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Los Angeles to Costa Rica: San José, Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio

Los Angeles → San José → Arenal → Monteverde → Manuel Antonio

National Theatre of Costa Rica
"Costa_Rica-Teatro_Nacional.JPG" by Andres Alvarez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Valencia Hotel, Santana Row (cropped) (San Jose)
Photo: Payton Chung, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Costa Rica rainforest Best season (general guide): Dec–Apr

Costa Rica is a small country with an enormous variety of habitats, and this route moves from a volcano to a cloud forest and down to the Pacific coast. From Los Angeles there are non-stop flights to San José.

How to pace it: Spend day one in San José: Gold Museum and National Theatre. Then spend days two to four in Arenal: day two, travel to La Fortuna, then hot springs; day three, Arenal Volcano National Park trails; day four, hanging bridges and waterfall. Then spend days five and six in Monteverde: day five, around Lake Arenal to Monteverde; day six, cloud forest reserve, then night walk. Then spend days seven to nine in Manuel Antonio: day seven, down to the Pacific; day eight, Manuel Antonio National Park (not Tuesday); day nine, beach day.

La Fortuna, at the foot of Arenal Volcano, is the base for hot springs, the trails of Arenal Volcano National Park and the La Fortuna waterfall. Hanging bridges let you walk at canopy level. The road around Lake Arenal climbs to Monteverde, where the cloud forest reserves are known for their epiphytes, birds and, with luck, a resplendent quetzal. Night walks with a guide show a different side of the forest. The final stretch descends to Manuel Antonio, where trails through the national park end at sheltered beaches and wildlife is easy to spot with a guide and a telescope.

Arenal is often clearest from February to April, while Monteverde can be misty and windy at any time.

Roads between stops are winding, so allow extra time for transfers.

Practical notes: After a night in the capital, the rest of the journey is by shuttle bus or hire car. The dry season on the Pacific side runs from about December to April, with February and March the driest months. Manuel Antonio National Park is closed on Tuesdays and uses timed tickets sold online, which can sell out in high season.

Suggested outline

  1. Los Angeles

    Start

  2. San José

    By air · 1 night suggested

    Costa Rica's capital in the Central Valley, with the National Theatre and the Gold Museum. Most routes into the country start here.

  3. Arenal

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    A cone-shaped volcano above La Fortuna, with hot springs, hanging bridges through the forest and a waterfall.

    Arenal Volcano
    "Arenal_volcano_(70785p)_(cropped).jpg" by Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  4. Monteverde

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    A cloud forest reserve on the continental divide, often wrapped in mist. Guided night walks look for frogs and insects.

    Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
    "Monteverde_bosque.jpg" by Haakon S. Krohn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  5. Manuel Antonio

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    A small national park on the Pacific with beaches and rainforest trails where sloths, monkeys and birds are often seen.

    Manuel Antonio National Park
    "Manuel_antonio_06_april_2005.jpeg" by No machine-readable author provided. Jakes19 assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · San José — Arrive; Gold Museum and National Theatre· Los Angeles → San José (by air)
  2. Day 2 · Arenal — To La Fortuna; hot springs· San José → Arenal (overland)
  3. Day 3 · Arenal — Arenal Volcano National Park trails
  4. Day 4 · Arenal — Hanging bridges and waterfall
  5. Day 5 · Monteverde — Around Lake Arenal to Monteverde· Arenal → Monteverde (overland)
  6. Day 6 · Monteverde — Cloud forest reserve; night walk
  7. Day 7 · Manuel Antonio — Down to the Pacific· Monteverde → Manuel Antonio (overland)
  8. Day 8 · Manuel Antonio — Manuel Antonio National Park (not Tuesday)
  9. Day 9 · Manuel Antonio — Beach day
  10. Day 10 · Manuel Antonio — Travel home from Manuel Antonio· Manuel Antonio → San José (overland), then San José → Los Angeles (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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San José

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Arenal

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