Costa Rica
We began our travels to Costa Rica fully confident that it would deliver on natural beauty and heart-racing adventures. However, we never imagined that we would leave ranking it as one of our favorite destinations in the world! After experiencing the
friendly no-pressure attitude, beautiful beaches, safe and easy to drive country-side, and awe-inspiring rainforest, we came to the conclusion that Costa Rica has their tourism DOWN!
Details:
Costa Rica is a fairly large country that is jammed packed with amazing treasures throughout. It was a bit overwhelming at first trying to narrow down a few spots to visit since the country offers so many unique destinations. We ultimately settled on the north once we found cheap flight deals to the airport in Liberia. We then chose the Arenal Volcano/ La Fortuna area for our inland portion and Tamarindo for our beach time. Both these areas are very convenient to the Liberia airport, and we saw no reason to spend more time than necessary driving between stops. We quickly realized everywhere you go around the country is full of beauty and adventure, so you can’t really go wrong.
Once we had our destinations in place, we were thrilled to discover Desafio Adventure Co. since they offer great tours throughout the entire country. We repelled down and jumped off waterfalls, rode ATVs, went white-water rafting, zip-lined next to a volcano, and snorkeled off a catamaran, just to name a few. It was so nice to be able to book everything for an entire week through one company!
In La Fortuna, a visit to their waterfall and a dip in some hot springs is definitely worth your time as well. We opted to stay at beautiful VRBO rentals in both locations to maximize our budget for tours since we split the cost with another couple.
Relaxing at the beach was a perfect end to our otherwise busy trip. Tamarindo has amazing, consistent surfing waves that are perfect for beginners, so we took advantage of that as well. Check out all of our photos on our Instagram feed!
Notes and Tips:
- At our VRBO owner’s recommendation, we booked a private surfing lesson with Jorge at Hotel El Manglar. He did a fantastic job and was very reasonably priced.
- For our beach portion, we actually stayed at Playa Grande which is adjacent to Tamarindo Beach. It was a perfect fit for us, as we had the beach almost to ourselves most days. We still had the convenience of being within walking distance to Tamarindo as well.
- Most of Arenal’s hot springs are in resort properties, but you can buy day passes to visit. There is also a free, natural hot
springs on the main road going into La Fortuna. It is right by Tabacon resort, and you will see multiple cars pulled off on the side of the road.
Gear:
- We did a ton of water-related activities that we also needed to feel comfortable enough
in to be active. Jon bought these quick dry shorts and water shoes. Ashley wore this swim top and rash guard most of the week. - For around $50, this is definitely the best 4K Waterproof Camera you can get. We also love this accessory kit that goes along with it!
- We used this large dry bag almost every day, and it was a lifesaver for our phones, towels, camera, and wallet.
Accomodations:
Arenal VRBO rental: Casa Ceiba
Tamarindo VRBO rental: Casa Bonita
Activities:
La Fortuna Waterfall
Los Lagos Resort and Hot Springs
Gravity Falls
ATV and White-water Rafting Combo
SkyTrek
Catamaran Sail and Snorkel
**This post contains affiliate links. We were graciously hosted by Desafio for one tour and received a discount in exchange for drone footage and promotion of the VRBO properties. All opinions are our own.
If you have questions or tips for traveling to Costa Rica, let us know!
