Your Complete Guide to Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a great trip if you want to explore Central America but you’re uneasy about what to expect. Like many of its neighboring Central American countries, Costa Rica has a very diverse landscape between rainforests, beaches, and even a tundra area. English is commonly spoken so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting around if you don’t speak Spanish. We encourage you to rent a car or take public transportation to explore the country as it’s easy to get from town to town and each corner of the country has something different to explore.
Overall, Costa Rica is safe and affordable making it the perfect starter trip not just for Central America but if you haven’t ventured outside of the US period - it’s a great starter country to kick off your international travel journey. And that’s without mentioning the wonderful Costa Rican people, also known as Ticos and Ticas, who are well known to be some of the happiest in the world! Even outside of my trips to the nation I’ve found my interactions with Costa Rican’s to be delightful - one time I was in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup attending an England v. Costa Rica match with some British mates of mine. They (England) got walloped pretty handily and the Costa Rican fans were nothing but fun and jovial before, during, and after the match. A group of Ticos grabbed us on the street and insisted that we have a truce beer with them. One beer turned to two. Two shots turned to three. And next thing you know I’m waking up, face down on a couch that I didn’t recognize being carried by a 6’5 Nigerian man named Ambrose. Shit got weird.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s dive into some of our favorite places in Costa Rica to visit.
3 Days in Puerto Viejo
The first thing you’ll notice when arriving in Puerto Viejo is the bright blue water that you think of when you think of the Caribbean islands. This part of Costa Rica is a lot less touristy than the other parts of the country. It’s a pain to get to but totally worth it - we were there when it rained the whole time and we still feel that way!
Where We Stayed in Puerto Viejo
Playa 506: really cute beachfront hostel with a younger vibe, more for backpackers with common spaces that promote socializing and getting to know your neighbors. It's in a great location, directly across from the beach and a five minute walk to the main part of town.
Getting to Puerto Viejo
Rent a car: this is the most flexible option. Driving around Costa Rica is fairly easy although you definitely need a car with 4wheel drive to handle the hills and unpaved roads. Just make sure to download an offline map of Costa Rica beforehand so you can still navigate in places with no service
Take the bus from San Jose
What We Did in Puerto Viejo
Bike ride to Manzanillo. There are tons of beautiful, secluded beaches to stop at along the way!
Playa Punta Uva: there are small shops nearby that will rent kayaks to you or you can just chill at the beach
Playa Grande: really big beach with crystal clear waters; not much else to say about it
Playa Chiquita: very peaceful and secluded beach; there aren’t any shops so make sure to pack your own lunch
Playa Negra: black sand beach
Playa Puerto Viejo: beach to lounge around on right outside of Johnny’s Place
Playa Cocles: you can ride horses here or take surf lessons
Where to Eat in Puerto Viejo
Salsa caribeña: This curry or stew is a very common dish up and down the Caribbean coast. Each place makes it different according to their own style. Made either with fish, shrimp, or lobster with the mixture of coconut milk, tomatoes, veggies, pepper, spices, sugar, oil and butter.
Patís: Costa Rica’s version of an empanada, these meat (or veggie) filled pastries are excellent noms
Gallo Pinto: good ol’ rice and beans! On the coast, it includes red beans, coconut milk, thyme and various spices.
Rondon: This Caribbean fish stew is made with coconut milk, plantains, peppers and spices, local veggies and the catch of the day. Pretty hard to find but if you come across it, definitely order it.
Fresh fish: tons of places have a fish of the day and you just pick how you want it prepared: grilled, sauteed, or baked. Super simple, but super delicious.
Where to Party in Puerto Viejo
Dance at Johnny’s Place
Hot Rocks
BriBri Springs
How long should you stay in Puerto Viejo
Take 3-4 days since you’ll have a decent ride in and it’ll be another decent ride out. Give yourself time to get relaxed and actually see the town.
2 Days in Manuel Antonio
Next we ventured across the country to Manuel Antonio on the southwestern coastline. This small town is known for the incredible National Park of the same name. The park has a unique peninsula shaped like a pickaxe or a tree and a jungle with tons of great trails to hike through. This is a great stop for any nature lover or somebody looking to write the next great novel in their notebook while sitting on the beach.
Where We Stayed in Manuel Antonio
Hostel Pilino: a quiet hostel with a pool and a restaurant/bar.
What We Did in Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio National Park: a beautiful private beach and nature sanctuary with some of the bluest water I’ve ever seen. Get there early because you will have to wait in line to enter the park - they only let a certain amount in at a time. Also, keep your stuff safe - from monkeys! The wildlife here is unafraid and there’s a ton of it. We had to rescue our backpacks from monkeys and raccoons multiple times.
Note: this is a private beach so it’s one of the only beaches in Costa Rica you actually have to pay an entrance fee for.Playa Biesanz
Manuel Antonio Hot Springs
Playas Gemelas
Go hiking to the waterfalls
Where to Eat in Manuel Antonio
El Avion: dine inside of an airplane!
El Patio Cafe Milagro: eat in their garden and go on Mondays for live music
How long should you stay in Manuel Antonio
Give yourself time to see all the nature and really explore the park. I’d recommend 2-4 days in Manuel Antonio.
5 Days in Tamarindo
Head north along the coast and make the stop at Tamarindo. This town is a little more touristy than some of our other stops so far but it’s by no means a tourist trap. It’s probably the perfect mix of backpacker and luxury. This coastal beach surf town is not very large but has plenty of bars/restaurants, local shops, hostels, one or two main resorts, and everything else you need for an amazing vacation. Tamarindo is definitely a town for everyone from the backpacker to the retiree.
Where to Stay
Selina Tamarindo: the rooms themselves are minimal but have air-conditioning and hot water in the showers. There’s a great gathering place area that has a pool, food, a bar, and live music. Walking distance to everywhere you’d want to go in town
Pura Vida Hostel: If you’re looking for a cheap place to stay with a ton of young backpackers to meet then look no further than the Pura Vida Hostel. This bohemian style beach paradise feels more like a hippie commune than a hostel at times, however, if you’re more interested in experience and connections more than 5-star amenities then this is the place to be. The common areas are all open air with hammocks are various forms of entertainment in the evenings (I saw several live bands and a fire twirler). Tamarindo is not large by any means so no matter where you stay you’re walking distance to the beach and bars. Pura Vida is a 5 minute stroll to everything but is probably more “out of the way” than most hostels in the area.
What to Do in Tamarindo
Hit the Beach - You’re in Friggen Costa Rica!
In town/walkable beaches…
Tamarindo is one of the surfing Meccas of Costa Rica. If you head toward Playa Langosta you’ll find no shortage of surf shops with willing Ticos to give you lessons for cash. If you head to the Langosta Beach Club you will see plenty of surf shops with willing instructors ready to take your straight into the water. On Playa Langosta there were a few “amateur photographers” that snap at random and once you come out will show you the photos to see if you’ll buy. Generally I’m pretty quick to say I’m not interested at this type of thing but the dude who got me actually has some sick photos so I tossed him a twenty and he emailed them almost immediately.
Playa Grande
Playa Langosta
Rent a motorbike
Seriously, rent a motorbike and visit these beaches. Especially the northern trio (they’re all next to each other). I drove up and found myself almost completely alone on pristine beaches with crystal clear waters. There was a local restaurant on Playa Flamingo, I’m not sure it even has a name, but it had cheap fresh seafood and even cheaper beer.
Playa Flamingo - 30 minutes north
Playa Conchal - 30 minutes north
Playa Brasilito - 30 minutes north
Playa Guiones - 2 hours south
Yoga
What could be more serine and “Pura Vida” than a relaxing meditation by the ocean?
Personally, I took my classes at Om Shanti. A great little studio near downtown, which features intimate classes of about 10-15 students. They offer Power Flow classes in the morning and restorative Yin classes in the afternoons. Classes run about $16 per session.
Where to Eat in Tamarindo
La Bodega - One of the best breakfast restaurants ever. Farm to table, completely fresh, locally sourced everything. This little breakfast and coffee shop is a great way to start the day on your walk to the beach. We literally ate their breakfast sandwich every day for a week.
Where to Party in Tamarindo
Tamarindo Bar Crawl
….and I’m not kidding, but the Marriott Hotel. They have an open air rooftop bar with one DJ playing EDM on one dance floor and another DJ playing salsa music on another dance floor. Such a fun time and a great place to meet people.
How long should you stay in Tamarindo
I love Tamarindo and really do think it has something for everyone. I’d recommend staying here 5-7 days.
3 Days in Nosara
Next stop is in on the northernmost Pacific coast. A short drive from Tamarindo is the sleepy, surf town of Nosara. We pretty much just relaxed at the beach the whole time and saw the most stunning sunsets of our lives.
Where We Stayed in Nosara
Selina Nosara: stunning boutique resort/hostel hybrid that has a mix of dorms and private rooms. There are a few pools, a bar/restaurant, yoga, and standup paddleboard.
How long should you stay in Nosara?
If you like to unwind and unplug then spend 3-5 days here. If you get a little antsy with peace and quiet and not having a ton to do other than surf and lay by the beach with a few beers, knock it down to 2-3 days.
2 Days in La Fortuna
Moving inland we start with La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area. This is where you head for great jungle hikes, adventure sports like rafting, repelling, the famous Costa Rican ziplinning, and wonderful hiking and nature photography.
La Fortuna is about 4-5 hour van ride from Tamarindo. I recommend splurging on a private or group van over any public transportation as it’s going to be between $40-$80 for the ride and about 3 hours shorter.
Where we stayed in La Fortuna
Hotel Jardines is a wonderful secluded hostel located about 5-10 minute walk outside the main town of La Fortuna. Here the local staff makes you fresh breakfast from what’s grown and hatched on the property.
What to do in La Fortuna
La Fortuna Waterfall - Super pretty watering hole about a 40 minute walk from the main town. The hike to the waterfall is not very strenuous and is open for the public to swim in so bring your bathing suit!
Zipline in Arenal Volcano National Park or Monteverde: Ziplining through the jungle is one of the main reasons to visit central Costa Rica - the ziplines are long, high, and fast. It’s very easy to schedule a tour just for ziplining or some sort of combination tour that includes canyoning or rafting, etc. from the main downtown area. I recommend it however just be aware that, while it is a ton of fun, it is a bit touristy - but it’s still worth doing for sure!
Canyoneering: rappel down a waterfall! Really fun and a great adventure that doesn’t require a ton of physical activity.. it helps if you’re not afraid of heights though
Perfect amount of time to spend in La Fortuna…
Spend 1-3 days here max. It’s worth stopping by to for all the jungle adventures and to explore the small town. But once you’ve done the ziplinning and seen the waterfalls you’ll most likely be ready to move on the next town.
2 Days in Monteverde
Monteverde is awesome for adventure seekers. I wish I could tell you where we stayed or where we ate but honestly, I can’t remember because the activities we did overshadowed all that so we’ll just stick to that!
Ziplining
100% Aventura zipline in Monteverde has the longest zipline in Costa Rica, where you can zipline superman style for a mile across a valley!
White Water Rafting
So freaking fun. They took us out on Class 5 rapids and we were so useless with the paddle that our guides pretty much just took us rafting down the river while we screamed and laughed the whole time. We also stopped for lunch at a little island in the middle of the river where we ate fruit and some other food I can’t remember. You absolutely must try this if you want to have an amazing time
Go for a hike .. at night
I know that might sound weird. But going for a hike at night lets you see animals that would typically hide from you in the daytime and/or are nocturnal. If you hire a guide, they’ll walk you through the rainforest and use their gigantic binoculars to point out all the sleeping animals. It wouldn’t be a trip to Costa Rica without seeing wildlife.
How long should you stay in Monteverde
Another one to spend 2-3 days. Knock out some of those excursions, grab some drinks, head to the next beautiful Costa Rican town!
