January 17, 2026

Some biking friends had done this trip a few years ago and recommended their travel agent, so Michael and I booked a 10 -day adventure for January. It was a fantastic itinerary with varied destinations including jungle, mountains and beach, private transfers, upgraded luxury hotels and a wide array of fascinating activities. All the moving parts fit together smoothly thanks to the expert arrangements of Costa Rica Travel Exchange. All the guides were amazing and the hotel staff and drivers were incredibly helpful and took good care of us.

We flew to San Jose, not my favorite place, and stayed one night in town. We tried to walk around and explore a bit but the sidewalks were narrow and busy, and we didn’t feel entirely comfortable. The next morning Juan Carlos picked us up and drove us three hours on spectacular mountain roads to La Fortuna, in the Arenal Volcano area. Our hotel for three nights, Arenal Kioro Spa, was elegant and grand and our room had a fantastic view of the volcano. There was a beautiful winding path through the rain forest to the restaurant, hot springs and pool area. Michael had a bit of trouble with the up-hill parts. Sometimes we walked slowly and sometimes we called for the hotel shuttle to come get us. The breakfast buffet was sumptuous with fantastic coffee, fresh tropical fruits, pastries and sweets and of course beans and rice to go with your eggs. Lunch at the pool café was wonderful as well and I loved having a frozen cocktail in the afternoon while relaxing in the cascading pools of hot springs. I booked a pedicure in the spa, and we even found a ping-pong table and had fun playing on several afternoons. Our activities in La Fortuna included a guided walk through Mistico Park, where we saw birds and snakes and sloths and bounced on hanging bridges, a hike up to the Volcano, and a fun zip line adventure for me, while Michael relaxed by the pool.

The next destination was Monteverde after another three-hour drive on exhilarating and dizzying mountain roads. Some were paved but some were not, and I was glad I was in a comfortable SUV and not on a bike! Our hotel for two nights , El Establo, was again very grand and spread out over a large and steep mountainside. Michael had trouble with the up-hills, but again there was a hotel shuttle to take us wherever we needed to go. I let him rest in the room while I explored the walk into town. I also took the shuttle to the very top of the property and had a fantastic hike through some jungle trails. They closed at 4pm for the pumas – yikes, luckily, I didn’t see any – but I did walk down the road to the pool area, where Michael came to meet me for a drink. The temperature was cool up here in the mountains, but we were warm sitting in the sun. Our activities included an amazing night walk through a nature preserve. Christian was our wonderful private guide as we carefully made our way through the jungle looking for bugs, snakes, and nocturnal animals. Always the guides would spot something hidden to our eye and locate it in their high-powered scope for us to see. Amazing that they could capture the image in the scope with our phone camera! The next day we met Christian again for a private walk through Treetopia, a large nature preserve with spectacular hanging bridges. We took our time and saw many beautiful birds. It was quite windy, and Christian was disappointed that we only saw 20 species instead of 50!

The next day was another long drive to Manuel Antonio National Park and one of the most beautiful beaches I have visited. We passed many pineapple plantations and miles and miles of palm oil trees as we poked along in typical beach traffic approaching the popular tourist destinations. Our hotel for three nights was the very funky but elegant Costa Verde, perched up high on the mountainside overlooking the spectacular coastline. This hotel was also large and spread out with a quirky airplane theme. Our very grand room was like a tree house in the adults only pool area. The screened shower and bathroom overlooked the jungle so you could hear the howler monkeys when you went in there at night. We also had an open porch with breathtaking views of the pacific ocean and beach. I did some fantastic birding out there while Michael enjoyed the AC inside. It was a ten-minute walk down a steep path to the road which led to the beach. Michael did it with me the first day and sat in the shade while I happily swam in the warm water and gentle low tide waves. We walked down the wide flat sandy beach to town at the other end and enjoyed a sunset cocktail before catching the local bus back up the hill to our hotel. The next day we enjoyed a leisurely coffee and chocolate tour which included a sweaty walk through a beautiful garden, and a filling lunch of spiced chicken with beans and rice and delicious fresh juices.  We also ground our own coffee and Cacao and made chocolate bars and cookies to take home. I spent the afternoon at the beach, and we watched 

The next day we had the hotel book us a tour through Manuel Antonio Park. As always, the guide was fantastic and found animals, birds and snakes in her scope for us to see. But, as everyone warned, the crowds were terrible, it was hot and humid and, with no food or plastic water bottles allowed in the park, we were tired and thirsty by the time we got back to the entrance. Thankfully the tour operator had a cool washcloth for us and fresh fruit, cookies and juice that we eagerly gobbled down. Back at our tree house Michael rested while I went down to the beach to swim, followed by another amazing sunset at the pool.

The trip back to San Jose on the last day was one of the most amazing. Juan Carlos picked us up early in the morning so we could get to Carara National Park for a private birding walk while the birds were still active. This parcel of preserved transitional forest was much less busy than Manuel Antonio, but just as rich with wildlife. Our guide was once again fantastic, and the easy walking pace was great for Michael and perfect for spotting birds, snakes and lizards. We covered two sections of the park in three hours and saw magnificent scarlet Macaws in their nest and relaxing on high branches. Juan Carlos then took us to a wonderful seaside restaurant for a fresh fish lunch and then dropped us off at Jungle Crocodile Safari for a boat tour on the Tarcoles River. The weather was warm and sunny, and we saw over 50 species of gorgeous birds and many crocodiles, both large and small, along the river. The guide was fantastic as usual, and we shared the small boat with a jovial flight crew from Amsterdam on their layover day, as we passed a changing landscape of forested inland riverbanks, mangrove swamps, and pacific coastal beaches, each with their own collection of birds. We were completely saturated with amazing wildlife sitings as we relaxed in the van on the drive back into the city. The next morning, we were shepherded back to the airport and made it home easily and safely after a fantastic adventure. Costa Rica really knows how to do eco-tourism! We hope we can come again.