Northern Costa Rica: A 7-day itinerary focused on hiking
Here’s a more detailed itinerary from our recent Costa Rica trip, as promised in my Instagram post! If you have questions, please DM me there, as I’m not checking in here as often!
Day 1:
Arrival and transfer to Bijagua - we went from San Jose using Solid Rental, which was decent (but expect a wait even if you’ve reserved). Note that the drive is longer than shown on Google Maps: multiply by about 1.5x, or more at night or with kids who need to stop frequently.
We stayed at Heliconias Rainforest Lodge (the one in Bijagua, not a similarly named one in Arenal!), and loved its hanging bridges. If you arrive in time, try a coffee and chocolate tour. We enjoyed Café & Cacao Tour.
If you want to add a beach day before heading to Bijagua, try Puntarenas! But don't do what we did: booked an AirBnB with poor communications and when they didn't respond that night about exact instructions on getting in, we couldn't find anywhere to stay and had to go all the way to Bijagua overnight!
Rio Celeste waterfall
As promised in my Instagram post, here’s our more detailed 7-day itinerary for northern Costa Rica. We’re not really beach people, so this is more about hiking inland, but it can easily be combined with beaches! If you’d like more information, please DM me on Instagram as I’m not checking here too much!
Day 1:
Arrival and transfer to Bijagua - we went from San Jose using Solid Rental, which was decent, but do expect a wait. Note that the drive is longer than shown on Google Maps: multiply by about 1.5x, or more at night or with kids who need to stop frequently. You could also get there easily from Liberia, but from where we live, it’s always been less expensive to fly through San Jose.
We stayed at Heliconias Rainforest Lodge (the one in Bijagua, not a similarly named one in Arenal!), and loved its hanging bridges. If you arrive in time, try a coffee and chocolate tour. We enjoyed Café & Cacao Tour.
If you want to add a beach day before heading to Bijagua, try Puntarenas, which is on the way from San Jose! But don't do what we did: booked an AirBnB with poor communications and when they didn't respond that night about exact instructions on getting in, we couldn't find anywhere to stay and had to go all the way to Bijagua overnight!
Day 2:
Explore Volcan Tenorio National Park and hike to Rio Celeste waterfall. Arrive early to beat the crowds! The hike to the waterfall was easy until the many, many stairs leading down to the falls: children may not enjoy this part (ours didn’t!). If you continue on the hike to the meeting of the waters, it can be very muddy, so higher hiking boots could keep you drier than sneakers.
Then, go swimming in the nearby Rio Celeste Free Pool. You can either pay a few dollars for guarded parking or park across the bridge on the side of the road, which we did, with no issues.
Day 3:
More beautiful sights of Bijagua: in the morning, hire a guide and hike at the hanging bridges of Heliconias Lodge. Another great option is Spring Paradise, a small, locally run tour company with a property that has sloths (not one of the places that takes them from the rainforest!).
Eat lunch at El Sabor de Doña Carmen, which has a small, lovely butterfly garden full of blue morphos! 🦋
In the afternoon, drive to the Arenal Volcano area. We stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge and Spa, and could have spent all day watching the incredible bird feeders refilled regularly with fresh fruit. Eat at the restaurant on-site: it's got tons of options.
Day 4:
With the tour that's included in your lodging, hike part of a huge trail system at the base of the volcano, then explore on your own or go to the spa.
In the afternoon or evening, visit hot springs (we saved big by going to Termalitas del Arenal, where locals go, because it has a really fun vibe and Baldi or others for five people is $$$). We’ve been to Baldi as a couple and it was lovely, so we’d recommend it! The afternoons are much less crowded than the evenings wherever you decide, but the evenings are more fun for socializing.
Day 5:
Visit La Fortuna in the morning and enjoy the cute square in the center of town.
Next, you could either head to Monteverde / Santa Elena or do what we did and drive to Sarapiqui to visit the world-renowned nature preserve La Selva Biological Station. At La Selva, you can stay in basic but nice accommodations there, or in lodgings off the property that could be less expensive, but you might miss the best early morning wildlife sightings, and we like the casual cafeteria meals at La Selva, where we can hear about researchers’ projects. La Selva is best if you have more time, but could be tough for just one night! There are also local places in Sarapiqui where you can see red-eyed tree frogs at night!
Day 6:
Hiking or other activities in your chosen destination. Hike some more at La Selva if you’re in Sarapiqui, or in Monteverde / Santa Elena, we highly recommend Reserva Bosque del Tigre.
Day 7:
Morning hike; drive to the San Jose airport and return the car for an afternoon flight. Make sure you leave plenty of time and multiply by 1.5x at least from what Google Maps says!
I'm providing this itinerary for free to grow my following on Instagram—if you found it helpful or interesting, I'd appreciate a follow and look forward to connecting with you!