Costa Rica Itinerary — Part 2: Beaches & National Parks

06

Days 10–13 · 4 nights

Santa Teresa

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I fell for the boho-chic vibe, the wide, wild beaches, and the most beautiful sunsets of my life.

We left Monteverde, full of memories of the cloud forest, the incredible wildlife, and flying through the clouds on one of the world's longest zip lines. Our next stop was Santa Teresa, a small surf town on the Nicoya Peninsula. The atmosphere reminded me of Bali. There are surf shops, yoga studios, healthy cafés, boutique hotels, and a relaxed lifestyle. One thing that made me smile was seeing so many people walking around barefoot. You won't find huge all-inclusive resorts covering the coastline. Instead, the beaches remain wonderfully wild, with endless stretches of sand, coconut palms, and jungle just steps from the ocean.

Playa Carmen

Santa Teresa beach at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula

Getting there from Monteverde

There are two ways to reach Santa Teresa from Monteverde: driving around the Nicoya Peninsula or taking the ferry across the Gulf of Nicoya. We drove to Puntarenas, took the car ferry across to Paquera, then drove the last stretch on unpaved roads (a 4×4 helps). Around five hours in total.

Where to stay · villa

Casa Mirame

Infinity pool over the jungle · beautifully decorated rooms · one of the loveliest stays of the trip

Recommended

We stayed at Casa Mirame (link here), and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful places of the entire trip. There is an infinity pool that looks straight out onto the jungle, the rooms are lovely, and the decoration is so carefully done. I could not recommend it more.

Casa Mirame

The most beautiful sunset of my life

As soon as we arrived we went straight to the beach so we would not miss the sunset, and I am so glad we did. Watching the surfers come in from the water, coconut trees all around, the sky shifting from orange to violet: that is my vision of paradise on earth. I had never seen anything so beautiful. To end the evening on a high note, we headed to Banana Beach Club for a relaxed drink by the sand.

There are several magical beaches to explore around town. We spent time at Playa del Carmen and Playa Hermosa, each with its own character. If you love yoga or surfing, this is the ideal place to settle in for a few days.

Playa Hermosa

Sunset over the beach in Santa Teresa, the sky shifting from orange to violet

Chiva's note

The easiest way to get around is by renting an ATV, which is by far the most popular form of transport. The roads are often unpaved, so having your own vehicle makes exploring much easier.

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07

Day trip · from Santa Teresa

Isla Tortuga

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The snorkelling let me down, but the island itself, all turquoise water and white sand, is beautiful.

We booked a day trip to Isla Tortuga. The trip departed from Montezuma, around 30 to 40 minutes by road from Santa Teresa, and included the boat crossing to Isla Tortuga, guided snorkelling, lunch, and a few lazy hours on the island itself.

Turquoise water and wild pigs

I was a bit disappointed by the snorkelling. We went in November and only saw a handful of colourful fish, so while it was pleasant, it wasn't the best snorkelling I've ever done.

The island itself was beautiful. The water is crystal-clear and turquoise, the sand is white, and the palm trees are incredibly tall. I also loved the island's wild pigs, which wander straight down the beach looking for lunch as if they own the place.

Isla Tortuga

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08

Days 14–17 · 4 nights

Portalón Hills

One quiet Airbnb up in the hills, the best wildlife of the whole trip showing up on the terrace, and day trips out to Dominical, Uvita and Manuel Antonio.

After a few peaceful days in Santa Teresa, we drove to our next stop to explore Manuel Antonio National Park, Uvita, and Dominical. We booked a villa on Airbnb in Portalón Hills, and it turned out to be the perfect base. Its central location made it easy to visit all three destinations, making it the ideal halfway point for this part of our Costa Rica road trip.

Where to stay · Airbnb in the hills

Villa Savegre

Up in Portalón Hills · 20 min to Dominical, ~49 min to Manuel Antonio & Uvita · wildlife on the doorstep

Recommended

We stayed at Villa Savegre in Portalón Hills, and this is where the wildlife completely spoiled us. Without booking a single tour, we watched howler monkeys swinging through the trees, spotted toucans and all kinds of tropical birds, and had butterflies drifting past our terrace all day long.

One evening, I'm fairly sure I saw a puma walking near the property. I can't say for certain what it was, but it looked exactly like a large wild cat. We also found a scorpion inside the house, which is the jungle's way of reminding you where you are.

Villa Savegre

Terrace and jungle view at Villa Savegre

Chiva's note

We actually spotted more wildlife from our Airbnb than we did on some guided tours or even inside the national parks. That said, I do think guided tours are still worth it especially night tours, when you have a much better chance of spotting animals that are hidden during the day.

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09

Day trip · from Portalón Hills

Dominical & Nauyaca Waterfalls

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Laid-back and local, with the Nauyaca Waterfalls, one of the most spectacular in the country, just up the road.

Our first day trip was to Dominical, only about 20 minutes down the road. It is a small surf town where backpackers, surfers, families, and locals all seem to blend together. There's only one main road running through the village alongside the beach, lined with surf shops and local craft stalls. It doesn't take long to walk around. Not far away, you can visit the Nauyaca Waterfalls, one of the most impressive waterfalls in Costa Rica. The main waterfall drops around 60 metres into a huge natural pool where you can swim.

Dominical & Nauyaca

Dominical surf town and the Nauyaca Waterfalls

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10

Day trip · from Portalón Hills

Uvita & Marino Ballena

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The walk out across the park won me over; it would've earned a third star if we'd caught the whales, but we came out of season.

We took another day trip from our Airbnb, this time heading south to Uvita to visit Marino Ballena National Park, a beautiful marine sanctuary famous for its iconic Whale Tail sandbar. The sandbar is only visible at low tide, so timing your visit is important if you want to walk all the way to the tip. Although the whale tail shape is much easier to appreciate from above in drone photos, the walk itself was very peaceful, with the ocean on both sides and beautiful coastal views.

Whale watching

Marino Ballena National Park is also famous for whale watching, but we didn't book a tour because we visited at the end of November, which isn't considered one of the best times for whale sightings. We still really enjoyed exploring the park and spending time on the beach. We finished the day relaxing and swimming at Playa Uvita, a wide stretch of soft golden sand backed by palm trees and lush jungle.

Chiva's note

The best time to visit Marino Ballena National Park for whale watching is between mid-December and the end of April, and again from the end of July to mid-November.

Uvita & Marino Ballena

Whale Tail sandbar at Marino Ballena National Park in Uvita

Playa Uvita, golden sand backed by palm trees and jungle

Swim in Uvita Waterfall

In the afternoon, we went to the Uvita Waterfall, and we absolutely loved it.

The waterfall is easy to access, and you can swim in several natural pools. The most exciting part was that you can slide down the waterfall.

To be honest, I was so scared to try, but my friends did it and they also ended up cheering on a whole group of people there, and everyone applauded each person who slid down the waterfall.

There is actually a metal ladder that you climb to reach the top of the waterfall. From there, you slide down the natural rock into the pool below. It was an amazing experience, so scary, but so much fun!

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11

Day trip · from Portalón Hills

Manuel Antonio National Park

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A beautiful beach, but too touristy and crowded, and we barely spotted any wildlife.

For our final day, we visited Manuel Antonio National Park, one of Costa Rica's most visited parks. The park entrance area is very touristy. There were lots of souvenir stalls, and it lacked the natural atmosphere I had expected. Inside the park, we didn't spot a huge variety of wildlife, but we did see many adorable capuchin monkeys, including tiny ones clinging to their mothers. We followed the park's well-marked trails, which eventually led us to a stunning beach. We spent the morning exploring the park before relaxing on the beach there, and later continued to another nearby beach, Playa Espadilla.

Manuel Antonio

Chiva's note

I recommend arriving early to avoid the crowds and to have the best chance of spotting wildlife. The only way to purchase an entrance ticket is online and in advance. You cannot buy tickets at the entrance.

Lunch (and sloths) at Arenas Del Mar

After a beautiful morning, we headed to a hidden gem for the afternoon: Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort. This stunning hotel allows visitors to spend the day there and has its own beautiful private beach. We enjoyed a lovely lunch with incredible views, but the real highlight was the wildlife. We spotted three sloths. Funny enough, we hadn't seen a single sloth inside Manuel Antonio National Park, but we found them around the hotel grounds.

The food was excellent, fresh local ingredients. After lunch, we stayed on the beach for the afternoon, and it felt like a hidden paradise, almost completely empty while many of the beaches around Manuel Antonio were packed.

Arenas Del Mar

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12

Day 18 · departure

Back to San José

Before heading back to San José, we spent our final evening at Playa Linda and it was the perfect way to end the trip. Recommended by our Airbnb host, this hidden beach is our favourite in the region. As the sun began to set, the sky slowly turned soft shades of pink, reflecting across the ocean and creating one of the most memorable moments of our journey. We stayed until the last light disappeared, soaking in the calm atmosphere and knowing we couldn't have chosen a better place to say goodbye to Costa Rica's Pacific coast.

Playa Linda

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