You could spend months in Costa Rica and not see it all. It is simply a country that begs to be explored and everywhere you turn, breathtaking beauty! From cloud forests to jungles, to volcanoes and mountains, to thousands of pristine beaches, Costa Rica is one of our all-time favorite adventure destinations. It’s also a country of immense biodiversity making it a must if you love wildlife and exotic plants. One of the best places in all of Costa Rica to see wildlife, as well as the country’s most beautiful landscapes is the Southern Pacific Coast. And for that reason, we’ve come up with the most epic 10 day itinerary on Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific Coast.
When to Go
The age old debate: When is the best season to go to Costa Rica? Even though the dry season is the most popular time of year to go (between Dec-April), we actually prefer the early wet or “green” season. Why? Lower prices, less tourists, and more opportunities to see wildlife. Not to mention, it’s more lush and green.
The wet season in Costa Rica is between June-Nov, however the wettest months are generally Aug-Oct. If you go in June, July or even November, most likely you will get rain, but the good news is it rarely rains ALL day. An afternoon shower here or there, or evening thunderstorms are common, but it’s not the constant downpour everyday that you often get in August, September or October.
Where to Stay
The Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica is normally considered from the region of Quepos/Manuel Antonio down to the Osa peninsula. We prefer to stay in Uvita because here you are about half way between both Quepos and Osa, plus it is less busy than the popular Manuel Antonio area.
Uvita is a place where the mountains meet the ocean. It is a region of immense and untouched beauty, wildlife and plenty of adventure. We would recommend staying at Vista Celestial Boutique Hotel, which is about a 20 min drive up the mountains from town, but worth it for the views, the serenity and opportunities to see wildlife. We saw several toucans, koatis, monkeys, and butterflies.
Vista Celestial is a small boutique-hotel focused on the eco-conscious traveler, the yogi, or just the person looking to get away from it all. We loved the personalized service that Vista Celestial offers–with only 6 villas, the staff really goes out of their way to give you the best care. The food was delicious, the pool and hot tub was perfect after a long day adventuring, and the villas were absolutely stunning–all offering views that look out over the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding mountains and rainforest.
If you love hiking, Vista Celestial has several short trails to explore from the property, our favorite was to a waterfall. Vista Celestial also offers an outdoor yoga studio that overlooks the rainforest so you can come do some yoga in this beautiful, quiet place. We loved that this property was also family friendly and the kids loved especially loved swimming in the pool and jumping off the rocks.
We would recommend spending 5-6 days in Uvita and then the remaining 4 days on the Osa peninsula near Corcovado National Park at El Remanso Rainforest Wildlife Lodge. Staying at El Remanso is such an adventure, as you are in a remote area of Costa Rica. Yet it is one of the most incredible places on the planet for witnessing Corcovado, home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity (pretty amazing considered it’s a small national park!).
El Remanso is located on the southwestern tip of the Osa peninsula, an hour’s drive down a dirt road from the closest town, Puerto Jimenez. You might question if it’s worth the bumpy ride to El Remanso (we warned you, it’s remote!), however as soon as you enter the property, you will quickly be reassured that you are in the right place. It is simply a unique experience!
One of the best things about staying at El Remanso is that you are located on the Osa peninsula near Corcovado National Park, which is world-famous for it’s wildlife. Because of the close proximity to the park, there is no shortage of incredible wildlife found right on the property of El Remanso. We witnessed dozens of scarlet macaws and other birds, 4 types of monkeys, sloths, frogs, snakes and others.
We love that El Remanso is all about sustainability in everything they do and they take great care in ensuring that the guests can get the most out of their stay there. Meals are included in your visit here (since the closest town is an hour away), and it was one of our favorite things about staying at El Remanso. Every meal you had a choice of 3-4 options and all of them are top-notch and delicious.
All the villas at El Remanso are beautiful with views of the jungle and even some of the ocean. There are dozens of hiking trails to explore on the property at El Remanso to the beach and tidepools, to waterfalls and creeks, and even to hanging bridges. Yes, El Remanso has their own hanging bridges! The gardens and pathways through the property are stunning and prime for spotting wildlife. There is a pool for relaxing and swimming, and each villa has their own plunge pool. The staff is super friendly, and all made it a point to know our names on the first day.
One more note about El Remanso: they offer on-site guided tours like night hikes (our kids’ favorite!), rappelling off waterfalls, zip lining, and more. They also can coordinate guided trips and/or transportation to Corcovado National Park. Normally, we aren’t the kind of people that hang out at the resort, but at El Remanso we didn’t ever want to leave! This is one place we would return over and over again.
How to Get Here
Since San Jose is the main airport in Costa Rica, this is where you will most likely fly in to. From there, to get to the Southern Pacific coast, you have a few options. The first method (the quickest and most expensive) is to take a puddle jumper flight with Sansa Air into Quepos/Manuel Antonio and then rent a car (in Quepos) and drive to Uvita (about an hour south).
The second option is to rent a car in San Jose with our preferred Costa Rican rental company, Vamos Rent-a-Car. (Trust us, you will NEED a car to get around!). From San Jose to Uvita, it’s about a 4 hour drive.
If you’re not keen on driving from San Jose to Uvita, the last option is to take Interbus, a shared transportation service from San Jose to Uvita. Once in Uvita, you can rent a car there and get to the Osa peninsula. And again, make sure you get a 4 X 4 as many of the roads in Costa Rica require it!
a bamboo forest in Uvita.
Day 1: Explore Marino Bellena National Park
Assuming you have at least half a day to relax and settle in once you’ve arrived to Uvita, this would be your first FULL day. And since you’ve just spent a day (maybe more) traveling to Costa Rica, this first day won’t require traveling far nor doing anything too rigorous.
Marino Bellena National Park, located right in Uvita is a beautiful national park that covers an extension of 171 land hectares and 5,375 sea hectares. It is named after the humpback whales that migrate here from mid-July to October, and then again in December through March from feeding and mating grounds in the north and south hemispheres to the warm tropical waters of Costa Rica.
Admission to the park is $6 for foreigners and there are lots of ways to explore Marino Bellena, however there is one thing you have to do here. And that is to walk out to Punta Uvita aka the “whale’s tale” (a giant sandbar) at low tide. Bring your snorkel gear (or rent right inside the park) because Marino Bellena has lots of great marine life and coral reef. Or if you prefer to take it easy, you can always just bring your beach towels and a picnic lunch and enjoy the beautiful, long stretches of beach inside the park.
Some other options of things you can do inside Marino Bellena National Park is book a sea kayaking tour where you will surf the waves and get to snorkel around the whale’s tale. During whale season, you can also book a whale or dolphin watching tour.
Day 2: Horseback ride to Nauyaca Falls
Nauyaca Falls is ONE sight you do not want to miss if you come to the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Located in Dominical, about a 40 min drive north from Uvita, these falls will take your breath away. We’ve been twice and each time was different and just as amazing. We’ve seen dozens of waterfalls in Costa Rica, but Nauyaca Falls tops the list.
There are actually two falls–Upper and Lower, with the lower falls consisting of a pool you can swim in (unless it has just rained and the current is too strong). Since Nauyaca Falls is located on private land, you have to pay an admission fee to hike there (6 miles round trip), but there are two other options to visit these breathtaking falls. Cost to hike on your own is $9/person.
The most expensive way to get to Nauyaca Falls, but perhaps the most memorable (especially with kids) is to do the horseback tour to the falls. It’s a full day tour starting with breakfast on the property, a ride to the falls where you will spend an hour swimming and jumping off the rocks, and then lunch before riding back to the parking lot. Cost is about $79/person which includes two meals, the horse, and the guide. Worth every penny! Make sure to make reservations ahead of time, space is limited and fills up.
The last option is to take a truck ride up to the falls. This is a good option if you don’t want to pay the price for the horseback tour, and you don’t want to hike. Cost is about $32/person.
Day 3: Snorkel at Cano Island
Cano Island is known as the best snorkeling in all of Costa Rica with gorgeous, pristine reef and virgin, turquoise waters, It is home to a spectacular variety of stunning marine flora and fauna and is famous for having Costa Rica’s largest concentration of coral-building organisms along the Pacific Ocean. With fantastic underwater visibility, you have opportunity to observe and swim alongside sea turtles, dolphins, stingrays, manta rays, moray eels, barracudas, tuna, snapper, parrot fish, puffers and more.
miss in Southern Costa Rica.
The Cano Island snorkeling excursion is an all-day adventure, starting with a 1.5 hour boat ride from Uvita. Cost is about $145/adult and $90/child (10 and younger). You won’t regret this underwater experience!
Day 4: Go beach hopping
After 3 fun-filled, action-packed days, a relaxing beach day is in order. There are lots of great beaches worth visiting right in Uvita such as Playa Hermosa, Uvita Beach (great for surfing), Playa Ventanas (there are some cool caves here best to explore at low tide) and Playa Arco. This beach requires a hike to get to, but you’ll find hardly anyone here and one of the most beautiful beaches in the Southern Pacific Costa Rica coast.
If you are willing to drive a bit north of Uvita, other note-worthy beaches worth visiting are near Manuel Antonio National Park such as Espadilla (and Espadilla Sur–our favorite), Escondido, and Playa Biesanz. All beautiful and unique beaches. Stay until sunset and then stop for dessert at Emilio’s Cafe in Manuel Antonio (get the passion fruit pie!). Make sure to read our blog post on other activities to do in the Manuel Antonio area.
Day 5: Chase waterfalls in Uvita
There are lots of waterfalls around Uvita and the Southern peninsula, and one that is definitely not to be missed! Uvita Falls, located not far from town is a short, easy hike to get to and one that you could easily spend a whole afternoon at. Besides a 30 foot waterfall that also doubles as a natural waterslide (trust us, it’s safe!), there are also pools along the river to swim in (with platforms to jump from too!). Cost is about $1/person.
Another waterfall worth visiting not far from Uvita Falls, is Secret Falls (at least that’s what the locals call it). You can find these falls a few miles past the bamboo forest in Uvita. *Note: If you come in the wet season, this road might not be passable in a vehicle, meaning you have to opt to hike to it. The great thing about these waterfalls though is hardly anyone knows about them, so there’s a good chance you will this oasis to yourself.
through the bamboo forest.
If you’re looking for more of an adventure, consider going canyoneering with Costa Canyoning for an unforgettable day rappelling off waterfalls in the jungles of Uvita.
Day 6: Recover and Relax
This will be the day you leave Uvita and head south toward the wild Osa peninsula. From Uvita to Puerto Jimenez, it’s about a 2.5 hour drive and then depending on where you stay, perhaps another hour from there. We recommend staying at El Remanso (mentioned earlier) because it is here you will be able to really experience the magic and remote-ness of this incredible peninsula, while also being in close proximity to Corcovado National Park.
The drive in getting to El Remanso is quite the adventure, but keep your eyes peeled because there’s a good chance you will see wildlife along this road such as scarlet macaws, monkeys, sloths, and even whales. Spend a day soaking up the nature and views at El Remanso. You could also go for a short hike, walk the hanging bridges, or relax by the pool.
in getting there.
Day 7-8: Trek in Corcovado National Park
If there is one thing that will make your trip most memorable while visiting Southern Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, it is Corcovado National Park. This place has it all and is truly a feast for all the senses. Wild and rugged, stunningly beautiful and untouched, Corcovado offers you the rare opportunity to witness so many species of wildlife (many native to this region of Costa Rica) so up close and personal. In the two days we we spent trekking through Corcovado, we saw 2 tapirs, 4 kinds of monkeys (spider, howler, capuchin, and squirrel), over 20 types of birds, snakes, poisonous frogs, coatis, anteaters and more.
One thing to note about Corcovado is that you cannot enter the park without a permit and if you stay overnight, you have to go with a guide. We recommend the latter (book ahead of time as Corcovado only allows so many overnight permits/day), as it gives you the opportunity to experience the jungle at night. This is an entirely different experience vs seeing it during the daytime. Surcos Tours was the company we chose to go with and let’s just say, we were not disappointed. Not only were they professional and knowledgable, but the guides made it so fun and educational for our kids.
Surcos Tours offers many different multi-day trekking options, but we chose the 2-day trek that took us from Puerto Jimenez by boat to Sirena in Corcovado, where we hiked to the Sirena ranger station and stayed the night. After a short hike to the ranger station on day 1, we explored a couple of trails from there and then on the second day, hiked out to Carate along the coastal trail for 12 miles. Total mileage for 2 days was about 18 miles. From Carate, we were picked up and taken back to our resort, El Remanso, a 45 min drive.
The heat and humidity can be intense in Corcovado, and also the bugs, so be prepared with bug spray (we only use sprays with 30% Deet, as it is the most effective!), mineral and reef-safe sunscreen and plenty of water to stay adequately hydrated. The great thing is you’re hiking near water most of the time, so anytime you want to go for a swim, the ocean is calling your name.
Some of the things we loved most about our experience in Corcovado was seeing wildlife literally around every corner. Our guides were so good at spotting even the smallest animals (like baby hummingbirds!) and always had their scopes ready, so we could see the birds high in the trees up close. The jungle in Corcovado is incredibly beautiful and pristine, making this park one of the most special places we’ve ever been. This is truly an once-in-a-lifetime experience you will never forget and worth every penny!
Day 9: Kayak and whale watch at Golfo Dulce
You can’t come to the Osa peninsula without seeing the Golfo Dulce and the wildlife that is plentiful here. There are many whale and dolphin watching tours that operate from Puerto Jimenez, however in our opinion, the best way to see this area is via a kayaking tour where you can explore mangrove forests, in addition to the gulf. There are even kayaking tour options that take you to a bioluminescent beach after sunset, where you can witness one of the most natural phenomena.
Day 10: Return to San Jose
Assuming you have to return to San Jose to catch a return flight home, this day will be your travel day from the Osa peninsula. Remember the quickest way to get to San Jose is to fly from Puerto Jimenez, however that will cost you more. If you have a rental car and plan on returning it in San Jose, then it will be about a 5 hour drive. If you have time, make a pit stop in Manuel Antonio and visit the national park or go for a swim at the beach!
Conclusion
This 10 day itinerary on Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific coast will surely leave you longing to come back. This area of Costa Rica is so breathtaking and feels so untouched compared to other areas of Costa Rica. Make sure to check out our Ultimate Costa Rica Family Adventure Vacation guide, Best Outdoor Adventures near Tamarindo (Northern Pacific coast), and 10 Outdoor Activities in La Fortuna if you want to visit other amazing areas of Costa Rica!