Costa Rica travel itinerary

Costa Rica is a small tropical paradise, one of the greenest and the happiest countries in the world and the most visited destination in Central America. It’s known for its perfect weather, numerous national parks and reserves – which makes it heaven for nature lovers, great biodiversity, vast jungles and beautiful Caribbean beaches, many volcanoes and hot springs, highly developed ecotourism, progressive environmental policies, diverse culture, tasty cuisine and the locals’ positive – pura vida outlook on life. 🙂

Costa Rica

Our six-day Costa Rica honeymoon itinerary (things to see and things to do)

DAY 1

Early in the morning, we took a bus from La Cruz (a small town in Costa Rica, where we had spent the night) to La Fortuna. We checked into our hotel and then we took an all-day guided tour of the Arenal Volcano National Park. We took a hike through the rainforest. We saw many species of flora and fauna, crossed numerous hanging bridges, enjoyed spectacular views of the Arenal Volcano, visited an amazing waterfall, where we got to take a refreshing swim, and in the evening, we visited Tabacon hot springs, a paradise-like place, where a hot river flows through dozens of natural pools. It was an amazing experience. <3

Volcan Arenal

Arenal Volcano National Park flora

Arenal Volcano National Park waterfall

DAY 2

After a comfortable stay in La Fortuna, we took another hiking tour – this time at the Tenorio Volcano National Park, which is located about 22 mi (35 km) northwest of Arenal Volcano National Park. We took a long and muddy trail through the jungle to Rio Celeste – a river, famous for its distinctive turquoise color. We were most impressed by the point, where two colorless streams merge to form the turquoise Rio Celeste. The remarkably sharp line, which forms where the streams merge is known as Los Teñideros. What a magical sight! We stopped at the hot springs in Rio Celeste and after that, we finally reached a beautiful waterfall, surrounded by lush jungle.

Tenorio Volcano National Park Rio Celeste

Tenorio Volcano National Park hot springs

Rio Celeste waterfall

DAY 3

Travel day. In La Fortuna we took a bus to Quesada; there we took a bus to San José; in San José, we took another bus to Puerto Limón; and in Puerto Limón we took a taxi to Cahuita. We were planning to stay there for three nights and since one of those nights was New Year’s Eve, we had booked a fancy room slightly above our budget, which even had a hot tub. Oh, we were up for a treat! 🙂

Cahuita Costa Rica accommodation

Cahuita Costa Rica hotel

DAY 4

After a long night sleep in our super comfortable room, we went to explore the surroundings. Cahuita is a small town, located on the Caribbean coast, by the Cahuita National Park. We took a walk around the charming coastal town, tried the local Afro-Caribbean cuisine, and enjoyed the laid-back tropical vibe. In the afternoon, we went to the lovely beach and found a secluded corner, where we celebrated the arrival of 2014 in European time. Afterwards, we bought some champagne and returned to our room, where we had a private New Year’s Eve party. 😉

Cahuita black beach

Costa Rica beach

Hot tub couple

DAY 5

January 1st. After a lazy morning and a delicious tropical breakfast, we visited the terrestrial and marine national park, surrounding Cahuita. We saw white-headed capuchin monkeys, sloths, mantled howlers and a large variety of birds. We love animals, so we had a wonderful day! 🙂

Costa Rica jungle

Costa rica nature

Cahuita national park

DAY 6

We had to say goodbye to Cahuita and to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. We packed our bags and took a bus to Panama. 🙂

♥ Top romantic experience

When the setting is as beautiful as this, finding romance is an easy task. Visit some of the country’s many natural hot springs, enjoy the day on a gorgeous Caribbean beach, take a sunset sailing tour, go dancing, relax at a spa, take a food/chocolate/wine tasting tour, go wildlife watching, or simply soak in the beautiful sights of this amazing country.

Our most romantic experience in Costa Rica was the night visit of the hot springs at the Arenal Volcano.

♥ Top adventure

Costa Rica is a paradise for adventure seekers. Explore the country’s many natural treasures – the national parks, reserves, protected rainforests, and volcanoes, admire Costa Rica’s rich variety of plants and animals, go hiking, zip-lining through the jungle, rock climbing, waterfall rappelling, bungee jumping, horseback riding, mountain biking, rafting, canyoning, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, or boating.

Our favorite adventure was the Arenal volcano tour.

Costa Rica honeymoon

Are you wondering about the daily budget, the best time to go, visa and immunization requirements, local customs, currency, electricity standards, safety tips and where to stay? Here you can find out all you need to know before visiting Costa Rica.

Have you already been to Costa Rica? We invite you to share your top romantic experience and top adventure in the comment section below. 😉

Next stop: tropical Panama! 😉