Hidden Gems of Costa Rica Vacation

View of Playa Grande in Montezuma, Costa Rica

What to expect on this itinerary

This adventurous, one-week journey leads you off the beaten track to celebrate the country’s undiscovered gems, including Terciopelo Cave, Playa Zancudo, Montezuma, and Rincon de la Vieja. It is easy to be immersed in the appeal of Costa Rica, which is a country of monkey-filled cloud forests, Caribbean and Pacific beaches, volcanos, and waterfalls. While its natural history leads most visitors to a handful of iconic destinations, Costa Rica hides many more adventures beneath the rainforest canopy.

Countries Visited

Costa Rica

Places Visited

Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Barra Honda National Park, Montezuma, Playa Zancudo

Suggested Duration

8 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Rincon de la Vieja National Park – Jungle Waterfalls

After an early morning arrival in Liberia, you will transfer inland to a hacienda that is located beneath Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. This afternoon, you can walk off any travel fatigue in the national park. An adventurous, two-hour hike will lead you through an under-explored realm. The sound of waterfalls will guide you onward with Blue Lake and La Cangreja Waterfall being your final destinations, which are two pristine swathes of water that are hidden deep inside the jungle. Afterward, you delight in a picnic before deciding which way to turn. You can hike back along the same route, but if you are feeling adventurous, then you can add on the Las Pailas Loop.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Tour
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 2

Rincon de la Vieja National Park – Horses and High Wires

Day 3

Montezuma – The Depths of Terciopelo Cave

Day 4

Montezuma – Waterfalls and Rainforest Canopies

Day 5

Montezuma – Snorkeling and Deserted Beaches

Day 6

Playa Zancudo – A Hidden Beach Town

Day 7

Playa Zancudo – Jungle Allure

Day 8

Golfito – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Rappel into the depths of Terciopelo Cave during a day in Barra Honda National Park
  • Explore jungle trails and venture to hidden waterfalls in the beautifully remote Rincon de la Vieja National Park
  • Snorkel Pacific reefs and kayak to deserted beaches during your time in Montezuma
  • Boat through the mangroves for two nights in Playa Zancudo, which is an undiscovered, beachside gem
  • Horseback ride through dense cloud forest before taking to the high wires on a canopy tour
  • Enjoy challenging jungle treks to waterfalls and lakes that rarely see visitors
  • Tailor the adventure to your interests with a private and naturalist guide throughout your entire journey

Detailed Description

If you dream of Costa Rica, a series of classic images will come to mind, such as hiking through a jungle to a waterfall that tumbles into a volcanic crater or wandering along a quiet coastline before watching the sunset from a beachside suite. There may also be the image of exploring cloud forests on foot, on horseback, or along canopy bridges. You can imagine volcanos and rainforests along with crystal-clear pools and hot springs. All of these experiences can be found when you follow the popular tourist trail. If you venture off the beaten track, you can still enjoy these adventures, except they will not be interrupted by tourist crowds.

Even now, so much of Costa Rica remains under-explored and undeveloped. You can rappel into vast cave systems, ride horses along unexplored trails, boat around deserted coastlines, and immerse yourself in the jungle allure. The country’s infrastructure has improved tremendously in recent years, creating new destinations for locals and tourists. However, many of these destinations are not on standard itineraries, and it always seems a little more magical when you can explore without crowds. New airports and flight routes have expanded access to the country, so many of these undiscovered gems can be combined in just a private, one-week tour.

With seven nights in Costa Rica, this customizable tour will lead you to the country’s next big destinations before they gain popularity. After flying into Liberia, you will spend two nights at a hacienda near Rincon de la Vieja National Park. On one afternoon, you will trek along new trails to jungle waterfalls and azure lakes, where you bask in the seclusion and serenity. Day two will utilize horses and high wires to explore more of the national park before the depths of Terciopelo Cave become the highlight of day three. Epitomizing this week in Costa Rica, the cave system can create a wonderful sense of seclusion and undiscovered nature.

After your cave tour, you will be transferred to Montezuma for three nights on a Pacific peninsula. Day four will be all about the rainforest interior, and you will walk through the canopy and follow sounds to hidden waterfalls. You will then spend day five along the coast with kayaking, snorkeling, and some surprisingly deserted beaches. A new flight route connects nearby Tambor with Golfito, so on day six, you can fly to the Southern part of the country and take a boat to Playa Zancudo, which is a beachside village that is defined by thick jungle and local wildlife encounters. Two nights here will culminate your vacation, and you will fly out of Golfito to begin your journey back home.

Starting Price

$2,400 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 123 reviews

Costa Rica Trip Review: La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio, San Jose, Ziplining, River Tour, Waterfall, Coffee and Chocolate Tour, Sunset Cruise, 10 Days

We had a wonderful time on our trip. Zicasso’s travel specialist was responsive to what we wanted to do and adjusted our trip to fit our budget. He included our interests and took the research out of it for us. We asked him to plan on a tight time crunch of less than a month and he made it with ease.

Costa Rica had so much to do and he kept us active, which we wanted. I appreciated how the travel company had a travel app for all of our itineraries and tickets, as well as an emergency contact to make adjustments during the trip. We used this several times to book things we discovered during the trip and it was a breeze.

Our favorite adventures from our trip were ziplining, the river tour, and the waterfall in La Fortuna. We also enjoyed animal tours, which says a lot, as I'm not an animal fan, but the adventure was wonderful and felt very safe. I would consider the Monte Verde night tour next time.

We enjoyed our resort in Manuel Antonio and the beach at Manuel Antonio. The view was incredible.

Our whole tour flowed seamlessly and Costa Rica was beautiful and full of adventures. We'd happily return and use the travel company.

The coffee and chocolate tour in Don Juan was wonderful. Additionally, all of our hotels were great. I'd highly recommend this experience.

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Costa Rica Tour Review: Monteverde, Arenal Volcano, Tamarindo, Cloud Forest, Wildlife, 12 Days

Zicasso’s travel company provided an excellent experience for our trip. Prior to the trip, they provided descriptions of what to bring and how to deal with every step of the trip, e.g., normal ranges for tips, packing lists for clothes, currency use, etc. The descriptions were very clear about how to meet our transportation and guides. Every step of our trip occurred on time, as scheduled. The guides they selected were experienced, with excellent English communication abilities.

Our guide in Monteverde was clearly the dean of the guide community. Other guides would ask him questions when we encountered them. He used his experience with bird sounds and other animal hints to allow us to watch two quetzals building a nest, taking turns with one quetzal on lookout while the other dug out a hole in a tree. We learned that it was very unusual to even see one quetzal at all, let alone two for an extended period. Our guide in the Arenal volcano area was also extremely knowledgeable about the plants and animals. We enjoyed getting to know them, as well as the driver who took us from Monteverde to Tamarindo.

The selection of guided tours and related events gave us a varied look at the many different things that Costa Rica has to offer in the northern part of the country. Working with the travel company on our itinerary gave us what we were looking for. It also allowed us to fly in and out of Liberia airport, which minimized our travel on the ground. During the course of our visit, we were in touch with a representative of the travel company on numerous occasions. He provided restaurant recommendations when we wanted to venture outside of the hotel. They were excellent. He also assisted in our determining proper tipping for particular legs of the trip.

The roads of Costa Rica can be challenging, especially at night, but our guides and drivers were very safe and skilled in dealing with the roads. The travel company used some of its people, but also engaged some who were independent. Their choices were very good and always on time. It was clear they are a well-run operation that knows how to support the traveler at every step of the vacation. Thank you for offering this travel company to us. It was our first experience with Zicasso. We were quite pleased and will definitely think of you for future trips.

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Costa Rica Tour Review: La Fortuna, Coffee and Chocolate Tour, 9 Nights

My husband and I had an amazing vacation in Costa Rica. It is a pure paradise. Beautiful sights, wonderful tours, great food, and so much to see and do.

Zicasso’s travel specialist and the team were great at planning our vacation. They took the time to listen to our needs and delivered a wonderful plan for us. They were there to help us with minor changes we had to make during our trip. They were attentive and helpful.

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Costa Rica Tour Review: Tortuguero, Corcovado, Wildlife, 16 Nights

Zicasso’s travel company was exceptional for our first trip to Costa Rica. We visited five destinations and all were well planned, with comfortable accommodations. We met very friendly people and took lots of memorable photos. Any questions we had were resolved immediately and with ease. It was a very wonderful experience. Thank you so much for the care and consideration.

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Costa Rica Trip Review: San Jose, Monteverde, 2 Weeks

Having never been to Costa Rica, we wanted to experience an overview of the country and its diversity. Consequently, we ended up visiting five areas of the country over a two-week period, flying in and out of San José. The trip was well planned by Zicasso’s travel company and services met or exceeded our expectations, from accommodations to tours and transportation.

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Costa Rica Trip Review: Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Ziplining, Hanging Bridges, Hiking, Hot Springs, Private Tours, 12-Day Vacation

Mike and I wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for our unforgettable two-week adventure in Costa Rica. The trip was amazing and exceeded our expectations. We were spoiled by the private transfers and private tours. All of the tour guides were professional and very informative. We enjoyed all of the selected hotels, with the lodge in Monteverde being our favorite. The hotel had a great happy hour with a variety of drinks and was within walking distance of Santa Elena. We liked having daily breakfast included and loved all of the fresh fruits, especially the cantaloupe and watermelon.

We appreciated your attention to detail and expert recommendations for the variety of tours and guides. We enjoyed the float trips and had a wonderful tour of the mangroves in Manuel Antonio. Our time in Monteverde included a rainy day hiking the hanging bridges and ziplining for the first time. I am glad we added the vanilla tour to our agenda in Manuel Antonio.   

Thank you so much for making this trip special and stress-free. Please let your staff know that we appreciated all of their hard work. The WhatsApp gateway was great once we figured out how to use the app. It allowed us to communicate with the team to update us on schedule changes or other information. We will definitely recommend your services to our family and friends, and ook forward to visiting Costa Rica in the future.


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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

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