Costa Rica: two weeks roadtrip
- 10 minutes reading
You’re looking for nature, wildlife and coastlines? Costa Rica is made for you! The breathtaking nature of Costa Rica will certainly not leave you indifferent. It’s an easy destination to visit and you will find things to experience in all four corners of the country.
In 2 weeks, you will have to make choices, but you will have a very nice overview of the country.
Make sure to take the time of travels into consideration while planning our trip as you might get surprised by the duration of certain trips… especially if you’re traveling by bus! If you can, we recommend renting a car to reach easily to hidden parts of the country and avoid being stuck with hundreds of other tourists.
Here is our itinerary to give you an idea.
📍Uvita - 2 days
Home to the famous "Whale Tail", Uvita is a small town located on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.
Uvita is divided into three sections:
- the hillside jungly part, surrounded by nature, closed to the Catarata Uvita waterfall;
- the town center along the highway, where you can find a supermarket, ATM, bus station;
- and the area right outside Marino Ballena National Park which is the closest to the beach.
We stayed in the last one as we were mostly interested in the national park. Since taxis often overcharge, we recommend choosing your location wisely depending on what you’re planning to do there.
What do to in Uvita?
Marino Ballena National Park is a must-do for its beautiful beaches and of course the popular "whale tail" visible at low tide. The entry fee is $7 and must be paid by card. The park admits people from 7am - 4pm, but you can stay within it until 6 pm.
Tips: we could enter at 4:30 pm with a ticket for the next day.
Uvita is also one of the best spot for whales watching. If that’s why you’re visiting, make sure to pick the right season: mid-December to April, and end-July to mid-November.
How to get to Uvita?
Uvita is easily reachable from San Jose Tracopa bus station (maps).
We paid $10 for a 4 hours drive and we bought our tickets directly from the station.
📍Corcovado National Park - 3 days
We wrote a full guide about Corcovado National Park and the Osa Peninsula (here).
📍Cahuita National Park - 3 days
Cahuita National Park offers a 8 km well maintained point to point trail where you can spot a large variety of wildlife and enjoy the beautiful beaches.
Two entrances are possible:
- Playa Blanca entrance, adjacent to the town of Cahuita: the fee is a voluntary contribution, in cash. Which will be invested in the community of Cahuita National Park.
- Puerto Vargas sector: non-resident foreigners pay $5. Credit card payments are accepted.
We recommend starting the trail from Playa Blanca entrance (adjacent to the town of Cahuita) as the river closes from 2 pm and the beach closes from 3pm. You’ll then be able to find a taxi to drive you back to the town from Puerto Vargas entrance. Note that you’re not allowed to bring plastic into the park. The rangers checked our bags.
Good to know: You can easily go from Puerto Viejo to Cahuita by driving or bus (+/- 20 min). It's only around 17 km.
Where to stay in Cahuita?
We stayed at Hostel Hakuna Matata and had a very good time. The hostel is closed to the bus station, has dorms or private rooms, a pool, shared kitchen and hammocks and the staff are super friendly and helpful.
How to get from San Jose to Cahuita?
Reaching Cahuita from San Jose by bus is easy but will take around 4.5 hours and cost ₡6.005. There are many buses going from San Jose to Cahuita everyday.
📍La Fortuna - 3 days
La Fortuna is a very touristy place. One of the reasons for it is so popular in Costa Rica is the amount of activities / tours / things to do around the lucky town: hanging bridge, zip lining, rafting, etc.
If you’re traveling on a budget, those activities might be a bit pricey. Although, you can enjoy La Fortuna without breaking the bank with the following activities.
El Salto rope swing
El Salto rope swing (here) is the perfect place to jump and get a refreshing swim. Best of all, the entrance to the El Salto is completely free!
Free Hot Springs
La Fortuna has free hot springs (here) situated right next to Tabacon resort. Because it’s free, it can be very crowded. We were told that in the evening, locals are sometimes bringing candles which makes the place even more magical.
Hike around Arenal Volcano
Climbing up Arenal Volcano is not permitted. However, you can hike around at the Arenal 1968 Reserve for great views of the Lake Arenal and the volcano or in the Arenal Volcano National Park. Wake up early for the best chances of seeing the volcano as it is very often hiding behind lots of clouds.
Good to know: the entrance ticket to Arenal 1968 Reserve cost $25 but it is valid for two days ;)
Where to stay in La Fortuna?
La Fortuna offers a large range of accommodation. We picked Arenal Sloth Hostel and had a nice time. It's a locally own hostel and the staff were super friendly and helpful, the dorms are really cheap and the open kitchen is perfect. They even had a shaker to make smoothies!
How to get to La Fortuna?
La Fortuna is easily reachable by bus from San Jose - terminal 7-10 (here). It cost ₡2.000 and took 4 hours. However, if you're planning on visiting the surroundings of La Fortuna (Rio Celeste etc.), renting a car would be a better option.
📍Tortuguero National Park - 3 days
We wrote a full guide about our experience in Tortuguero (here).
