Costa Rica Adventure — Plus (Self-Launched)

Land at Juan Santamaría or Tobías Bolaños airport and take an Uber or official orange taxi into the city centre (~£12-18). Base yourself in Barrio Amón or Barrio Escalante, which are walkable and full of cafés. Withdraw colones — ATMs can be unreliable outside the capital, so pull enough cash for the first week. Stroll Escalante for dinner (gallo pinto, casado, craft beer) and get an early night. Note: proof of onward travel is required for entry, so keep your return ticket handy.

🚌Airport taxi/Uber to city centre ~£12-18

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Barrio Amón/Escalante (e.g. Selina San José, Casa 69, or a family-run B&B) — £18-28

• →Walk Barrio Escalante & Amón
• →ATM/cash run and SIM card (Kolbi/Claro) if needed

Take the early MEPE or Transportes Mepe bus from the Gran Terminal del Caribe to Limón, then change to the Puerto Viejo bus — roughly 4.5-5.5 hours total, about £8-10. Alternatively book a shared shuttle direct (~£30-40) for door-to-door ease. Arrive mid-afternoon, check into a beachside cabina or hostel a few streets back from the main strip, and head to Playa Negra or Cocles for sunset. Dinner is the point here: Afro-Caribbean rice-and-beans, patacones and coconut curry.

🚌Public bus San José–Limón–Puerto Viejo ~£8-10 (6 hrs) or shared shuttle ~£30-40

🛏Beachside hostel or cabina in Puerto Viejo — £15-22

• →Playa Cocles / Playa Negra sunset
• →Afro-Caribbean dinner in town

Rent a bike for the day (~£8-12) and ride the flat coastal road south past Playa Chiquita to Manzanillo — about 12 km each way. Drop in at the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge for a self-guided trail walk (small entry fee, ~£3-5), or join a local guide at the refuge entrance for a 2-3 hour wildlife walk (~£25-30, bookable locally or on GetYourGuide). Stop at beaches en route to snorkel or swim. Optional afternoon surf lesson in Cocles (~£30-40). Eat at a soda in Manzanillo before riding back.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£10 for the day

🛏Beachside hostel or cabina in Puerto Viejo — £15-22

• →Coastal bike ride to Manzanillo
• →Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge trail walk
• →Snorkelling or surf lesson (optional)

This is the day that needs the most planning. The classic route is bus to Guápiles or Cariari, then bus to La Pavona, then the public boat up the canal to Tortuguero village — around 5-6 hours and £10-14 in total. Many hostels in Tortuguero will pre-book the boat for you; alternatively a shared shuttle from Puerto Viejo (~£45-55) is far simpler. Arrive and settle into a village guesthouse. In turtle season (roughly March-May for leatherbacks, July-October for green turtles) join an authorised night nesting tour — permits are only sold through licensed guides, ~£25-30.

🚌Bus Puerto Viejo–Cariari–La Pavona + canal boat ~£12 (or shared shuttle ~£50)

🛏Tortuguero village guesthouse or hostel — £15-25

• →Canal boat into Tortuguero
• →Optional seasonal turtle nesting night tour

Get up early — dawn is when the canals are alive. A guided boat tour through the national park canals is the single best wildlife hour-for-hour in Costa Rica: toucans, caimans, iguanas, howler and spider monkeys, sloths and river turtles. Book directly with a village operator (~£28-35, or via GetYourGuide) rather than through a hotel. In the afternoon hire a kayak and paddle the free-access canals (~£20-25), or walk the beach and the village's small Sea Turtle Conservancy visitor centre. Seasonal turtle-hatching walks happen at dawn.

🚌Walking; kayak hire on the canal

🛏Tortuguero village guesthouse or hostel — £15-25

• →Guided national park canal boat tour
• →Kayak hire on the canals
• →Sea Turtle Conservancy visit

Retrace the canal by boat to La Pavona, then bus towards Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí (via Cariari or Guápiles) — about 4-5 hours and £10-14. From Sarapiquí town, local lodges (e.g. Selva Verde, Tirimbina, or the rustic rainforest lodges upriver) arrange their own access; several offer a tractor-and-trailer or 4x4 transfer into the property, which is an adventure in itself. Book ahead and confirm the transfer. Settle in, swim in the river, and take an evening walk with a torch — this is frog and insect territory.

🚌Boat La Pavona + local bus to Sarapiquí ~£12; lodge transfer ~£8-12

🛏Rainforest lodge near Sarapiquí (multi-share or private cabina) — £25-35 incl. some meals

• →River swim
• →Self-guided or lodge-guided night walk

Visit the Mi Cafecito coffee cooperative in San Miguel de Sarapiquí — the same community-run project the group tour uses. Turn up or book by phone/WhatsApp; the tour covers shade-grown plants, harvesting, husking, drying and roasting, ending with a fresh cup, typically £10-15. Add a chocolate or cacao tour nearby, or walk the Tirimbina reserve's hanging bridges (~£15-18). Many lodges include an empanada-making session and a nature trail with a river swim. Rain is a feature, not a bug — pack a poncho.

🚌Local bus or lodge transfer to San Miguel ~£4-6

🛏Rainforest lodge near Sarapiquí — £25-35

• →Mi Cafecito coffee cooperative tour
• →Tirimbina reserve hanging bridges
• →Cacao/chocolate tour
• →Empanada-making with lodge hosts

Bus from Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí to Ciudad Quesada, then on to La Fortuna — about 3-3.5 hours, £5-8. Check into a hostel in La Fortuna town (much cheaper than the hot-spring resorts) and note that Arenal volcano views from the town are excellent on clear mornings. Afternoon: walk to the La Fortuna waterfall (~£15-20 entry, 500 steps down) or soak in a free riverside hot spring spot. Book any adventure activities for the next two days directly with operators on the main street or via GetYourGuide.

🚌Public bus Sarapiquí–Ciudad Quesada–La Fortuna ~£6

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in La Fortuna town — £15-22

• →La Fortuna waterfall walk
• →Free riverside hot springs
• →Book canyoning/rafting for next days

Spend the day on the Lost Canyon Adventures canyoning trip — rappelling down waterfall faces in a rainforest gorge, including transport and guides, roughly £70-85 when booked direct (the group tour sells it as an optional extra). Alternatives if you want something different: whitewater rafting on the Balsa or Sarapiquí rivers (~£50-70), or the Arenal canopy zipline and Tarzan swing combo (~£45-60). Evening: hot springs — the paid ones (Eco Termales, Baldi) run £30-70; the free 'El Chollín' river spot by Tabacón costs nothing.

🚌Activity operators include pickup; otherwise local taxi ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in La Fortuna town — £15-22

• →Lost Canyon Adventures canyoning
• →Hot springs (paid or free river spot)

Take a day trip north to the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge near the Nicaraguan border — a covered-boat tour through one of the world's most important wetlands, with caimans, river turtles, basilisk lizards and huge birdlife. Book direct in town or via GetYourGuide, ~£60-80 including transport and boat. If you'd rather go slower, hire a bike, visit the Arenal 1968 lava trail (~£15), or do a chocolate and farm tour. Try a soda for lunch — the set 'casado' plates are £5-7.

🚌Tour transport included, or bike hire ~£12

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in La Fortuna town — £15-22

• →Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge boat tour
• →Arenal 1968 lava trail (alternative)

The scenic route: bus to Nuevo Arenal or Tilarán, then on to Santa Elena — around 4-5 hours and £7-10. The faster, easier option is the jeep-boat-jeep shared shuttle across Lake Arenal, which most hostels book for you (~£22-30, about 3 hours). Monteverde is cool and windy — dig out a fleece. In the evening, do a guided cloud forest night walk (book direct with the Santa Elena reserve or a local guide cooperative, ~£22-28) to see glass frogs, kinkajous and sleeping birds.

🚌Jeep-boat-jeep shuttle ~£25 or public bus via Tilarán ~£9

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Santa Elena — £15-22

• →Lake Arenal crossing
• →Guided cloud forest night walk

Pick your cloud forest adventure. The Santa Elena or Monteverde reserve trails are cheap to enter (£15-20) and superb at dawn. Selvatura's hanging bridges (~£28) and the long canopy ziplines (~£40-50) are bookable direct or via GetYourGuide. Coffee fans should do the El Trapiche tour (~£28-33) or a Monteverde coffee cooperative visit to see the full bean-to-cup process. The butterfly and insect gardens are a good rainy-afternoon fallback (~£15-20).

🚌Local taxi or reserve shuttle ~£5-8

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Santa Elena — £15-22

• →Ziplining or hanging bridges
• →Santa Elena/Monteverde reserve trail walk
• →Coffee farm tour

Long travel day: bus down to Puntarenas or the Pan-American highway, then on to Quepos and a local bus up to Manuel Antonio — 5.5-7 hours, £10-14. A shared shuttle (~£40-50) saves several hours and a lot of faff and is worth it if you have the budget. Base yourself in Quepos town or along the Manuel Antonio road. Late afternoon at Playa Espadilla, then seafood dinner — Quepos is a fishing town, so ask what came in today.

🚌Public bus Monteverde–Puntarenas–Quepos ~£12 (6-7 hrs) or shared shuttle ~£45

🛏Hostel or budget cabina in Quepos/Manuel Antonio — £18-25

• →Playa Espadilla sunset
• →Seafood dinner in Quepos

Get to the park entrance for opening (7am, closed Mondays) — entry is ~£15-18 and tickets must be bought online in advance via the official SINAC site with ID. Walk the main trail loop to Cathedral Point and the beaches: white sand, tidal pools and rainforest edges absolutely full of white-faced capuchins, squirrel monkeys, sloths and iguanas. A local licensed guide at the gate (~£30-40 for a 2-hour walk, shareable between a few people) massively increases what you actually see. Afternoon: swim at Playa Manuel Antonio, or add a sunset catamaran cruise (~£60-70).

🚌Local bus from Quepos to park entrance ~£1

🛏Hostel or budget cabina in Quepos/Manuel Antonio — £18-25

• →Manuel Antonio National Park trails and beaches
• →Optional local wildlife guide
• →Optional sunset catamaran

Morning free for a last beach swim or a surf lesson (~£30-40). Take the direct Tracopa or Transportes Unidos bus from Quepos back to San José — about 3.5-4 hours, £7-9 — or a shared shuttle (~£30-40). Back in the capital, stay near Barrio Escalante or the airport side of town if you fly early. Final-night dinner: Mercado Central or a proper Escalante restaurant. Buy any coffee and souvenirs here rather than at the airport.

🚌Direct bus Quepos–San José ~£8 (4 hrs) or shared shuttle ~£35

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in San José — £18-25

• →Last beach morning
• →Mercado Central food crawl
• →Souvenir and coffee shopping

Departure day. Budget for the Costa Rica airport exit tax if it isn't included in your ticket (~£23 / $29 — check your airline, as many now include it). Allow 2-3 hours before an international flight, and use Uber or a pre-booked shuttle to the airport (~£12-18).

🚌Airport taxi/Uber ~£12-18

🛏—

• →Airport transfer and departure