A real traveller’s journey · Costa Rica

From Arenal to the Pacific

A crater lake near La Fortuna, cloud forest in Monteverde and two stretches of Pacific coast. The route starts and ends with a night in San José.

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Start with this route’s stops and nights, then choose your dates and review the plan.

17 days · 16 nights
February–March 2023
Crosspath traveller

The route

From the volcano to the coast

San José → La Fortuna → Monteverde → Santa Teresa → Manuel Antonio → San José

The 16 nights were split between San José 1, La Fortuna 3, Monteverde 2, Santa Teresa 6, Manuel Antonio 3 and San José 1. The Monteverde–Santa Teresa leg used bus, ferry and bus. Santa Teresa was the longest stay; check the transport connections for your own dates before adapting the loop.

The route on a map

17 days · 16 nights

Costa Rica route overview. Numbered places match the stop list that follows. — Lines show stop order, not roads or transport directions. Pins show approximate places, not accommodation.

San José1 night
La Fortuna3 nights
Monteverde2 nights
Santa Teresa6 nights
Manuel Antonio3 nights
San José1 nightReturn visit

San José appears twice: the first night and the night before flying home. The journey from Monteverde to Santa Teresa combined buses and a ferry.

Map outline: Natural Earth.

1 night

San José

One night in San José opened the trip before the bus to La Fortuna. There was a separate one-night stay in the capital at the end, so both visits belong in the overnight total.

3 nights

La Fortuna and Arenal

The traveller spent three nights in La Fortuna before continuing to Monteverde by bus. Arenal and the nearby lakes feature in this part of the journey. Keep time at this base separate from the onward transfer when adapting the route; photographs do not confirm current access to any trail or attraction.

Arenal’s cone above a garden wall and palms, with cloud around its summit — An afternoon view of Arenal.

Ripples on a crater lake enclosed by densely wooded slopes — At the edge of Cerro Chato’s crater lake.

A brown-furred animal curled up in the fork of a leafy tree — A closer look into the canopy near La Fortuna.

Boats pulled up on the shore of Lake Arenal with the volcano across the water — Lake Arenal on 25 February.

2 nights

Monteverde cloud forest

Two nights in Monteverde sat between La Fortuna and the Pacific coast. This was a shorter stay than either La Fortuna or Santa Teresa. The next journey to Santa Teresa involved a bus, a ferry and another bus, so account for that connection when allocating your own days.

A narrow stream running between moss-covered trees in the cloud forest — A stream below the trail.

A dirt path disappearing into mist between low shrubs — Cloud at the edge of the forest.

6 nights

The Santa Teresa coast

The traveller reached Santa Teresa by bus, ferry and a second bus from Monteverde, then stayed six nights. This was the longest stop and the extended coastal pause in the trip. The onward journey was by bus to Manuel Antonio; review each connection for your own dates before keeping or shortening this stay.

A tree casting shade across pale sand beside the Pacific — Afternoon shade on the Santa Teresa coast.

Two boards lying on the sand with beachgoers beside the surf at dusk — The last light on 2 March.

3 nights

Manuel Antonio

Three nights in Manuel Antonio followed the bus journey from Santa Teresa. This second coastal stay was half the length of Santa Teresa’s six nights. The route then returned to San José for one final night before the flight out.

The sun over the Pacific with waves breaking and swimmers silhouetted in the foreground — Sunset on the Manuel Antonio coast.

Palm fronds framing a sandy cove and green-blue water — A sheltered stretch of shore the next morning.

A striped iguana on the sand among fallen leaves — An iguana at the forest edge.

A white-faced capuchin walking along a wooden rail under green branches — A capuchin above the path.

1 night

Back to San José

The traveller returned by bus from Manuel Antonio and stayed one final night in San José before flying out. Keep this return visit separate from the arrival night when reviewing the full loop.

Plan your own Costa Rica trip

Start with these stops and nights, then choose your dates and adjust the route.

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