Three Costa Ricas
Seven days from the wild Caribbean to the volcano to the cloud forest — three different countries in one.
The journey
Costa Rica isn't one place. The Caribbean coast feels like a different nation; the volcano country runs on adventure and hot water; the cloud forest lives in the mist above both. This journey gives you all three in a week — airport to airport, every transfer and boat and border of it handled — so the only thing that changes is the world outside your window. You arrive, and we take it from there until you fly home.
The ground you'll cross
Region to region, one unbroken line.
Each marker is a region you'll wake up in; the dotted line is the route that strings them together — every boat, flight and road transfer between handled for you.
- San José
- Tortuguero
- Arenal
- Monteverde
The journey, day by day
Seven days, handled.
- Day 01
Into the wild Caribbean
We meet you at the airport — San José or Liberia, whichever suits your flights — and make for the coast: a drive into the Caribbean lowlands, then a boat through the canals into Tortuguero, a place with no roads in or out. Settle into your lodge as the jungle gets loud. You're somewhere most travellers never reach, on the first afternoon.
- Day 02
The canals
A morning by boat through Tortuguero's waterways — the “Amazon of Costa Rica” — with a naturalist reading the banks: caimans, monkeys, herons, the flash of a kingfisher. In season, a night on the beach where the turtles come ashore. Slow, wild, and entirely the other coast.
- Day 03
Across to the volcano
Boat out, then the drive west across the northern lowlands to Arenal, with a stop along the way to break it. The landscape shifts from jungle flat to volcano country. Arrive to the hot springs, the cone glowing at dusk, and dinner at a local chef's table.
- Day 04
Arenal, off the grid
A dawn with the birds to start, then into the volcano's backcountry — a hike to off-the-map waterfalls only locals know, with a local guide reading the forest the whole way: the wildlife you'd have walked right past. No crowds, no signs, just you and the canyon. Hot springs at dusk, then back into the trees after dark, when the forest wakes up: a red-eyed frog, an eyelash viper, eyes in the canopy.
- Day 05
Up to the cloud forest
A last Arenal morning, then the drive to Monteverde — out of the lowlands and up into the hills, the air cooling as you climb. By afternoon you're in the cloud, a different climate entirely.
- Day 06
Monteverde, the quiet way
The cloud forest most people miss — the calmer reserve rather than the crowded one, with a guide who finds what you'd walk straight past, and a night walk after dark when the forest wakes up. Mist, moss, and the chance of a quetzal.
- Day 07
Down and home
A final cloud-forest morning, then the drive down to San José in time to fly out. Three Costa Ricas behind you.
Yours to shape. Prefer the southern Caribbean — beaches, reef and a Bribri cacao day — over the Tortuguero canals? Want longer in the cloud forest? Every journey is built around you.
What’s included
- All transfers — the Tortuguero boats included
- Airport pickup and drop-off
- Six nights' lodging across the three regions, in your chosen style
- Every experience and guided day above — private guide and transport throughout
- Hot springs
- All park and reserve fees
- Daily breakfast
Not included
- International flights
- Most lunches and dinners
- Gratuities
- Travel insurance
The essentials
What you can count on, before a word is exchanged.
Airport to airport
Seven days, six nights. Fly into San José or Liberia, whichever suits your flights; we meet you there and return you there. Every boat and road transfer between — the Tortuguero canals included — is ours to handle. Liberia adds time on the Caribbean leg, offered as an upcharge; San José is the shorter routing.
Private
The journey is yours and your party's alone.
Where you stay
Entirely your choice across all three regions, from relaxed and characterful to the most exclusive addresses in the country. We build the journey around the comfort you want.
Pricing
Each journey is composed individually — priced on enquiry, never from a fixed list. Tell us who's travelling and how you like to stay, and we prepare a proposal made for you.
Season
Wonderful year-round; the drier months (December–April) are easiest on the Caribbean leg.
Plan this journey
Tell us who’s travelling and how you like to stay. We build the rest.
Priced on enquiry — composed for your party, never from a fixed list. We reply personally, usually within a day.