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Are you heading to Costa Rica for 5 days and wondering what are the best things to do? Then you’ve come to the right place!
I am not going to lie, 5 days is a bit short to explore Costa Rica but as you know, I’m a serial travel planner and putting together a ridiculously well optimised travel itinerary is my forte.
I’ve explored Costa Rica as a tour leader and needless to say that I needed to pack as much as I could in the shortest amount of time.
In this article, you will find what I consider is the best itinerary for 5 days in Costa Rica. It’s optimised and has loads on but without being too rushed either.
How to get to Costa Rica
The easiest way to get to Costa Rica is to fly to San Jose. The airport is called Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and is located about 30 minutes drive from downtown.
Alternatively, you can fly to Guanacaste airport which is near Liberia.
How to get around Costa Rica
If you only have 5 days in Costa Rica, I would highly recommend renting a car.
While there are some shuttles (and some public transport) available, it will work out more expensive and more importantly, won’t give you enough flexibility.
The itinerary below is optimised so you get to see the best of Costa Rica in only 5 days and in order to do that, you will need a vehicle.
Costa Rica 5-Day Itinerary
You can find below the details of what to do each day. For the purpose of the itinerary, I will assume that you have 5 full days in Costa Rica and arrive at San José airport.
Please note that even if you land in another airport, you can use this itinerary, you may just need to start on day 2.
Day 1: San Jose and Bajos Del Toro Waterfalls
If you are up to get up a bit early and head to downtown San José around 7 or 8 AM, that will give you a couple of hours to explore and enjoy it without the crowds.
Downtown San José
The first place to go in Downtown San José is Avenue 1. It’s the main street in the city and a great place to start.
You will find a lot of shops there, the statue of La Chola and Central Market.
Central Market opens at 6 AM so you can go there whenever you want. You will find all sorts of local shops including souvenirs but also a lot of food.
It’s a great place to get breakfast and try some of the traditional snacks such as caldosas (which are ceviche in crisps).
Then head to the Plaza de la cultura where you can see the National Theatre and further down the Metropolitan Cathedral of San José.
Pick up your rental car
Once you are done with your little tour of San José, it’s time to pick up your rental car to explore Costa Rica.
I recommend leaving at 11 AM maximum to get to Bajos del Toro early afternoon. It’s about 2 hours drive.
Blue Falls or Catarata del Toro
Once you get to Bajos del Toro, head to a waterfall called Catarata del Toro.
There are two types of waterfalls here. Catarata del Toro is a very tall waterfall that offers impressive views; however, you cannot swim.
Blue Falls on the other hand consists of 7 waterfalls and natural pools with a unique blue colour.
You can opt for either of them. They are both great options, it just depends on what you like most.
I personally recommend Blue Falls because I find them more unique and you get a lot more for your money but it’s ultimately up to you.
The entrance ticket for both can be bought at the same place. Once you’ve bought it, you can start the hike.
For Blue Falls, it takes about 40 minutes to get to the first waterfalls. You will find guides along the way giving you recommendations.
Since there are a lot of waterfalls, you will spend the afternoon there.
🏨 WHERE TO STAY: Stay at Epic Adventure Lodge in Sarapiqui. It’s absolutely stunning and a great introduction to Costa Rica. Also, it’s conveniently located near the rafting spot for tomorrow.
Day 2: White-water Rafting in Sarapiqui and La Fortuna Waterfall
Today is the first day of adventure since you will start with some white-water rafting.
White-water rafting in Sarapiqui
Costa Rica is one of the best places in the world for white-water rafting and Sarapiqui is an excellent place to do it.
It’s one of the best rivers but is not as crowded as other places like Pacuaré river near Puerto Viejo.
You can book the activity online here.
You will need to go to Sarapiqui Outdoor Center for check-in.
💡PRO TIP: Make sure to book the early morning tour so you can enjoy the rest of your day after.
Once you get there, the guides will give you all the equipment and explain all the safety procedures and how to paddle.
They are incredibly knowledgeable and make you feel very comfortable. They are also very funny which makes the experience even more enjoyable.
You will then go down the river for about 2 to 3 hours. The guides will make stop so everyone gets an opportunity to ride the bull (that’s when you’re at the front) or go for a swim.
Once you’re done, you can grab lunch in one of the local sodas and take the road to La Fortuna waterfall.
La Fortuna waterfall
This is the most famous waterfall in Costa Rica and a great photo spot!
It takes about 1 hour and 30 to get there from Sarapiqui. There is a car park with facilities. You will also need to pay the entrance to the waterfall and then can start the hike.
Please note that there are 500 steps and while it’s totally do-able, it’s something to take into consideration.
It takes about 20 minutes to go down there and you can admire the beautiful waterfall.
Since the waterfall is so high, it’s not allowed to swim at the bottom but there are natural pools a bit further down so it’s worth taking your swimsuit.
After that, you can head to La Fortuna town and stay there for the night.
🏨 WHERE TO STAY: I recommend staying at Arenal Xilopalo. The rooms are simple but it’s a very convenient location and it has a great rainforest feel. Also, you get amazing views on the volcano.
Make sure to book for two nights since you will also be staying there tomorrow.
Day 3: Arenal Volcano Hike, Mistico Hanging Bridges and Hot Springs
Today will be a bit of an intense day but I promise something, it’s everything you wanted to see in Costa Rica.
Arenal Volcano
Start your day early (around 8AM) to go to Arenal Volcano.
It’s the most famous volcano in Costa Rica (though not the tallest, that’s Irazu) and is known for its conical shape.
Its eruption in 1968 is still to this day one of the biggest natural disasters in Costa Rica and the reason why La Fortuna is named as such.
💡INTERESTING FACT: La Fortuna means ‘The lucky one’ and is the only village around the volcano that wasn’t destroyed during that eruption.
You can head to the volcano, park your car and pay the entrance to the national park. From there, you can start the Arenal Volcano Trail which takes under 2 hours.
You will get beautiful views of Cerro Chato, the green lagoon and of course the volcano itself. You also get to walk on a lava trail and see a lot of vegetation.
You can do this hike on your own but if you’d like to learn more about the volcano and see more animals, I recommend going with a guide.
Both options are great and it really depends on your budget. I enjoyed having the guide because he explained a lot about the history of the volcano, how it works and showed us a lot of animals we would never have seen.
That’s actually where I saw my first toucan!
Once you’re done, you can head back to La Fortuna for lunch or opt for one of the numerous restaurants on the side of the road.
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park
Your next stop is Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park.
There is a large car park where you can leave your vehicle as well as toilets and a cafe (it’s quite expensive though).
You can book your ticket in advance online here and then opt for a self guided walk.
Once again, if you want to see the wildlife, you should consider booking one of their natural history walk.
This is also down to your budget. If you choose to do the walk on your own, you will enjoy the bridges but will probably miss out on the vegetation and animals but it’s still very pleasant.
All together, there are 15 bridges including 6 hanging ones.
By yourself, it will take about 1h30 to complete while a guided tour lasts 2h30 to 3 hours.
Once you’re done, it’s time to relax a bit and head to one of the hot springs.
Hot springs in La Fortuna
There is a free natural one which is called El Choyin and is located near the resorts. You can park your car on the side of the road and head there. Please note that there are no facilities.
If you’d rather a more relaxing experience, you can also opt for one of the hot springs in the resorts. I went to Termalitas del Arenal and it was lovely.
They have dozens of hot springs with different temperatures as well as a slide, snack bars (no alcohol though) and toilets.
🍽️ DINNER RECOMMENDATION: If you fancy trying something different tonight, head to Kappa Sushi in La Fortuna.
I know it may sound weird to recommend sushis in Costa Rica but these were absolutely delicious and have a Costa Rican twist meaning that you get products such as plantain in the sushis.
It was delicious and very unique.
Day 4: Zip-lining and Night Walk in Monteverde
Today you will head to Monteverde which is known for its rainforest and ziplining opportunities.
From La Fortuna, it takes about 3 hours by car. Make sure to leave early because the road around Lake Arenal is not that great and it can take a bit longer than planned.
Please also note that this road is quite bendy so it can trigger motion sickness.
You will find a few viewpoints along the way where you can see Lake Arenal. It’s very pretty.
For breakfast, I recommend stopping at Tom’s Pan German Bakery in Nuevo Arenal. They have delicious products and it’s a good stop.
Once you make it to Monteverde (or Santa Elena), stop for lunch and then head to the zip-lining.
Zip-lining at 100% Aventura
I recommend going to 100% Aventura. It’s a great experience and they have the longest zip-line in Costa Rica!
When you get there, they will put the equipment on you (harness and helmets) and then give the safety pitch.
You will then start by the shorter ziplines (to get used to it) and do a very long one. There is a short ATV drive in the rainforest and then two superman zip-lines.
Finally, you’ll finish with a superman swing. This is optional by the way but if you manage to gather the courage to do it, it’s worth it.
I was terrorised but still decided to do it and it was my favourite.
📷 Please note that there are photographer along the way and you can buy the pictures at the end.
The experience lasts a couple of hours so after that you can go and rest at the hotel, have dinner and then go to the night walk.
Night walk in Monteverde
Night walks are extremely popular in Monteverde and for good reasons. There are so many animals to see and a lot of them can’t be seen during the day.
You need to book the tour in advance here.
Once you arrive, you will be in small groups to go around the cloud forest. The guide will give you small torches.
Make sure to wear good hiking shoes since the terrain can be a bit slippery.
The night walk is a lot of fun because you go around the cloud forest with the guide while looking for animals.
Of course, it’s impossible to tell what you will be able to see since no one can predict it but you usually get to see loads of cool animals such as sloths, kinkajous, tarantulas, scorpions, toucans and more.
The guides are very knowledgeable. They know where to look for animals and give you a lot of interesting facts about them.
It’s incredibly interesting as well as fun.
🏨 WHERE TO STAY: Arco Iris Lodge is a stunning rainforest lodge with typical wooden walls, beautiful bathrooms and greenery all around.
Day 5: Tortuga Island
Today we are going to add a bit of beach life to this Costa Rica itinerary for 5 days. I know you’ve been seeing a lot of rainforest but a bit of sunshine and sand will be good!
Leave early-ish in the morning from Monteverde to head to Puntarenas.
It should take 1 hour 40 minutes to get there.
You can then take a boat to Tortuga Island. You will depart from Puntarenas on the boat and head towards Tortuga Island.
The great thing about this part of the journey is that it’s very scenic so although it is a transfer, it doesn’t feel like one.
The boat can be a bit bumpy as well which makes it fun.
You will then make a first stop to go snorkelling. It’s a great place to see colourful fish and some coral.
The only thing is that if the weather is not great, the water might be cloudy but once again, that’s something nobody can know in advance.
You will then arrive on the island where you can enjoy the beach.
Lunch is included in the tour so no need to worry about that.
You will also find a lot of bars that sell piña coladas, coco locos and other cocktails. They serve them in coconuts and pineapple which is super cute.
If you want to, you can hire a kayak or SUP and explore the area around the island.
Finally, I highly recommend doing the island trail hike.
The entrance is located behind the souvenir shop. It costs 5$ to enter and will take you up to the top of the island. The views are very pretty.
It only takes about 1 hour to complete so it’s definitely worth considering.
You will then head back to Puntarenas with the boat and can make your way back to San José (downtown or airport). This takes a couple of hours depending on the traffic.
Click here to see the prices for the Tortuga Island tour
Map of this 5-Day Costa Rica itinerary
I hope this itinerary was helpful and has given you a better idea of things to do in Costa Rica for 5 days.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to pop them in the comments below.
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