Costa Rica 12 Day Roadtrip - Pacific Coast
Hola! Pura vida! Welcome to my blog. Here I share itineraries of trips, places I love, recommendations to plan your trip, local brands to support, and more. I hope you find it useful and that you stick around. In this post I am sharing with you a 12 day roadtrip I did in the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica back in July 2023. This roadtrip was 12 days including travel days and travelled through the provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas.
How did this roadtrip came to live? My partner at the time was a local fishermen in Marina Flamingo and he wanted to get to know more marinas in Costa Rica. His goal was to see what else is out there so he could have a better idea on where else he could work and grow in the career he so much loves. I was visiting for 12 days so we decided to travel around and have a great roadtrip together visiting the marinas, but also visiting new places on the way. Of course this roadtrip has some personal stops, but it is a good structure to plan for future trips.
What was the route of the roadtrip?
What places did we visited in each stop?
Aiports: I flew in and out of Liberia - Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport.
Stop 1: Huacas / Flamingo / Potrero area. We were there for three nights.
Accommodations? Airbnb near Huacas. This place is on the top of a hill so a 4x4 or a high clearance vehicle is almost mandatory unless they have updated it. I enjoyed my stay although it wasn’t my favorite.
Marina Flamingo
Day trip to Marina Papagayo and Papagayo Peninsula - Unfortunately it rained on us after noon so we did not get to visit the beaches in the area, but they are accessible to the public so you can use the main parking area and shuttle around for free.
Beaching around Playa Flamingo, Playa Conchal, Playa Penca, Playa Prieta, and other local beaches - Must do if you are in the area. I love how all the beaches are a little different and they are worth spending some time to disover them.
On the way to Monteverde we went to the movie theater in Liberia for a fun pit stop. Movie theaters are not common in Costa Rica except for the San Jose and other areas in the valley so visiting one is always fun when in the area.
Stop 2: Monteverde. We stayed for three nights.
Accommodations? Stayed at an airbnb walking distance to Santa Elena, the main town in Monteverde. I actually loved this place. It was a very local casita with the basics, but comfortable and cozy for our stay and at a great price. If you are in need of a safe space with just the basics then this is for you. Here is the link to the airbnb.
El Tigre Waterfalls - Loved this place. Such a nice trail full of waterfalls and areas to swim at. We loved it!!! Now, if you are not the biggest hiker I would recommend paying a bit extra for the horse or 4x4 ride back up because the hill at the end of the trail is challenging.
Selvatura Adventure Park - We did the three animal exhibitions found in the leaf pack - sloths, butterflies, and amphibians and reptiles. It was a bit of an investment, but I truly enjoyed my time at all 3 of the exhibitions and I learned a lot about all the animals.
On the way to Quepos we stopped at Puntarenas town for our pit stop and at Tarcoles bridge (famously known as crocodile bridge). Puntarenas is not my favorite town and I wouldn’t recommend a stop there unless needed. Tarcoles is a must stop though so see some crocodiles in their natural environment. They even do crocodile tours that I believe can make for a great stop too.
Stop 3: Quepos. We stayed for 3 nights.
Manuel Antonio National Park - To get into the park you need to purchase tickets in advance and it sells out so make sure you do this. The main platform to get tickets and do a self-guided visit is SINAC (the national park system here in Costa Rica). We almost did not visited because there were no tickets left in SINAC
Marina Pez Vela
Day trip to Nauyaca waterfalls and Los Suenos Marina
Stop 4: Potrero. We stayed for 2 nights.
Accommodations? Stayed at Bahia Esmeralda in Potrero. The place was comfortable, clean, and safe. It is walking distance to the beach and has parking and a pool.
This was just a chill last days sharing with friends in the area and visiting Playa Penca a lot.
What would I change to the roadtrip?
What would have I made differently?
There is a few places I would have loved to visit, but for several reasons I did not make it and will share them below:
Hiking any of the cloud forests in Monteverde. Our main interest was to see animals in the forests. Spotting wildlife can be really challenging when you are not familiar with it and in the very thick jungle of Costa Rica. For all the cloud forests you need to reserve at least 24 hours in advance to be able to have a tour guide instead of hiking alone. We did not plan ahead well so never secured a tour guide and decided to not visit.
This route is fully customizable. There are so many other places to be visited in each stop of the trip. Feel free to do some research and
