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Plan a trip you can actually pull off

139 Costa Rica self-drive routes

139routes

Start with a corner of the country

Or browse by what you're chasing

Surf the whole coast

Point breaks & the endless-summer trail

🟡3 days· guanacaste
Off-Season Green Weekend: The Rincón Quick Hit
🔴4 days· guanacaste
Dry-Forest Overland: Santa Rosa & Witch's Rock
🟡5 days· guanacaste
Caves & Wetlands: The Inland Naturalist
🟢5 days· guanacaste
Sportfisher's Circuit: Flamingo, Coco & the Gulf of Papagayo
🟢5 days· guanacaste
The Blue Zone Reset (Nosara Wellness)
🔴6 days· guanacaste
Bohemian-Luxe Finish: Santa Teresa & Cabo Blanco
🟢6 days· guanacaste
Family Easy Coast: The Kids Edition (Hermosa, Coco & Sámara)
🟡6 days· guanacaste
Leatherback Season: The Turtle Vigil
🟢7 days· guanacaste
The Gold Coast Grand Tour
🟡7 days· guanacaste
Budget Van-Life Loop
🔴8 days· guanacaste
Nicoya Surf Run: Tamarindo to Santa Teresa
🟢10 days· guanacaste
Digital Nomad Basecamp: Work + Waves

Chasing waterfalls

Turquoise pools & jungle cascades

🟡3 days· guanacaste
Off-Season Green Weekend: The Rincón Quick Hit
🟡5 days· guanacaste
Caves & Wetlands: The Inland Naturalist
🟡5 days· guanacaste
Volcano, Springs & Sand: Rincón + Coast
🔴6 days· guanacaste
Bohemian-Luxe Finish: Santa Teresa & Cabo Blanco
🟢10 days· guanacaste
Digital Nomad Basecamp: Work + Waves
🔴10 days· guanacaste
The Full Peninsula Epic: Volcano to Ferry
🟢3 days· central
Sarapiquí Rainforest & Chocolate Weekend
🟢3 days· central
Arenal Ignition: The 3-Day First-Timer's Spine
🟡4 days· central
Green-Season Bijagua Deep Cut
🟡4 days· central
Volcano-to-Volcano: Poás & Arenal Double Crater
🟡5 days· central
The Classic Connective Core: Arenal → Monteverde
🟢5 days· central
Couples' Slow Romance: Hot Springs & Cloud Forest

Volcanoes & hot springs

Craters, cloud collars, thermal rivers

🟡3 days· guanacaste
Off-Season Green Weekend: The Rincón Quick Hit
🟡5 days· guanacaste
Volcano, Springs & Sand: Rincón + Coast
🔴10 days· guanacaste
The Full Peninsula Epic: Volcano to Ferry
🟢3 days· central
Sarapiquí Rainforest & Chocolate Weekend
🟢3 days· central
Arenal Ignition: The 3-Day First-Timer's Spine
🟡4 days· central
Green-Season Bijagua Deep Cut
🟡4 days· central
Volcano-to-Volcano: Poás & Arenal Double Crater
🟡5 days· central
The Classic Connective Core: Arenal → Monteverde
🟢5 days· central
Couples' Slow Romance: Hot Springs & Cloud Forest
🟢5 days· central
Budget Camper's Lake-and-Volcano Loop
🟢6 days· central
Family Overland: Wildlife, Bridges & Bubbles
🔴6 days· central
Waterfall Chaser's Turquoise Circuit

Wildlife up close

Sloths, macaws, whales, turtles

🔴4 days· guanacaste
Dry-Forest Overland: Santa Rosa & Witch's Rock
🟡5 days· guanacaste
Caves & Wetlands: The Inland Naturalist
🟢5 days· guanacaste
The Blue Zone Reset (Nosara Wellness)
🔴6 days· guanacaste
Bohemian-Luxe Finish: Santa Teresa & Cabo Blanco
🟢6 days· guanacaste
Family Easy Coast: The Kids Edition (Hermosa, Coco & Sámara)
🟡6 days· guanacaste
Leatherback Season: The Turtle Vigil
🟢7 days· guanacaste
The Gold Coast Grand Tour
🟢10 days· guanacaste
Digital Nomad Basecamp: Work + Waves
🔴10 days· guanacaste
The Full Peninsula Epic: Volcano to Ferry
🟢3 days· central
Sarapiquí Rainforest & Chocolate Weekend
🟢3 days· central
Arenal Ignition: The 3-Day First-Timer's Spine
🟡4 days· central
Green-Season Bijagua Deep Cut

With the kids

Easy wins, safe swims, short drives

🟡5 days· guanacaste
Caves & Wetlands: The Inland Naturalist
🟢6 days· guanacaste
Family Easy Coast: The Kids Edition (Hermosa, Coco & Sámara)
🔴10 days· guanacaste
The Full Peninsula Epic: Volcano to Ferry
🟡4 days· central
Green-Season Bijagua Deep Cut
🟡5 days· central
The Classic Connective Core: Arenal → Monteverde
🟢5 days· central
Couples' Slow Romance: Hot Springs & Cloud Forest
🟢5 days· central
Budget Camper's Lake-and-Volcano Loop
🟢6 days· central
Family Overland: Wildlife, Bridges & Bubbles
🔴6 days· central
Waterfall Chaser's Turquoise Circuit
🟡6 days· central
The In-Between Waterfalls: Arenal → Monteverde the Slow Way
🟡8 days· central
Birders' & Naturalists' Cloud-to-Rainforest Traverse
🔴8 days· central
Photographer's Golden-Hour Grand Tour

Where the road ends

Off-grid & genuinely wild

🔴4 days· guanacaste
Dry-Forest Overland: Santa Rosa & Witch's Rock
🟢6 days· guanacaste
Family Easy Coast: The Kids Edition (Hermosa, Coco & Sámara)
🟡7 days· guanacaste
Budget Van-Life Loop
🟢10 days· guanacaste
Digital Nomad Basecamp: Work + Waves
🔴10 days· guanacaste
The Full Peninsula Epic: Volcano to Ferry
🟡4 days· central
Green-Season Bijagua Deep Cut
🟢5 days· central
Budget Camper's Lake-and-Volcano Loop
🔴6 days· central
Waterfall Chaser's Turquoise Circuit
🟡6 days· central
The In-Between Waterfalls: Arenal → Monteverde the Slow Way
🔴8 days· central
Photographer's Golden-Hour Grand Tour
🔴10 days· central
The Full Spine: 10-Day Grand Overland
🟡3 days· osa
Green-Season Waterfall Chaser (Budget)

First-timer icons

The greatest hits, without the marathon

🟢4 days· guanacaste
Papagayo in Four Days: The Soft Landing
🟢5 days· guanacaste
The Blue Zone Reset (Nosara Wellness)
🟢6 days· guanacaste
Family Easy Coast: The Kids Edition (Hermosa, Coco & Sámara)
🟡6 days· guanacaste
Leatherback Season: The Turtle Vigil
🟢7 days· guanacaste
The Gold Coast Grand Tour
🟡7 days· guanacaste
Budget Van-Life Loop
🔴8 days· guanacaste
Nicoya Surf Run: Tamarindo to Santa Teresa
🟢10 days· guanacaste
Digital Nomad Basecamp: Work + Waves
🟢3 days· central
Arenal Ignition: The 3-Day First-Timer's Spine
🟡4 days· central
Volcano-to-Volcano: Poás & Arenal Double Crater
🟡5 days· central
The Classic Connective Core: Arenal → Monteverde
🟢5 days· osa
Costa Ballena Soft Gateway (Family Edition)

Weekend escapes

72 hours, one tank of gas

🟡3 days· guanacaste
Off-Season Green Weekend: The Rincón Quick Hit
🟢3 days· central
Sarapiquí Rainforest & Chocolate Weekend
🟢3 days· central
Arenal Ignition: The 3-Day First-Timer's Spine
🟢3 days· osa
Whale's Tail: The Humpback Season Run
🟡3 days· osa
Green-Season Waterfall Chaser (Budget)
🟢2 days· highlands
San Gerardo Weekender — Hot Springs & Cloud Forest
🟢3 days· highlands
Feria & Farmtable Slow Travel — Markets of the General
🟡3 days· highlands
Farm-Country Horseback & Valle del General
🔴3 days· highlands
Chirripó Summit Sprint — Roof of Costa Rica
🔴3 days· highlands
Sleep-in-a-Waterfall — Diamante Cave Micro-Adventure
🟢3 days· caribbean
String of Pearls in 72 Hours: Costa Rica's Caribbean Highlight Reel
🟡2 days· caribbean
Pacuare Rafting Overnight
North Pacific

Off-Season Green Weekend: The Rincón Quick Hit

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Route 1 of 139: Off-Season Green Weekend: The Rincón Quick Hit