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Did you say "Pura Vida" ?
Our 3rd destination is Costa Rica !
To reach this one we opted for the air way from Guatemala.
We landed at the airport of the capital San José.
Our Costa Rica itinerary lasted 21 days in this beautiful country :
📍Montezuma (4 days)
📍Santa Teresa (3 days)
📍Nosara (2 days)
📍Monteverde (2 days)
📍La Fortuna (2 days)
📍Quepos (2 days)
📍Puerto Viejo (5 days)
Costa Rica is a beautiful country bordered by lush vegetation.
It is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity on the planet !
The Costa Rican authorities have decided to protect 25% of their territory.
It is therefore common to meet a lot of animals during your trips, walks, hikes, beach days, or even near your places of stay.
Be careful though, as these are still wild animals and you are not safe from their reactions (we were attacked several times by monkeys).
Credit Photo : Le Blog Altiplano Voyage
How to get around Costa Rica ?
Concerning the means of transport to move around the country, it is STRONGLY recommended to opt for a 4x4.
Indeed many stretches of road are not concreted and have quite impressive potholes.
However, depending on your itinerary there are accessible and well served parts 🛣️
We advise you to get information before your trip !
For our part, we opted for a city car (which often made us struggle ) that we rented from @amigorentacar for 774$ for 15 days.
These are the best value for money we've found !
Make sure you have a CREDIT bank card and not a debit card for the deposit as otherwise you will be forced to take out their insurance instead of your bank's (our case).
If you want to travel by bus/shuttles, know that on the Caribbean side there is no problem, everything is very well served !
The same goes for the Pacific coast (Quepos, Uvita, Corcovado...)
On the Nicoya peninsula side, it's much more complicated because everything is very far away and the roads are really in bad shape (especially towards Nosara, car mandatory to go to the different beaches, downtown, restaurants etc...)
We did however see shuttles going between the cities so maybe you can do it but get information before !
Costa Rica itinerary
1) Montezuma
Credit Photo : Sano Banano Beachside Hotel Montezuma
First stop on our itinerary : Montezuma !
This town turned out to be a real piece of heaven.
Located on the southern part of the Nicoya peninsula (Pacific side), it will take you about 5‑6h from San José to reach this city.
In order to avoid a big tour by land, the gps (waze app) will tell you to take a ferry to Puntarenas.
Beware there is a defined number of passages and fixed schedules, be sure to consult them and book your place in advance on this site : http://navieratambor.com
Price : 7986 colones/pers (13€/pers)
Once the ferry is over, you only have a short hour drive through the vegetation.
Concerning the city, you will find a human‑sized city center, but with a lot of charm.
Many restaurants and bars line the streets, ideal for an evening stroll and to taste/drink some local specialities !
We stayed at the Nya Hotel, simply a little piece of heaven ! 🥹
We had a wonderful time there and could rest as we should.
The staff are lovely and caring and not to mention the place which is incredibly beautiful and relaxing.
Our good addresses in Montezuma📍
• Restaurant El Artesano
we really liked this place ! You can find all kind of dishes with local specialities at really affordable prices.
Moreover, the portions are very generous ! We sometimes had 1 dish for 2.
• Restaurant Sano Banano
For this new address, we loved the environment !
Indeed the restaurant has an outdoor courtyard with a peaceful atmosphere, a fountain that creates a relaxing atmosphere.
As for the menu, you can choose from world cuisine, local cuisine or freshly caught fish.
There is something for everyone !
• Ubin Restaurant
This place is located in the heart of the Nya hotel where we stayed for a few days (we recommend it 100%, it's one of the best hotels we've been to).
An enchanting atmosphere, attentive waiters, you will have everything to spend a wonderful evening 🫶🏻
On the menu, there is a nice selection of wines (very rare ) as well as elaborate dishes.
However, expect a larger budget.
What to do in Montezuma📍
• Yoga (sessions are available at the Nya Hotel from 8am to 9am every morning)
• Walk along the beach among the palm trees
• Hike to the heights to discover the Montezuma waterfall (photo below)
• Relaxation and sunbathing on the beach
2) Santa Teresa
Credit Photo : Vogue
After these few days of rest, we reach our 2nd destination and not the least !
Indeed, Santa Teresa was our favorite destination in Costa Rica.
Santa Teresa or the surfing paradise !
We stayed 3 days but we could have stayed more !
The beach is absolutely beautiful, very big, you will find palm trees which shelter you from the sun to make small naps, the dream.
The surfing conditions are just incredible (very little current, if any), regular and abundant waves and lots of space in the water (no need to fight or give up priorities all the time).
To rent a surfboard, we recommend you to go to the hostel El Gato Rojas Surf, for 12$ you have your board all day (they also offer surfing lessons).
Beyond surfing, you can admire the most beautiful sunsets we've seen in Costa Rica.
The colours are incredible, the sun sets over the ocean, the palm trees turn a pinkish hue.. Really too beautiful !
Finally, you can also take advantage of the center which is bigger than Montezuma's to go for a bite to eat in the evening, have a drink or party.
Here are 2 good restaurants that we recommend :
• Pizza : Restaurant Tomate
• Street Food : Restaurant Eat Street (it's a kind of big square with several stands)
3) Nosara
Credit Photo : Voyage Costa Rica
Nosara is a pretty town further north on the peninsula on the Pacific coast !
A little harder to get to in terms of roads, but still well worth a visit.
There are quite a few beautiful beaches to see.
We really liked these 2 beaches :
• Playa Guiones
Once again you will discover a beautiful beach with fine sand, of a remarkable size !
It's also one of the favorite spots for surfers because the waves are good (but be careful with the current which can carry you away quickly).
Surfboard rental price : 10$/pers for 2h
• Playa Pelada
More intimate, this beach is the ideal place for a shady pic-nic or to come and admire the sunset.
A real place of paradise !
For the romantics who would like to dine facing the sunset, here is the address of a restaurant on the beach :
La Luna restaurant (seafood restaurant).
Apart from the beaches, Nosara is very famous for its yoga practice !
Don't hesitate to take a session.
4) Monteverde
Credit Photo : Native's Way Costa Rica
Head for the center of the country ! In this region the vegetation is abundant, and the climate is cooler (that doesn't hurt).
In terms of activities, there is a lot to do (see following posts) :
• Hiking on the Cloud Forest
• Tyrolean traverse over the canopy
• Visit to a farm producing coffee, chocolate and sugar cane
• Monteverde waterfall
We went on a thrill‑seeking trip with El Extremo Park Monteverde !
This is one of the parks with the best views in the area (and the country).
The tour lasts about 2 hours and cost us $54/pers
In terms of sensations, we were spoiled as the park has the longest course in Central America.
And that's not all, in addition to the classic zip line there is also the "superman" zip line !
Then at the end of the course a "tarzan" jump is waiting for you (90 meters of jump in the void hanging on your liana) !
Quite an experience that we loved.
The second day we went hiking in the Cloud Forest in the Santa Elena park.
Mythical for its biodiversity, bridges and viewpoints, we were a little disappointed with the park...
Unfortunately, it rained that morning and we didn’t see many animals on our route !
Yet we did 2 trails out of the 4.. Maybe it was due to the rain.
No big bridges in the middle of the vegetation and no viewpoints to admire the forest (we think that only the biggest trail offer it).
Entrance fee : 9600 colones/pers (or 15€/pers)
Feel free to look at other parks around and hope for better weather to make this experience a success !
After this rainy hike, we went to comfort ourselves with the @donjuantoursmonteverde Don Juan Tours Monteverde tour 🥰
On the programme : a 3 in 1 tour !
You could discover all the steps of chocolate, coffee and even sugar cane juice production 🍫☕️🎋
The guide was really nice, very informative !
Throughout the tour, tastings are planned (enough to delight our instinctive greed 🫢)
We highly recommend this activity, we just regret that it is so expensive 💵
Price : 38$/pers
5) La Fortuna
Credit Photo : Itinari
Lets go for La Fortuna !
Once again, this part of Costa Rica is not lacking in activities.
On our side we opted for :
• Small hot springs for swimming
• La Fortuna waterfall
In this region, the activity of the Arenal volcano heats the Tabacón river which feeds the different hot springs (it is also possible to climb this volcano).
Concerning the hot springs that we did, we did those of Chollín which are free and free of access.
Be careful though to park, the locals have appropriated a "car park" which are the sides of the road.
They can ask you a fee to park there and watch your car.
We were asked for 5000 colones (which we obviously refused).
Some people passed by without paying anything so we managed to do the same !
Otherwise, don't pay more than 2000 colones and specify that you don't have more (about 3€).
This "propina" is not obligatory even if they make you believe it and can be aggressive in their way of speaking.
The other spas in the city charge a fee and range from 40$ to 90$/pers.
La Fortuna waterfall : Highly recommended activity, but plan early in the morning to avoid the crowds as it is very touristy 🫠!
This waterfall is located 4kms from the city center.
Entrance fee : 17$/pers
Once on the site, many steps await you (nicer on the way up than on the way down) to reach the site !
Once at the bottom, the show is beautiful !
The waterfall of more than 70 metres dazzled us.
You will find green vegetation, volcanic rocks 🪨 and natural pools a little further down for swimming.
It is also possible to swim at the waterfall, but beware of the current !
Other things to do in La Fortuna :
• Visit the Arenal Volcano National Park
(a beautiful hike awaits you with a unique view of the volcano)
• Other hot springs for a fee (owned by hotels)
• Tyrolean traverse
• Visit to coffee/chocolate producing farms
• The Rio Celeste (photo below)
This place is emblematic of the region, it is located 1h30 by car from La Fortuna
It is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Costa Rica
The entrance is still affordable : 10$/pers
It is necessary for you to go there preferably early in the morning and that the weather is favorable to enjoy the blue of the water.
Swimming is however forbidden.
Due to lack of time we unfortunately couldn't do it but we will do it one day for sure !
6) Quepos
Credit Photo : Costa Rica Travel Life
After these few days in the mountains, we head back to the Pacific coast.
We are heading to Quepos !
If you were hoping to find a cute town center, you missed out.
Fortunately, there are some wonderful beaches around it.
There are several, but our favourite by far was Playa Espadilla Norte.
Again a great beach, sheltered all along by palm trees.
Locals come by to sell you refreshments, coconuts, ice cream...
Many people also come to admire the sunset.
Really a "pura vida" atmosphere !
The other pretty cool beach to do is Playa Biesanz !
You get there by a small rocky path.
At the bottom, you will find a kind of cove with calm and transparent water.
The only drawback is that the beach is quite small and all the locals have installed sunbeds that you will have to pay for if you want to use them ($10 a day from memory).
Our advice : go early and bring your mask and snorkel as the snorkelling spot can be very nice !
Refreshments and even food are available at this beach.
Another "must do" activity we went to this region for was Manuel Antonio Park.
And again, a disappointment for us...
We think that other parks are much more worth the trip in Costa Rica !
We explain :
• Already all the places to park around are organized as "parking" by the locals who make you pay 4000 colones minimum and 5000 for some... No place is free !
• Tickets can only be booked online, don't make the mistake of arriving without a reservation 🫠
• Then, we advise you to come as soon as it opens if you want some peace and quiet, at 7am
We arrived just after 8am and it was packed with people !
The park was full of quite loud tourists, the first thing we thought to ourselves when we walked in was "are we going to see animals with that much noise ?"
The observation followed our concerns, apart from monkeys, an iguana, and a few crabs we didn't come across much wild activity 🫠.
In defence of the park, it does have some beautiful beaches (only accessible by paying the entrance fee).
If you're planning to swim this could be ideal !
A restaurant/bar that we loved : El Avion Restaurant concept and decoration with a unique entrance, there is a big plane on site ! The most important thing is the view that this establishment offers for the sunset which is just incredible !
7) Caribbean Side
Credit Photo : On Part Quand
After this last destination on the Pacific side, we went back to the capital San José to drop the car and take a bus.
This time, direction the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica towards Puerto Viejo !
Bus ticket price : 6785 colones/pers (or 11€/pers)
Our first accommodation was the Shawandha Ecolodge 2kms north of Puerto Viejo, near Playa Chiquita.
A wild place in the middle of nature, perfect to relax.
Who means nature means a lot of animals, we were lucky to see a little sloth for a long time in the hotel.
Concerning the beaches around :
• The playa Chiquita is beautiful and wild, ideal for a walk at the end of the day
• If you want a slightly bigger and livelier beach, you have to go to Playa Cocles
Beach volleyball court, surfboard rental (because yes there are also nice waves on the Caribbean side), music in the evening on the beach... There is plenty to keep you busy.
As far as entertainment and restaurants are concerned, everything is concentrated towards the center of Puerto Viejo.
Here are some good addresses :
• Tamara Restaurant : 100% Caribbean atmosphere, typical dishes and served in quantity where prices are reasonable
• Stashu's Con Fusion : A real crush for this restaurant ! The food is quite refined and very good, there are vegetarian options and the staff is very nice.
• Pizzeria Pulcinella :
More out of the center of Puerto Viejo, towards Playa Chiquita, Pizzeria Pulcinella offers pizzas and 100% Italian cuisine with gourmet dishes, we loved it.
The prices are on the other hand more expensive !
Regarding activities around Puerto Viejo :
• Cahuita National Park
More discreet and intimate than Manuel Antonio, you will have much more chance to observe animal species and notably the famous sloth.
• Snorkeling on Manzanillo beach
• Organised tour to see the Tortuguero Nacional Park further north on the coast
Conclusion of our trip in Costa Rica
Here it is ! After 3 weeks travelling in this beautiful country, here is our assessment !
The good sides :
• Concerning the general atmosphere, we preferred the wild and natural side of the Pacific coast with its surfing and relaxing vibe
• Concerning the beauty of the country and the wealth of activities, we were not really disappointed by the trip 🥹
A real paradise of vegetation and we met many animals during these 3 weeks
• The relaxing spirit translated into the famous "Pura Vida" that we loved 🫶🏻
• Unforgettable surf sessions in Santa Teresa
• Local people are very nice and chill
• The service (especially in restaurants) compared to other Central American countries is much better
The bad sides :
• The more festive and noisy atmosphere of the Caribbean was less appealing
• Roads sometimes complicated or in bad condition + poorly served cities
• A very (too) expensive country, whether it's for activities, accommodation or food
• The ratio between the budget and the service provided (especially for accommodation or hotel rooms) is often not great
There is very little "decent" accommodation for less than 50 euros...
• Some sides of the country too "Americanised"
• City centers are often scattered (sometimes car required) or not very pretty
About our budget
For 22 days, we spent : 2251€
Of which :
• 331€ for accommodation
• 361€ for restaurant
• 179€ on shopping
• 342€ for activities
• 816€ for transport
• 222€ for sim cards, internet top‑ups, laundry, beer/cocktails etc...
That's an average of 56€ per person per day !
For this country, we completely respected our budget which was 2500€ for 2 !
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