Spectacular Self-Driving Tour of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
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Jan 23 - Feb 5, 2026
We (a pair of senior citizen siblings) told kimkim that we were interested in touring Costa Rica and that we liked hiking, wildlife, and local culture. They quickly came up with a two-week itinerary that included San Jose (1 day), Drake Bay (3 days), Manuel Antonio (3 days), Monteverde (3 days), Arenal/La Fortuna (3 days), which we traversed in a Suzuki Jimny during late January and early February. kimkim made all of the arrangements for accommodations, rental car, and daily tours. We just booked our flights and showed up. And were we glad we did!
All of the locations we visited were stunningly beautiful, and the balance between coast and mountains was just right for us, since both are terrific in Costa Rica. Our lodgings in the Hotel Rancho Corcovado in Drake Bay, the Karahe Beach Hotel in Manuel Antonio, the Camino Verde B&B in Monteverde, and the Hotel Arenal Lodge in Arenal were uniformly delightful. These 3-star establishments were all in convenient and interesting places, and all possessed distinctive character that made them part of the tour experience. We highly recommend them all.
In each location, we had day tours with various providers, all of whom were professional and friendly. The guides from Yemanya Expeditions in Drake Bay and Paddle 9 in Manuel Antonio were particularly knowledgeable. Both were exceptionally skilled at finding wildlife (in the sea and the forest) and helping us to view them with spotting scopes. We saw several species of monkeys, sloths, coatis, tapirs, perccaries, frogs, snakes, butterflies, spiders, dolphins, a rare silky anteater, and lots and lots of birds (including many different hummingbirds). Our excursions into Costa Rica's awesome national parks were more like walks than hikes, since one must move slowly to find animals. But we were able to exercise our zest for physical activity on a guided tour of El Tigre Waterfalls in Monteverde, where we hiked through forested hills past several striking waterfalls and then rode back up a steep hill to the entrance on horseback. For us, El Tigre was a high point among high points of our trip.
For the most part, we enjoyed driving ourselves around Costa Rica. The roads are narrower than in the U.S., and, because of the mountainous terrain, they twist and turn. But, outside the Osa Peninsula, most were paved and in decent condition. We found Costa Rican drivers to be courteous and responsible (except perhaps the motorcycle riders who tend to squeeze between cars with little room to spare). The roads on the Osa Peninsula into Drake Bay, however, were rough and steep. A 4-wheel-drive car, like the Jimny, is an absolute necessity. If you don't like off road driving, a better option might be to take the boat from Sierpe. But since we didn't do that, we can't say whether car or boat is better. What we can say is that snorkeling on Cano Island and wildlife watching in the Corcovada National Park make a visit to Drake Bay very worthwhile!
Overall, kimkim made visiting Costa Rica easy and fun for us. Our trip combined the freedom of self driving, which let us wander around on our own, with the structure and expertise of guided tours. An excellent mix and a wonderful vacation!
Hotel Reviews
Small (20 rooms), friendly, well-located, and lots of quirky fun (check out the bottle chandelier in the hallway). Breakfast is delicious (best pancakes we've had in a very long while). And the staff go out of their way to be helpful. We had an absolutely first-rate experience!
Fascinating place. Grounds are huge - we took two hikes around them and saw horses, birds, and beautiful views of the volcano. Rooms face the volcano and offer spectacular views if/when the clouds lift. The rooms and lodge are in reasonable condition and the food in the restaurant is good. But the grounds have odd structures (e.g., a wedding pavilion, stone pillars, a macadamia nut museum) that are in advanced stages of decay. Also the room lights seemed to be about 10 watts - it was hard to see anything at night. And the driveway is a steep, winding 2 km track that is only sometimes wide enough for two vehicles to pass. Definitely a curious place. But much more interesting place to stay than a generic hotel. We would gladly go back.
Beautiful, if odd, hotel right on the beach of Drake Bay. Beds were comfortable. Room was clean. Balcony was beautiful with stunning views of the trees, flowers, sand, and water. Included breakfast was delicious. Dinners were also good, but it makes sense to check what's on the menu before signing up because they only serve one thing each evening. Room was unnecessarily huge - we weren't sure what all the empty space was for. And bedding consisted only of sheets, which may have been enough for their normal weather, but it was a little chilly due to the relative cold snap during our visit. Finally, the short drive from the road to the parking lot was so steep, loose, and potholed that it took every ounce of traction our 4WD could muster to get up it. Overall, a quirky but beautiful place.
Clean and comfortable place reasonably close to the airport. Included breakfast buffet was extensive and delicious. Perfect place for us to spend a night before embarking on our tour of Costa Rica.
Right next to the public beach in Manuel Antonio. Excellent food in restaurant. Clean and pleasant pool. Walking distance (less than a km down the beach) from grocery and souvenir stores. We loved our stay.
Activity Reviews
Tour guide did not show up at all. We wound up visiting two of the three sites on our own, and they were outstanding. But we can't recommend a tour that somehow dropped us.
Absolutely outstanding! Pedal kayaks were odd but comfortable. But the mangroves were mesmerizing and the wildlife was truly spectacular. And our guide, Roberto of Paddle 9, was exceptional. Thanks to him, we saw so many interesting animals, including a rare silky anteater! A real highlight of our Costa Rica trip.
Beautiful national park, with amazing vegetation, delightful animals, and two lovely beaches (you can hike and swim in the same park!). Our guide, Roberto of Paddle 9, was outstanding. He spotted many animals (e.g., snakes and sloths) we would never have seen without him. And the capuchin monkeys put on a show by walking along side us as we finished our tour. Definitely a place worth visiting, especially with a qualified guide!
Outstanding wildlife watching walk with an experienced and knowledgeable guide (Maria). A first rate national park that was a highlight of our Costa Rica visit.
Intermediate level hike over up-and-down terrain that passes through lush rainforest and past several spectacular waterfalls. Absolutely the best hike we took in Costa Rica. To top it off, we rode horses up the mountain to get back to the park building where we enjoyed a delicious Costa Rican casado for lunch! For us, this was the best tour among many excellent tours we experienced in Costa Rica.
It was pretty rough the day we visited, so the boat ride and swimming were more difficult than normal. But the guides were skilled an knowledgeable. I'd rate the snorkeling a tad below that in the Galapagos or Caribbean, but still excellent. Definitely a reason to visit Drake Bay!
Hiking on the volcano was highly enjoyable, although it would have been nicer if the clouds had lifted. But it is a rainforest after all, and rain it did. But the rain didn't dampen the EcoTermales experience, where the hot springs were pleasant and relaxing. And the buffet meal at EcoTermales included some of the best food we had in all of Costa Rica. Overall, this was a fitting capstone to a very fun visit to Costa Rica. Highly recommended!