Costa Rica's canonical first-visit itinerary runs rainforest → volcano → cloud forest → beach. Two nights landing in San José area, three at La Fortuna (Arenal Volcano, hanging bridges, hot springs), two in Monteverde (cloud forest walks, zip lines), and three on the Pacific coast at Manuel Antonio or Nosara — closing the loop with a beach-town decompression. Hire a driver or drive yourself; roads are improved but bumpy outside the Pacific coast.
Each day is written to balance structure with breathing room. Named hotels, named meals, named activities; logistics noted where they matter.
Land at SJO (San José). Rather than staying in San José city itself, most first-timers base in Alajuela (5 min from the airport) for the first night. Small-town colonial feel, far better dinners than San José's tourist strip.
Morning visit to a coffee plantation (Doka Estate is the established tour; Finca Rosa Blanca is boutique). Lunch in Sarchí (the artisan-town, painted ox-carts). Afternoon transfer to La Fortuna (Arenal Volcano area, 2.5h drive).
Morning at Mistico Arenal hanging bridges (3-hour guided walk; sloths, toucans, glass-frog if luck). Afternoon at Tabacón Hot Springs (geothermal river in a landscaped jungle; the setting is spectacular). Dinner at Don Rufino.
Morning at La Fortuna waterfall (short hike, 500 steps down, swim at the bottom). Afternoon white-water rafting on the Sarapiquí (Class II-III family-friendly) or kayaking on Arenal Lake. Evening at your resort's thermal pools.
The Arenal-to-Monteverde 'jeep-boat-jeep' is the classical transfer: 4WD to the northern shore of Lake Arenal, motorboat across the lake (30 min, with volcano views), another 4WD up to Monteverde. Total 3h 30m. Afternoon in Monteverde town (elevation 1,400m, noticeably cooler).
Morning in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (3-hour guided walk — quetzals, emerald toucanets, a thousand orchid species). Afternoon at Selvatura zip-line park (the 1 km SuperMan cable is the famous one). Dinner at Morpho's or Tree House.
Long drive day south to Manuel Antonio / Quepos on the Pacific (4h 30m). Check into a beachfront or forest-edge hotel. Afternoon on the beach — Manuel Antonio's main beach is inside the national park; Playa Espadilla is the free public option next door.
Full day at Manuel Antonio National Park. Small but ecologically rich — sloths, white-faced capuchin monkeys, scarlet macaws, toucans. Three beaches inside the park (Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Puerto Escondido). Arrive at 07:00 opening; by 10:00 it's crowded.
A softer last day. Morning surf lesson at Playa Espadilla (easy beach break, $50 group lesson). Or charter a half-day sport fishing boat from Quepos ($500 for 4 people, typical catch: dorado, sailfish if lucky). Evening at the resort.
Morning drive back to SJO (3h 30m). Alternative: short domestic Sansa flight from Quepos XQP to SJO (20 min, $100). Afternoon international departure.
For Arenal + Monteverde + Pacific — yes. Adding the Osa Peninsula (the wild south; Corcovado), the Caribbean coast (Tortuguero), or Nicoya Peninsula (Nosara, Santa Teresa) would need 2 weeks.
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