So many people visit the beaches of Costa Rica, and while they are stunning, the inland destinations of cloud forests, hot springs, volcanoes, and jungles are, in our opinion, hidden gems! Explore the itinerary below for some ideas for your next trip.
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Getting to Costa Rica – 1 Day
Costa Rica is a great location due to its proximity to the United States. We flew from Denver International to Miami and then onward to San Jose, Costa Rica!
Travel Hack – We used the Southwest Companion pass for this trip because Southwest flies to Costa Rica! Which means 2-for-1 flights!
This trip we decided to do a road trip around the country! We had just a week so not a lot of time to do everything. Once we landed in the capital, we grabbed our rental car and hit the road – headed toward the cloud forest of Monteverde.
*Driving in a foreign country takes some finesse and is different than driving in the US. Make sure you are prepared! It is very doable but may require extra attention to maps and traffic signs/signals.
Monteverde Cloud Forest – 3 Days
Hotel Belmar is a gateway to Costa Rica’s cloud forest wonderlands. As the 37-year flagship hotel of the Monteverde region, this family-owned destination was an incredible place to stay for our adventures in the region.
What we did:
Selvatura Adventure Park: https://selvatura.com/tours/canopy-tour/
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Hiking: https://www.alltrails.com/parks/costa-rica/puntarenas–2/reserva-del-bosque-nuboso-de-monteverde
Coffee Tour: https://donjuantoursmonteverde.com/en/
Shoutout to our Fav Restaurant: https://www.treehouse.cr/
Arenal, Costa Rica – 4 Days
We left the morning of our last day in Monteverde and started driving towards Arenal, the volcanic area of the country! It took a few hours over mountainous, single-lane roads but was so beautiful and lush along the way.
We stayed at Amor Arenal, an adults-only resort and an AMAZING place to stay. Such a relaxing environment to recharge after activities in the area! With 106 acres of tropical forest they offer unique casitas with private decks and plunge pools.
What we did:
Volcanic Hot Springs: https://www.tabacon.com/thermal-experience/
White Water Rafting: https://arenalrafting.com/
Hiking in the Volcanic Park: https://arenalvolcanopark.com/parks/arenal-volcano-national-park/
Shoutout to our Fav Restaurant: https://travesia-restaurante.negocio.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral
Our last morning we headed back toward San Jose to get ready for a red-eye flight back to Denver!
MC Exploring 