7-Day Costa Rica Tour Packages
4.6 stars on(9,265 reviews)- Choose from 50+ Costa Rica tours
- 200+ verified reviews from TourRadar travelers
- 24/7 customer support
Insider tips: Recommended 7-day Costa Rica tour itineraries
Compiled by
SteffCosta Rica travel expert at TourRadar
7 Days in Costa Rica, incl. San Jose and Arenal
Natural wonders await across San Jose, Arenal Volcano, and Monteverde Cloud Forest. The week features Pacuare River rafting, Paradise Hot Springs, hanging bridges walks, and zip-lining. Nights are spent at Country Inn San Jose, Arenal Montechiari, and Monteverde Country Lodge.
- Day 1
San Jose Arrival
A driver will meet you at San Jose International Airport for the quick 15-minute trip to your hotel. Spend your evening exploring downtown San Jose, the cultural center of Costa Rica. One traveler shared: "The central avenue is perfect for interacting with locals and getting a feel for Costa Rican daily life." Book a late afternoon flight to avoid the busy rush hour traffic from the airport.
- Day 2
Pacuare River Rafting to Arenal
Leave early at 6 AM for a 3-hour drive to Siquirres through Braulio Carrillo National Park. Start your day with traditional "Gallo Pinto" breakfast before hitting the Class III-IV rapids on the Pacuare River. You'll tackle the challenging Upper and Lower Huacas rapids. Pack quick-dry clothes and secure water shoes. The day ends with a 2.5-hour drive to Arenal Volcano. A recent visitor noted: "The rafting was perfectly balanced between exciting rapids and calm stretches to catch your breath."
- Day 3
Arenal Volcano & Hot Springs
Take the morning to explore La Fortuna town at your own pace. Join an afternoon guided walk in Arenal Volcano National Park on mostly flat trails that can get slippery in wet weather. Your guide will point out wildlife like toucans and coati. Finish your day relaxing in the volcanic hot springs. Visit before 4 PM or after 6 PM to avoid peak crowds.
- Day 4
Arenal to Monteverde
Take the scenic taxi-boat-taxi route across Lake Arenal in the morning. The full journey takes about 3 hours with a 30-minute boat ride where you might spot ospreys and kingfishers. In the afternoon, ride horses through a working coffee plantation into the cloud forest. The horses are gentle but expect some steep terrain. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are essential.
- Day 5
Monteverde Adventures
Begin with a guided walk across hanging bridges in the cloud forest canopy. The trail has some steep parts but moves at an easy pace. After lunch, experience the famous zipline course with cables stretching up to 1km. One traveler advised: "The Tarzan swing at the end is a must-do but prepare yourself mentally - it's quite the adrenaline rush!" Bring warm layers since Monteverde stays cool and wet throughout the year.
- Day 6
Monteverde to San Jose
Head back to San Jose on a 4-hour mountain drive. Bring motion sickness pills if you need them. Your afternoon is free to visit the National Museum or Gold Museum downtown. Stay near the airport since most international flights leave early morning.
- Day 7
Departure
Quick 15-minute drive to the airport. Remember you need to arrive 3 hours before international flights.
7 Days in Costa Rica, incl. Monteverde and La Fortuna
Three diverse destinations showcase Costa Rica's variety: San Jose's urban hub, Monteverde's cloud forests, and La Fortuna's volcanic landscapes. Highlights include Life Monteverde farm visit, optional Santa Elena Cloud Forest walks, and adventure activities near Arenal Volcano.
- Day 1
San José
Book a morning or early afternoon flight to avoid San José's heavy evening traffic. Getting from the airport is simple with Uber, which works better than local taxis. Get settled at your downtown hotel and join the evening welcome meeting to meet other travelers in your group.
- Days 2-3
Monteverde Cloud Forest
The trip to Monteverde takes 3-4 hours on mountain roads. If you get motion sickness, bring medication. A recent visitor shared: "The cloud forest walk and coffee farm tour were highlights - having a local guide explain the delicate ecosystem made all the difference." Start with a visit to a sustainable coffee plantation to see how Costa Rica's famous coffee is made. Book the guided night walk ($50) to see wildlife like kinkajous and sleeping toucans. The next day, hit the hanging bridges first thing before other visitors arrive. Remember to wear shoes with good grip since the paths can get slippery.
- Days 4-5
La Fortuna/Arenal
Getting to La Fortuna involves a short van ride and boat transfer with great views. You'll spend two days here near Arenal Volcano doing adventure activities. Look into the Adrenaline Bundle ($149) which includes both canyoneering and zip-lining at a better price than booking them separately. Want to try hot springs without paying resort prices? Ask around about the free river hot springs. Just remember water shoes for the slippery rocks. One traveler noted: "The whitewater rafting near La Fortuna was incredible - Class III rapids with plenty of wildlife spotting between the action."
- Days 6-7
San José & Departure
Take the afternoon bus back to San José (3 hours) to avoid morning fog around Arenal. Pick a hotel near Central Market so you can easily shop for souvenirs and find local restaurants. Visit the market before 10 AM to beat the crowds. Plan to arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport at least 3 hours before your flight due to unpredictable morning traffic. You can check out whenever works best for your flight schedule.
7 Day Costa Rica Itinerary, incl. Rincon de la Vieja and Tamarindo
Liberia, Rincon de La Vieja volcano, and Tamarindo Beach create an exciting week-long adventure. The itinerary includes volcano hikes, canyon zip-lining, and a sunset catamaran cruise with 3 nights each at mountain and beach accommodations.
- Day 1
Arrival in Liberia
Take a private transfer from Liberia International Airport to your lodge near Rincon de la Vieja (about 1.5 hours). Try to book a morning arrival since afternoon thunderstorms are common in Guanacaste, especially from May to November during green season.
- Days 2-3
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
Two full days let you explore this active volcano area properly. Take a guided hike through the national park to see steaming vents and bubbling mud pots. A recent visitor said: "The walking tour was like a mini Yellowstone—we saw steam holes, mud pots, wild monkeys, and a beautiful waterfall. The guide adapted the trail route perfectly when one member of our group had mobility issues." On your second day try the Canyon Canopy zipline tour. The guides take safety seriously and ensure proper equipment fitting. If you prefer something more relaxed, visit the natural hot springs instead. Stay at Hacienda Guachipelin where you'll get spacious rooms with private verandas and good dining options.
- Days 4-6
Tamarindo Beach
It's about a 2-hour transfer to Tamarindo Beach. Spend your first day getting to know the area but stay out of the intense midday sun between 11 AM and 2 PM. While Tamarindo is developed it offers plenty of life with good restaurants and shops along the main street. Book a sunset catamaran cruise for day 6. You'll get snorkeling equipment and the trip includes an open bar and lunch on the 66-foot boat. Book through your hotel to get the right meeting point about a mile down the beach.
- Day 7
Departure
The trip back to Liberia airport takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Get there at least 3 hours before your flight since the airport gets busy especially from December to April.
Costa Rica 7 Day Tour Packages You'll Love
Raft, Hike and Explore Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Monteverde and La Fortuna
Mountains & Beaches in Costa Rica
Costa Rica Adventure
Costa Rica Escape
Mountain & Volcano Costa Rica Tour
Tropical Costa Rica, 7 Days
Costa Rica Express - 7 days
Costa Rica: San José with optional Tortugas Island - 7 days
Fantasy on Beaches and Volcanoes, Self-Drive
What people love about 7-day Costa Rica tours
Green world adventures made my trip easy, exciting and stress free! Everything was taken care of for me. I never worried about where I was staying, where I was going or what I was doing. It was perfectly planned out to give the right amount of adventure followed by relaxation. The guides were all amazing. So much kindness and happiness in Costa Rica. I highly recommend this tour!
Raft, Hike and Explore Costa Rica
- Costa Rica: Monteverde and La Fortuna
I didn't like the place we stayed for the last two days.
- Mountains & Beaches in Costa Rica
The same driver picked us up at the airport in Liberia and drove us to the Hacienda Guachipelin, and then picked us up and drove us to Tamarindo Beach, and then picked us up and drove us back to the airport. So, that was nice. He gave each of us a water bottle. We didn’t use them but it was a nice touch. I loved Hacienda Gauchipelin. It was very pretty. The rooms were large (the first night we had one room, the second two nights we had another room), the bathrooms were large and there was a nice veranda in front of each room. The buffet breakfast in one of the open-air dining rooms was very nice and for lunch and dinner there was a choice of buffet or à la carte. I loved the walking tour into Pailas National Park, K. didn’t love it because – unbeknownst to me – she has difficulty walking on inclines and steps. But the tour guide was able to adapt the tour to take us on the easiest part of the trail first, rather than last as he usually does, and then she went back to the trailhead where there was a little café and waiting area. The rest of the walking tour was like a mini Yellowstone, because the park is volcanic, so we saw steam holes that made noise (I’m sure there’s a name for them), mud pots, some wild monkeys and interesting vegetation, and then a visit to a pretty waterfall. The following day we did the zip line tour. Safety was a priority for the staff so they did a good job fitting us and a family of 5 with helmets, gloves and harnesses. On the first part of the zip line one of the staff went with K. to make sure that she could do it. In the afternoon we took the Hacienda bus over to the hot springs. It was not my cup of tea, but worth seeing once. I didn’t love Tamarindo Beach, but that’s mostly because it is a typical beach town that you can see anywhere. Think Galveston with a trucks thundering down the main street. There was a glitch at the hotel, the Diria, which was really K.’s fault for not having indicated that she can’t climb stairs. The hotel occupies the beach side and a larger space across the street from the beach. Initially they put us in a room that required climbing a short flight and then a longer flight of stairs. When I called to request a room with no stairs for access (assuming that they had an elevator building) initially they wanted to put us somewhere further up hill, but when I rejected it and the bellman came over and met K. to assess the problem, then they gave us the handicap accessible room the beach side. It was very nice; they tried to be accommodating. The buffet breakfast was nice. The grounds were nice with plenty of places to sit in the sun or the shade, several swimming pools and easy beach access. There was no plan for the next day and I don’t like shopping, so I went to the tour desk for the hotel and arranged a tour to a waterfall and an animal sanctuary. That was very nice, but apparently whoever booked this tour either in Canada or the local outfitter just dropped the ball and expected us to sit around for 2.5 days. The real problem was the next day, when we were scheduled for the Catamaran Sunset Tour cruise for snorkeling and watching the sunset. The instructions said only that we had to get there on our own, with no information about where the meeting place was. The link on the itinerary didn’t work. So, I went to the Concierge desk and someone called the local number for the cruise company. That person texted me a link to a location that was only a 5 minute walk away, but wasn’t the meeting place, either. Finally, after some discussion, the owner of the business gave us a ride to the meeting location about a mile away on the beach, and then asked his skipper to assist K. into the dinghy and then into the catamaran. When we got back there was a cab driver waiting for us, at no charge. They were very nice and kind. There was an open bar but the bar tended kept an eye on who was drinking how much, and provided some extra pineapple slices for me and the people I was talking to to munch when he heard us exclaiming about it. They provided a buffet lunch. They had two groups of visitors who were repeat customers. The swimming cove was nice. I didn’t snorkel but we had a nice time sitting on the side of the boat and dangling our legs. They were so kind that I left a nice review on TripAdvisor. I wouldn’t advise sending someone to the beach again, but I would do the national park again.
More about Costa Rica
MonteverdeTortuguero National Park 3 day ToursGuanacaste 7 day ToursMonteverde 2 week ToursCosta Rica Travel Guide | All You Need to KnowBest 7 Day Costa Rica Itineraries 2025/2026 (with Reviews)What is the best time to visit Costa Rica in 2025/2026?Weather in Costa Rica in 2025/2026