Destinations / Mexico to Costa Rica (Playa del Carmen → San Jose)

Mexico to Costa Rica (Playa del Carmen → San Jose)

1 itinerary · 0 open departures · 0 missions

The overland route from Playa del Carmen, Mexico to San José, Costa Rica is one of Central America's great adventure journeys, passing through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica along the way. Travellers are drawn by the sheer variety on offer — Caribbean coastlines, Maya ruins at Tikal and Chichén Itzá, volcanic landscapes, cloud forests, and colonial cities like Granada and Antigua. The route suits independent travellers and group adventurers alike, with well-worn backpacker trails connecting budget-friendly hostels, local buses, and boat crossings. It's a classic multi-country trip that rewards those with time to explore, combining culture, nature, and some of the most biodiverse terrain on the planet.

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Itineraries

-6%

Save £120 (6% off)

£1,900 retail with Intrepid Travel → £1,780 self-launched

Mexico to Costa Rica (Playa del Carmen → San Jose) · 32 days

Copycat

Epic Mexico to Costa Rica: Self-Guided Adventure

This self-guided version of Intrepid's Epic Mexico to Costa Rica adventure takes you through six countries — Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica — over 32 incredible days. You'll swap the group tour markup for local buses, budget guesthouses, and self-booked activities, experiencing the same ruins, rainforests, volcanoes, and Caribbean islands for a fraction of the price. From Tulum's cenotes and Tikal's jungle temples to Lake Atitlán's Mayan villages and Ometepe's volcanic peaks, this route is one of Central America's great backpacker journeys. Costs are approximate estimates per person based on current budget traveller rates.

adventureculturebackpacker

Travel Crew

~£1,780

Missions

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Wait, what's a Mission?It's not a scheduled trip with dates and a minimum group size like a Departure — it's a goal. Learn to dive, do a Muay Thai camp, live somewhere for a month and work on something, chase one very specific experience. Post it, and other people chasing the same thing find you.

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