liberia, costa rica itineraryliberia, costa rica itinerary

The organization uses funds raised through tours to help rehabilitate rescued animals in Costa Rica. On this tour, you will get to learn more about coffee farming, processing and roasting. If you have less than 5 days in Costa Rica, you will want to choose just one location as its not worth the driving times between the different areas. Known colloquially as the "Ciudad Blanca" (White City) due to its whitewashed houses, Liberia is the only town in Costa Rica that seems truly colonial in style and character. The best way to enjoy the birds of Costa Rica is by going on a bird-watching tour. Go Horseback Riding this was at the top of my 7 years olds list of things to do during our 1 week in Costa Rica. Choose between Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada in Nosara. This reserve is perfect for families with kids and elderly people. All rights reserved. Excellent description. While walking on the well paved trail admiring the interesting vegetation, look out for birds and animals, particularly howler monkeys and spider monkeys, hanging out discreetly around you. You will experience beach, rainforest and nature but you will not have a ton of time to do excursions so you need to manage your time and choose your activities wisely. Another excellent option is to book a multi-day tour. Spend the next 3 days exploring La Fortuna. After the adrenaline rush of zip-lining, get some dinner and relax in Monteverde because youll be on the move to La Fortuna tomorrow morning. Typical of cloud forests, the forests often wear blankets of passing clouds. Good for couples, backpackers and solo travelers who want to see more places in less time and dont care too much about doing tours. If you opt for this, you get to experience a birds eye view of the forest as you slide along the zip-line in a Superman like position. You follow the well marked nature trail which also takes you through a series of high and long suspension bridges. Each itinerary contains a short snippet of important information about each destination such as what the place is known for and the highlights of the area. You will have beach, nature, wildlife, city, culture and relaxation in this specific itinerary. Check this out for all the details on how you can plan your Monteverde night walk. 45 Comments While many destinations in Costa Rica are far off, a little careful planning can let you experience some of the country's best attractions without spending too much time in the car. Plan your trip to Liberia with our guide to Liberia based on the The Rough Guide to Costa Rica, your travel guide for Costa Rica. This is one of the not so fun sides of travel that doesnt always show up through our blog. Destinations: La Fortuna, Monteverde, Santa Teresa and Playas del Coco. This itinerary visits three classic tourist destinations in Costa Rica, making it an ideal trip for first time visitors. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. For organized guided tours, check out these options. It is a beautiful place to visit and you can go into several different areas to see different species of butterflies. Required fields are marked *. Check out our comprehensive packing guide for Costa Rica, with a FREE checklist included that should help you at the time of packing your bags. Surf Nosara is a surfing destination and many people come here specifically to surf. It is also geared for those who are more on a budget and/or are backpackers. A bit outside of town, we also considered the small luxury Nayara Gardens and glamping at Hotel Arenal Glamping. After the short ride across the lake, theres just a quick, smooth ride into La Fortuna (maybe 45 minutes max). After the nature walk, youll probably want some time to relax and pamper yourself. Obviously, you may have to go straight to the airport since youll be leaving from San Jos. Nice photographs. Central America ; Costa Rica ; Costa Rica Travel Forum; Search. There is not much of a nightlife at Avellanas. Liberia is also known to be one of Costa Ricas driest cities and compared to the rest of the country, it doesnt get much rain. Click to read our one week Costa Rica Central and South Pacific itinerary. As you conclude this Costa Rica itinerary, reflect on the experiences you have gathered from this land of Pura Vida. The cloud forest has tons of wildlife and rich biodiversity. Watch our YouTube video below about La Fortuna waterfall. Costa Rica 5-Day Itineraries Explore Guanacaste from Liberia - 5 Days Explore Guanacaste from Liberia - 5 Days View Map This five-day beach getaway takes you to the heart of Guanacaste Province, in northwestern Costa Rica. 7.9 Good. We rented a car to get around Costa Rica. . To read our full disclosure, click here. If you havent seen a sloth in Costa Rica yet, doing the sloth trail in La Fortuna will almost guarantee you to see a slothor 8! Warning:It will be difficult to sleep, read, eat, or generally look down from the road on this part. This itinerary goes to both Pacific and Caribbean coast, stopping in each destination for a few days so you will also see the city of San Jose. So if you want to check out three destinations, consider coming for nine to ten nights. On the zip-lining tour in Monteverde, you get the feeling of flying over the cloud forest! Costa Rica is Spanish speaking but in many tourist destinations people speak English, Costa Rica is generally a safe destination in Central America. Enjoy the views of this wildly beautiful waterfall from the viewing deck. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. A Few Things to Know About This 2 Week Costa Rica Itinerary First 4 replies; Costa Rica Hotels and Places to Stay. Liberia is a small airport and easy to navigate. Explore the cloud forests of Monteverde from inside. When in Guanacaste, dont hold back, a few gipipas are bound to escape your mouth. You need not schedule any activities in advance. Today, it is time to keep your feet on the ground (pun intended). As the estuary tour only takes about 2 hours, youll have the rest of the day free in Tamarindo to enjoy the beach, take surf lessons, or even visit a nearby beach if you want. The zip-lining was really fun and exhilarating, especially the Superman cables where you were strapped in facedown flying like Superman across the rainforest canopy. Rafiki Safari Lodge. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Main areas discussed in this post: Papagayo Peninsula/Playas del Coco, Tamarindo/Flamingo, Samara/Nosara and La Cruz. Then pamper yourself by soaking in the Rio Negro hot springs by the river. These are some of the hotels added in the past by our travelers to their Liberia itinerary 4 days. San Jos is often skipped over as tourists in Costa Rica immediately head to the beach, volcanos, or rainforests. Once in Monteverde, you could immediately go zip-lining, to one of the two cloud forest national parks, or hiking. After arriving in town, treat yourself to a filling lunch at one of the many nice restaurants of Monteverde. The sunny rural capital of Guanacaste has long served as a transportation hub to Nicaragua, as well as being the standard-bearer of Costa Rica's sabanero (cowboy) culture. With 10 days in Costa Rica, you could do the itinerary above and add on several days in Monteverde. Are you looking for sample Costa Rica itineraries? It has a mix of wildlife, relaxation and adventure but isnt too crazy. You'll arrive in Liberia, the hub of Costa Rica's Guanacaste Province. So, if you are a seasoned surfer, just rent a surfboard and start taking on the waves. We did not know this but had no problem crossing the river. Things to know about certain destinations, tours, etc. Report inappropriate content 1-7 of 7 replies Sorted by 1 kuka Costa Rica Level Contributor Get Exclusive Costa Rica Travel Tips and our Free Travel Guide Straight to You! Note that this entire stretch of road is only about 20 miles but takes a long time to drive (about 1 hour). But you will be burning a lot of calories as the day involves quite a few hours of walking. Our twins were 9 during our visit and the waves were too much for them, but they enjoyed boogie boarding. Destinations: Monteverde, Bijagua, Rincon de la Vieja and Tamarindo. Alternatively, you can opt for public buses for traveling between destinations. We stayed at Los Lagos Spa and Resort and enjoyed having pools and hot spring tubs right at the property. Spend Day 8 of your Costa Rica trip enjoying the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. Personally, we departed out of Liberia Airport but you should consider giving yourself an extra day if you fly out of San Jos or Santa Cruz. San Jose has the biggest airport, but we were also able to find excellent flights to Liberia. The next day in Monteverde is also filled with activities, but they are more calming than thrilling, like birding and hiking. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Liberia Costa Rica. None will disappoint the nature lover in you. read this post on hanging bridges of Monteverde, read this post on zip-lining in Monteverde, the trails and viewpoints of Curi Cancha reserve and how to book the tour, complete guide to Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, bird-watching and sloth-sighting opportunities, comprehensive packing guide for Costa Rica, Cerro Tortuguero: Hiking an Inactive Volcano. Here are some other excellent places to visit if you have more than one week in Costa Rica: Puerto Viejo or Cahuita- fun towns on the Caribbean coast, Tortuguero this massive park is the land of turtles, Corcovado another park on the Osa Peninsula, Manuel Antonio beautiful beaches and nature on the Pacific Coast. Goes to two of the most touristic destinations in Costa Rica so plenty of hotels and services, well paved roads in the routes and lots to do. If you are looking for a nice and easy hike, choose the Las Pailas sector for your hike in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park. For more hotel recommendations, check out this Where To Stay section of our Monteverde travel guide. We chose to do the longer volunteer tour and definitely think the longer tour is worth it. Once youre in Tamarindo, check into where youre staying and head to the beach. Ill be updating this post whenever I write new itineraries so dont forget to check back! Back to the Top. Good for solo travelers, backpackers, couples and families. The Ultimate 5-Day Costa Rica Itinerary | Exploring Guanacaste & Arenal This 5-Day Costa Rica Itinerary is perfect for those flying into Liberia who want to explore beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and volcanoes. We did get out of the car to check the river depth and watched a truck drive through before we attempted it. 8.2 Very Good. If you are not a birding enthusiast, you can skip Curi Cancha and instead start the next activity earlier. Must fly into and out of SJO (San Jose International Airport). Located just a couple of hours drive from the border with Nicaragua, Liberia shares this countrys colonial charm. Start early on Day 2 of your Costa Rica trip to visit the Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Has the mix of rainforest, volcano, relaxation, adventure, culture and beach. Samara Beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Day 4, Travel to Monteverde. While we ultimately decided to stay in Nosara for the beach portion of our trip, we really liked Samara and would have happily stayed here for a few days. The beauty of Costa Rica lies in its wonderful, untouched nature. If you are not comfortable driving in a foreign country, you can ask your hotels to arrange for airport transfers and pick-up and drop-off between destinations. It is time to say goodbye for this time and start preparing for the next trip to Costa Rica! We like swimmable beaches, hot springs, hiking, & wildlife. Recreo. Liberia itinerary 11 years ago Save Hello - To all those Costa Rica experts - if you were to arrive at Liberia airport, and you had a week in Costa Rica with a 4x4, and say this was your last time or only time there - where would you go? Post lunch, spend a cozy relaxing afternoon in your hotel room or at a coffee shop, sipping a cuppa and reading a book, while enjoying the cool climate and lush mountain views. Liberia not only boasts Guanacastes largest shopping strips, a number of banks and an actual mall that houses the provinces only movie theaters, it is also pierced by the newly widened and restored Inter-American Highway that connects all of Central America and Mexico. The airports current terminal was built in 2010 to handle the regions soaring numbers of visitors, and renovations and expansions are still underway. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Day 1: Fly in to Liberia Rio Negro Hot Springs and Waterfalls, Day 2: Rincon de la Vieja National Park and Oropendola Waterfall, Day 3: Liberia to Monteverde Monteverde Night Walk, Day 4: Monteverde Zip-lining and Hanging Bridges, Day 5: Monteverde Bird-watching and Cloud Forest Hiking, Day 6: Monteverde Coffee Tour Monteverde to Playa Avellanas, Day 8: Playa Avellanas Swimming and Surfing, Hotel Recommendations for 10 Days in Costa Rica, Final Thoughts on Costa Rica 10 Day Itinerary, hike in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Monteverde, the cloud forest haven of Costa Rica. After wrapping up the coffee tour by afternoon, it is time to say good bye to Monteverde and proceed to your next destination, Playa Avellanas. We recommend getting there early because there is often a line to get in, especially during peak seasons. Distance and driving times from San Jose and Liberia Airport. Keep the agenda wide open for the last day of your Costa Rica 10 day itinerary. This one week itinerary goes fast as you are visiting three destinations in 7 days. Staying attached to the zip-line through a harness, you zip across from one platform to another. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. La Fortuna has a medium sized town and many small to medium resorts outside of town. Check out the Nosara Biological Reserve This is a large, private reserve. . . Directed by Costa Ricas very own retired NASA astronaut, Franklin Chang Daz, Ad Astra is located on the Liberia campus of EARTH University, a world-famous agricultural university. This means you will need to book tours for many of the activities do will be more expensive in the long run. But the most interesting part of this Las Pailas trail is the variety of secondary volcano activities like volcanic mud pots, water pots, fumarolic lagoon and more. The presentation must force people to take a trip to Costa Rica. My goals were ding some adventurous hikes/ziplining/rafting and then enjoy beach days as well. HOTEL DEL RiO. If plasma rocket propulsion systems are your thing, or if youre looking for an outing to entertain and educate the kids, take the family on a tour of Ad Astra Rocket Company, located just 13 km outside of Liberia. Can get around by shuttles, driving or public bus. Plus, oince you get to the boat part of the ride on Lake Arenal, all the bumpy roads are done! Will need to rent a car. Click to read our Costa Rica family itineraries (7/8 days). Destinations: Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Uvita. Although Playa Avellanas is a favorite beach among the locals of Costa Rica, organized tourism is yet to catch up here. With direct flights from North America and Europe, visitors prefer landing here to avoid the 4 to 5-hour drive from San Jos to Guanacaste destinations. When you click on an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. So, plan your airport transfer accordingly. The drive from the Liberia Airport to La Fortuna is about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Due to an unprecedented amount of interest in traveling to Costa Rica in 2023-2024, our partner properties are booking up well in advance. Best 7 Day Itinerary?! Costa Rica family itineraries (7/8 days). We highly recommend doing this because youll see so much wildlife as the jungle really comes alive at night. Fly in and out of LIR Airport. The setting is therapeutic. The horses were reliable and well treated and we loved this tour. Replying to @damienjackson502 we spent five days in Costa Rica we flew into Liberia and took transportation to La Fortuna. This is a good deal for one of the best thermal pools in La Fortuna. It is a circular trail of 3.2 km (2 miles) going through tropical rain forests and tropical dry forests. The airport's current terminal was built in 2010 to . Destinations: La Fortuna, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. Casa Jungle in a fantastic place to stay in Monteverde. Nosara is quieter and has a long a beautiful beach popular for surfing. So you might as well take the first day easy. There is never a dull scenery in Costa Rica! White waterfalls plunge into turquoise pools. Click to read our Guanacaste 5 days itinerary. Hope this helps , how much for 10day ecxscursion im in liberia. Itinerary. This is the perfect place to swim and cool off and you can explore right under the waterfall (although the current is strong) or swim in the water downstream. In this one week itinerary for Costa Rica, you fly in to Liberia and fly out of San Jos. For different tours, check with the tour providers if they can include hotel pick-up and drop-off. Swim in the ocean or laze around under the shades of the trees. Hanging bridges sway deep inside mist covered tropical forests. 2023 Lonely Planet, a Red Ventures company. From Samara, the drive to Nosara can be done in two ways. The drive from the airport to Tamarindo is on a well paved road with plenty of signage. The trip should take between 2 and 2.5 hours, without any stop. It's a 1 hour drive from Liberia Airport Airport to both Rincon de la Vieja and Tamarindo. Playa Negra is located around 4.6 km (2.8 miles) south of Avellanas. You can book several different types of tours, including the volunteer tour where you help feed the animals. This was a great experience for our family. Bajo del Tigre is a small sector of the largest reserve in Costa Rica, Childrens Eternal Rainforest. Day 1 - 3: Arrive in Liberia, Costa Rica (Drive to La Fortuna) . Set aside your first day to drive to La Fortuna, Costa Rica. For the first couple of days, you can base yourself in the Rincon de la Vieja area, about 30 minutes drive from the Liberia airport. But depending on the time of your flight, you may be able to sneak in one last ocean swim or one last nature walk. Costa Rica Activities: Check out this things to do guide to plan your Costa Rica trip. The latter is the one next to the Hacienda Guachipelin property and thus the one you can visit easily on this day. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This is when you get the chance to spot several nocturnal birds, mammals, arthropods, amphibians and reptiles. What to pack. Visit the Butterfly Conservatory Weve been to the butterfly conservatory twice. Tamarindo is a pretty small town, but its filled with lots of shops and restaurants. We guarantee youll see way more wildlife and learn more than if you dont hire one. Plus there is time allocated to relax and recharge on Costa Rica's glorious tropical beaches. By acordn 8 replies. Leave a comment and let me know. one week Costa Rica Central and South Pacific itinerary. Or take the iron stairs to go down into the emerald pool for a swim and for enjoying the splash of the waterfall. Help! However, this One Week Itinerary for Costa Rica that starts from Liberia and ends in San Jos allows you to see the best things Costa Rica has to offerthe beach, rainforests, volcanos, and the city. Costa Rica Itinerary 7 Days: Ultimate Travel Guide for 2023 Costa Rica Itinerary: Ultimate 7-day Travel Guide Home costa rica Lush rainforest, natural hot springs, endless wildlife, and tropical beaches: experience it all within one week in Costa Rica. Samara is still touristy but not as busy or touristy as other beach destinations. While you cannot guarantee what animals you will see on a night walk in Monteverde, there is a very good chance you will see quite a bit of wildlife because the guides know where to spot al the different animals. Total 1 week itinerary but day 1 is flying in, day 7 is flying out so this itinerary has 5 full days in Tamarindo. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. From the tower, you can see 4 volcanoes, including the Arenal Volcano on a clear day. For comparisons of different hanging bridges tours of Monteverde, and details on how to book the tour, what to expect and how to prepare for the tour, read this post on hanging bridges of Monteverde. With no souls in sight at this secluded beach, it turned out to be our favorite. . Head to Samara, roughly 2 hours south of Liberia for a few days at a charming beach town with a good beach for children. The most recent time, we decided to rent our own car. Please contact us for help planning your trip to Costa Rica. Check out more about the Butterfly Conservatory. We've already seen Arenal, Poas, and Manuel Antonio. There are many flights to Costa Rica. The ride from Tamarindo to Monteverde is pretty smooth most of the way. The Tamarindo estuary is a beautiful nature reserve thats home to a wide variety of wildlife which you can easily see on a tour. For planning your trip to this reserve, read our complete guide to Bajo del Tigre Reserve. There are many other hostels and hotels to book in Monteverde as well if Casa Jungle isnt what youre looking for. But it still retains a raw beach town flavor. Sign up for a coffee farm tour which lasts for about 2 to 2.5 hours. Also includes recommendations for restaurants and things to do and day tours. . Can rent a car or book shuttles. Most adventure parks in Monteverde offer both the tours, individually and as combo, which you can also pair with some other lighter activities, based on the package you purchase. This is why we recommend hiring a guide at most national parks in Costa Rica. An eco-tourism hot spot with rainforests and beaches, Costa Rica is an easy destination for many people and the perfect winter get-away. The airport is located 13 km. How to get around this itinerary. So you can conclude the day with a dinner at a nice restaurant. They were working on the roads when we were there but we still got slowed up twice on the drive (once for cows and once for traffic). Here are some of the best things to do in Nosara, Costa Rica: Watch the Sunset this is almost a necessity to do in Nosara and it truly feels like everyone empties out onto the beach at sunset. Find day trips to take today or this coming . May, June, and November are also night and less crowded. There are so many things to do in this area that I really think you need 3 full days. Thank you. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. There are several different kayak tours on the river you can look into as well. This will be our second time to Costa Rica. Visit Proyecto Asis This is a small animal rescue located near La Fortuna. As a family of 5, getting a rental car is often the most cost-effective option as long as driving is safe. By Nyla A 10 replies. The previous day you walked over the clouds of the cloud forest and zip-lined high above the cloud forest canopy. Its pretty cool seeing it and is something cheap and fun to do in the morning. Get to the heart of Liberia with one of our in-depth, These tours can often save money as they include better lodging options and transportation. Copyright 2023 Chasing ADVNTR Powered by Customify. Recommendations for other beaches and towns to visit/stay nearby. A Dumb Question. Click the link to read our 13 days in Costa Rica itinerary. As with visiting any country for a week, there will obviously be things you dont see. Check Availability. Here is an overview of the itinerary with some suggestions of things to do in Costa Rica: Use this map to plan you 1 week Costa Rica Itinerary. Click to read our Arenal and Monteverde 5 days itinerary. Relax with a nice dinner and a good nights sleep before you begin your travel adventures the next day. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Weather. FOR THE REST OF YOUR COSTA RICA ITINERARY!!! If you have more than 7 days in Costa Rica, you can easily add on a few destinations. On Day 4 of your one week itinerary in Costa Rica, get up early and check out theMonteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. In the afternoon, head out to one of the Monteverde zip-lining places! The capital of the northwestern province of Guanacaste, known as the White City because its streets were once paved with cascajo (a powdery white gravel) and lined with whitewashed adobe houses, looks rather different today.