your own adventure for the afternoon. Everyone’s preferences are so different, and you’ll want to use your limited time wisely. So I’d suggest that you pick and choose out of the below activities how you’d like to spend your afternoon. Anything nature-related is usually better to do in the morning, so if you’re booking organized tours, you won’t be able to find many (or any) that depart later in the afternoon. However, you can still go explore Curi Cancha Reserve, Hummingbird Garden, or Monteverde Butterfly Garden yourself and hire a guide there directly.

Some more recommended things to do in the afternoon are:

• Selvatura Treetop Walkways (note: if you did the hanging bridges in La Fortuna already, these are similar so I wouldn’t recommend doing them in both places)
• Sunset Horseback Riding (I did this and it was absolutely beautiful)
• Canyoning
• Ziplining

To end a hectic day, I recommend that you book a gourmet dining experience that you will not forget! San Lucas Treetop Dining Experience is next level. I booked it just wanting to splurge on a fancy dinner on vacation but was not expecting it to be as amazing as it was. You pay for a prix fixe menu and you dine in a private glass treehouse that you can enjoy the views in. Book far in advance as they only have 8 tables!

Read my full guide on Monteverde here

Day Six: Travel day to Manuel Antonio

Wake up and head to the beach! We’re heading to Manuel Antonio this day. When visiting Costa Rica, you can make an entire trip just on or near the beach. There is the Pacific Coast, and the Caribbean Coast. For the sake of time, we went to the Pacific Coast and chose Manuel Antonio as it seemed to offer a good mix of activities, and relaxation. To get there, we hired a shared shuttle. It was a long drive but it was efficient and we got there in about 3.5-4 hours. We booked this right through our hotel and arrived around 1 pm.

Where we stayed in Manuel Antonio: Jungle Beach Hotel

Since this was a long travel morning, we opted for a beach afternoon. Upon arrival we headed out for some food first, here are some recommended restaurants:

• Marlin Restaurant (one of the few on the beach)
• Ronny’s Place (a bit remote but worth it for the sunset views – make a reso in advance if you can for the best tables)
• Cafe Aqua Azul (in Hotel Los Altos)
• Emilio’s Cafe (great seafood and brunch)
• El Avion Bar & Restaurant (a bit of a tourist trap but located in/around an old plane which makes it really cool. I’d opt to just go for a drink or two in the bar located in the plane instead of eating here)
• Falafel Bar
• Baldi’s Fresh Restaurant (beach views)
• Food Truck “En Todos” (a fun restaurant/food truck out of an old school bus)

Then we set up shop on Playa Espadilla. There’s also Playa Biesanz, and Playa La Macha nearby. Most of the beaches have lounge chairs and umbrellas you can rent for a fee for the day.

For dinner, head to one of the above. We chose El Avion.

Day Seven & Eight: Manuel Antonio

For your final 2 days, you should definitely fit in a day for Manuel Antonio National Park. This is the gem of this area. It’s beautiful! Arrange a guide or tour to take you first thing in the morning, then opt to stay the rest of the day at their beautiful, spotless beaches. Our guide was booked through our hotel but you can book him directly here.

The beaches in this park are the most beautiful in the area, but you cannot bring your own outside food, and lounge chairs, etc. are prohibited, so make sure you bring a towel to lounge on.

Some other activities you can opt to do with an afternoon in the area are:

• Kayaking in the Mangroves
• Parasailing from the beach (there are a million people on the beach promoting this, just go up and ask one of them for details)
• Catamaran cruises
• Fishing

You can also choose to do an easy day trip from the area such as:

• Nauyaca Waterfalls: I really wanted to do a day trip here, but unfortunately, our hotel needed two people to run the tour so I wasn’t able to go. Nauyaca Waterfalls is a beautiful set of waterfalls that you can hike into, horseback into, or take a 4×4. It’s located about an hour out of Manuel Antonio.

• Jaco: This is often a stop on your way to Manuel Antonio but you can also visit this little town for the day or enjoy its beaches.

• Tortuga Island: Tortuga Island boasts a beautiful white sand beach. You can snorkel, rent a jet ski, hike, or just lounge in the sun. Most companies will require a minimum of 4 people to run this tour but enjoying the cruise through the Gulf of Nicoya looks stunning.

• Cano Island Snorkeling: Known for some of Costa Rica’s best snorkeling and diving, Cano Island is a biological reserve and will definitely beat any snorkeling you’ll find in Manuel Antonio by a long shot.

Day Nine: Fly home

Okay, I know I said this trip was for eight days, but really it’s nine. You can, however, cut off a day in Manuel Antonio to get back home a day earlier and squeeze this into 8 days.

What would you suggest for 8 days in Costa Rica? Share below in the comments!

Other Costa Rica reading:

• Guide to Manuel Antonio
• My First International Trip in 2 Years
• How to Spend 2 Days in Monteverde
• Guide to La Fortuna