Costa Rica Explorer — Self-Launched Version

Land at Juan Santamaría (SJO) or Liberia and take a taxi or airport bus into the city centre. Settle into a hostel in Barrio Amón or Barrio Escalante, the walkable café-and-mural districts. Use the afternoon to sort a local SIM (Kolbi or Claro, ~£8 for data) and get cash from an ATM — cards are patchy outside cities. Eat at a soda (small local canteen) for a casado for £4-6. Note: Costa Rica requires proof of onward departure to enter — print your return or onward ticket.

🚌Airport taxi to centre ~£20, or shared shuttle ~£5

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Barrio Amón/Escalante (private room ~£28, dorm ~£12)

• →Orientation walk in Barrio Amón and Barrio Escalante
• →Buy local SIM card
• →Soda dinner and early night

The classic route runs San José → Cariari by bus, then a local bus to La Pavona, then the public boat along the rivers and canals into Tortuguero village (~5-6 hrs total). The G Adventures version uses a private van and lodge boat; with the public route you pay a fraction. Arrive by early afternoon, check into a riverside cabina, and book tomorrow's canal boat tour directly with a local guide in the village (many agencies on the main drag, ~£20-25 pp). There is no road access to Tortuguero.

🚌Public bus San José–Cariari (~£4) + local bus to La Pavona (~£2) + public boat to Tortuguero (~£5)

🛏Riverside cabina or lodge in Tortuguero village (~£22-30 private)

• →Canal boat transfer into the park
• →Evening walk along the Caribbean beach (turtle nesting in season, Jul-Oct)
• →Book canal tour with a village operator

Early morning guided boat tour through the blackwater canals of Tortuguero National Park — the light at 6-7am is best for caiman, howler and spider monkeys, sloths, basilisk lizards, toucans and herons. Park entry is a separate fee (~£15 pp) payable at the park office. In the afternoon walk the Cerro Tortuguero trail or hire a kayak. Optional add-ons to book yourself: 7-zipline canopy tour (~£35), night boat tour (~£25) or a night turtle-nesting excursion with a licensed guide in season.

🚌Walking and boat only (no roads)

🛏Same riverside cabina in Tortuguero

• →Guided canal boat tour in Tortuguero National Park
• →Tortuguero National Park entrance fee
• →Optional zipline canopy tour
• →Optional night boat for caiman and frogs
• →Optional seasonal turtle nesting tour

Leave early by boat and bus back to Cariari, then head towards San Miguel de Sarapiquí. Stop at the Mi Cafecito coffee cooperative — the same co-op G Adventures supports through Planeterra. Book the tour directly (~£15-20 pp, includes a tasting and often lunch); you'll see shade-grown plants, the husking/drying/roasting process and get a fresh cup, with proceeds going to around 200 local farming families. Continue by local bus to La Fortuna, arriving in the evening. Most accommodation sits outside the small centre — taxis and tuk-tuks are cheap.

🚌Boat back to La Pavona + bus to Cariari + bus to Sarapiquí + local bus La Fortuna (~£9 total)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in La Fortuna, ideally with volcano-view pool (~£25-32)

• →Mi Cafecito coffee cooperative tour and tasting
• →Volcano-view evening in La Fortuna

Morning free or walk to the free El Salto swimming hole. In the afternoon do a tortilla-making and home-cooking class with a local family — several La Fortuna families run these (~£25-35 pp, bookable via GetYourGuide or direct); you grind corn, press and cook tortillas on a wood stove and eat a casado together. Evening option: sloth-watching walk near the Caño Negro wetlands or soaking at one of the hot springs (Eco Termales or Baldi, £20-40).

🚌Local taxi or tuk-tuk to/from the farm (~£3-4 each way)

🛏Same La Fortuna guesthouse

• →Tortilla-making and home dinner with a La Fortuna family
• →Optional hot springs soak
• →Optional El Salto swimming hole walk

Pick your adrenaline hit and book it yourself the day before. Options: Lost Canyon Adventures waterfall rappelling (~£60-70), Arenal rafting on the Balsa or Toro (~£60), Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge boat tour (~£55-100 depending on the operator), or the Arenal hanging bridges (~£58). Budget for one big activity plus food; do your laundry at a local lavandería (~£4/kg).

🚌Operator pick-up/drop-off usually included in the activity price

🛏Same La Fortuna guesthouse

• →Lost Canyon waterfall rappelling
• →Arenal whitewater rafting
• →Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge boat tour
• →Arenal hanging bridges

Getting from La Fortuna to Monteverde is the classic jeep-boat-jeep: a van to Lake Arenal, a boat across the lake, and a van up to Santa Elena, around 3 hrs and ~£20-25 pp if booked through a local operator the day before. It's the same style of service G Adventures uses, but pay-as-you-go. The winding road is rough — the lake crossing saves a long, bumpy detour. Arrive in Santa Elena, settle in and walk the quirky little town.

🚌Jeep-boat-jeep shuttle La Fortuna–Santa Elena (~£22)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Santa Elena (~£22-30 private, ~£10 dorm)

• →Lake Arenal crossing
• →Evening walk through Santa Elena town and bat caves

Walk out or take the local bus to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and hire a local naturalist guide at the entrance (~£18-22 pp plus ~£14 park entry). The reserve is quieter and more atmospheric than Monteverde's main park — oversized ferns, orchids, hanging moss and, with luck, quetzals and hummingbirds. Bring a poncho; mist and drizzle are part of the experience. In the afternoon, do the free Bajo del Tigre trails or a coffee plantation tour (~£30).

🚌Local bus to reserve entrance (~£1.50) or shared taxi (~£4)

🛏Same Santa Elena hostel/guesthouse

• →Guided cloud forest walk in Santa Elena Reserve
• →Reserve entrance fee
• →Optional Bajo del Tigre night walk
• →Optional Monteverde coffee plantation tour

Monteverde is the zipline capital of the country — Selvatura or Extremo canopy tours run ~£50-60 pp and include the longest lines in Central America. Alternatives: the hanging bridges (~£45), the Butterfly Garden (~£15), or the Monteverde Institute trails. Book direct with the operator; many include hotel pick-up. Eat at one of the restaurants doing farm-to-table Tico food in Santa Elena.

🚌Shared van to canopy parks (~£3-5 each way)

🛏Same Santa Elena hostel/guesthouse

• →Monteverde zipline canopy tour
• →Optional hanging bridges walk
• →Optional butterfly garden

Long travel day: a shared shuttle running the Monteverde–Quepos route takes 4.5-5.5 hrs (crossing the Tempisque ferry) and costs around £25-30 pp. Public bus combinations exist but take all day. Arrive in Quepos, take a local bus 15 minutes up to Manuel Antonio, and settle in. Spend the late afternoon on the public beach at the end of the road — the sunsets are spectacular and the water is calm enough to swim.

🚌Shared shuttle Monteverde–Quepos (~£27) + local bus to Manuel Antonio (~£1)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Manuel Antonio (~£28-35 private)

• →Public beach and sunset at Manuel Antonio
• →Book a park guide for tomorrow

The park limits daily visitors and is closed Mondays, so buy your entry ticket online in advance (~£14) and arrive at the 7am opening. Hire a licensed guide at the gate for £18-22 pp — they carry scopes and will find the sloths, white-faced and squirrel monkeys, iguanas and crabs that you would otherwise miss. Walk the rainforest trails to Cathedral Point and swim at Gemelas or Espadilla Sur beaches. Ticks the same box as the G Adventures included park visit, at a fraction of the price.

🚌Local bus from Manuel Antonio to park gate (~£1) or walk from the main road

🛏Same Manuel Antonio guesthouse

• →Manuel Antonio National Park entry
• →Licensed park guide
• →Cathedral Point and beach trails
• →Swim at Espadilla Sur

Spend a slow day on the coast. Options that are easy to book locally: surf lessons in Quepos or at Espadilla beach (~£35-45), sea kayaking through the mangroves (~£45), a whale and dolphin boat trip (~£50-65, best Jul-Oct), or horseback riding on the beach (~£50). Alternatively do nothing: swim, read, and eat fresh ceviche for £5. Book a seat on tomorrow's early shuttle back to San José.

🚌Walking and local buses

🛏Same Manuel Antonio guesthouse

• →Optional surf lesson
• →Optional whale and dolphin watching
• →Optional mangrove kayaking
• →Beach time

Take a direct shuttle back to San José (~3 hrs, £15-20), or the cheaper public bus from Quepos (~£6, 3.5 hrs). Return to Barrio Amón or Escalante. Use the afternoon for a walking loop of the city centre — the National Theatre, the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (~£9) and Mercado Central for lunch. Last-night dinner: an Escalante restaurant, or a café in the old Barrio Amón mansions.

🚌Shared shuttle Quepos–San José (~£18) or public bus (~£6)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in San José (~£22-28 private)

• →Pre-Columbian Gold Museum
• →Mercado Central lunch
• →Barrio Escalante dinner

Final breakfast, then airport shuttle or taxi for your flight. Remember the ~£23 exit tax may be included in some airfares but check before you fly. If your flight is late, do a morning coffee tour at Café Britt near Heredia or browse the Mercado Artesanal for last souvenirs.

🚌Shared airport shuttle ~£5 or taxi ~£20

🛏None (departure day)

• →Departure
• →Optional Café Britt coffee tour
• →Last souvenir shopping