Costa Rica
A Field Guide
Costa Rica works best when you don’t rush it. Slow drives. Changing plans. Letting the day unfold differently than expected.
This page is for people who like being outside and figuring things out as they go. Jungle, coast, small towns, long stretches in between.
This page is a living field guide to Costa Rica. Places we passed through, experiences that stood out, and practical notes from traveling it quickly and independently. It’s not a checklist, but a collection of moments, routes, and details we’d want again.
experiences we still talk about
catching the perfect city sunset from our apartment balcony
driving roads that barely felt like roads and adjusting your plans around them
walking through the jungle at night with someone who sees what we wouldn’t
sitting in natural hot springs knowing the volcano is there…you just can’t see it
taking that first zipline and committing to all the ones that follow
hiking through dense jungle, listening for movement all around
waking up in our little jungle cabin, surrounded by nothing but green
trusting local advice on a hike - and loving it, even when it got rough
crossing a river by boat because walking isn’t an option
walking for hours with no real destination, just coastline
falling asleep in a tipi with a snoring “teacup pig” underneath
crossing a river by boat because walking isn’t an option
where these happened
Stays: City apartment (San José), jungle cabin (Monteverde), tipi (Santa Teresa), hot spring resort (La Fortuna)
Volunteering: Animal rescue center
Hikes: Monteverde cloud forest, Cabo Blanco National Park, Monte la Cruz
Ziplining: Monteverde
Beaches & coast: Playa Grande, Playa Ventanas, Isla Tortuga
a few practical notes
The “pura vida” mindset is one of the most defining parts of the experience
Be respectful with locals - their pace, values, and way of life shape the country
Wildlife comes with rules - keep your distance (especially with sloths)
A 4x4 makes a real difference once you leave main roads
Driving takes longer than it looks on the map
Directions don’t always rely on addresses - expect landmarks and rough descriptions
You can look forward to food that is simple, fresh, and easy
Some of the most popular beach towns didn’t feel like us (e.g. Santa Teresa, Sámara),
but we truly enjoyed Montezuma and the smaller towns along the way
routes that actually worked
4 weeks in Costa Rica: split between a Pacific coast road trip and time volunteering
→ full route & itinerary