Costa Rica Itinerary 7 Days: Arenal, Río Celeste, Manuel Antonio and Uvita

About two hours, 20 dollars, open 7:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:00. From San José airport to La Fortuna is about three hours by car; arriving early in the afternoon, drop your bags and drive the 5 km to the entrance.

About 500 steps lead down to the pool where the roughly 70 metre fall lands. You can swim in the side channel, where the current is weaker; the climb back up is the workout of the day.

The evening, with a day pass of around 100 dollars that varies by season; book online. It is Arenal’s best known spa: a hot river runs down from the volcano in cascades and pools through a garden.

On a budget, the free springs on the same river are just below on the road, with no facilities at all. Bring a torch and leave nothing in the car.

About three hours, 15 dollars, 8:00 to 16:00, with tickets sold at the gate. The trails cross the lava of the 1968 eruption, which destroyed the nearby villages, and end at viewpoints facing the cone.

Go in the morning: cloud usually covers the summit after 10:00. The volcano was active until 2010 and is now resting; you cannot climb to the crater.

About two hours, 32 dollars plus tax self guided, near the Lake Arenal dam. The trail is about 3 km and crosses the forest on hanging bridges, some at canopy height.

The guided visit is worth it if you want wildlife: guides spot snakes, sloths and toucans you would walk past. Several bridges look out to the volcano.

About two hours, 12 dollars, with entry from 8:00 to 14:00 and online booking on the SINAC website. It is about 1h30 by car from La Fortuna via Guatuso; leave early, because the visitor cap fills up.

The trail is dirt and gets muddy after rain, so wear shoes you can dirty. The waterfall is about 1.5 km from the entrance at the bottom of a steep stairway, and the water is a sky blue that looks edited. Swimming is not allowed.

About an hour and a half, on the same ticket, following the trail beyond the waterfall. You pass the Laguna Azul and the Borbollones, where volcanic gas bubbles up through the water, on the way to the Teñideros.

This is where two clear rivers meet and the water turns blue, because the mineral particles formed at the junction scatter the light. Return the same way and sleep in La Fortuna again.

Quick stop, 20 minutes, free. It is about three hours from La Fortuna to the bridge on the Costanera highway, and another 1h15 to Manuel Antonio.

From the bridge walkway you see dozens of American crocodiles several metres long sunning on the banks. Park at the station beside it and leave nothing visible in the car: it is a known spot for break ins.

The late afternoon, free. It is the public beach next to the national park entrance, with chair and umbrella rentals and restaurants on the sand.

The sea has currents: swim only where there are lifeguards and respect the flags. The sun sets behind the park’s forested headlands.

The whole morning, 16 dollars, with tickets bought in advance on the SINAC website; it opens at 7:00 and closes at 16:00, and in the green season, July to November, it closes on Mondays. Arrive at opening, when the animals are active and the heat is lower.

Hire a guide at the entrance: with their scope they find sloths, capuchin and squirrel monkeys and iguanas you would never see alone. The main trail ends at Playa Manuel Antonio, a calm cove surrounded by forest. Food is restricted; check the list before you go.

The early afternoon, on the same ticket. On the other side of the Punta Catedral tombolo is Espadilla Sur, a long beach, emptier and with more open sea.

If you have the energy, first walk the Punta Catedral trail, which loops the headland with viewpoints over the sea. Leave before 16:00, when the park closes.

The morning, about an hour by car south of Manuel Antonio, near Dominical. There are two entrances: the original one, with an hour’s hike on a trail for 10 dollars plus parking, and the newer nature park, 30 dollars with transport to the falls.

There are two drops, one of about 45 metres and a smaller one, and the lower pool is big and deep enough to swim. Bring swimwear and shoes that can get wet.

About two hours, 6 dollars, 7:00 to 16:00. Check the tide table first: the Punta Uvita sandbar only appears in full at low tide, and it is what looks like a whale’s tail from above.

Walk out to the tip of the tail and come back before the tide rises. From July to October and December to April humpback whales pass through the bay, and boats leave from the beach itself. Sleep in Uvita.

Quick stop, one hour, with a paid guided tour. It is about three hours by car from Uvita to San José along the coast and Route 27; leave early.

The theatre opened in 1897 and was paid for with a tax on coffee exports, and the main hall is all marble, gold and frescoes. The lobby café is a good place for a last Costa Rican coffee.

About an hour and a half with lunch, free, five blocks west of the theatre. The covered market has aisles of spices, coffee beans, crafts and sodas, the home cooking counters.

Have a casado at one of the counters and buy coffee to take home. The airport is about 40 minutes away; return the car with time to spare.