Trip planner
Your road trip made to measure: choose your days, your airports and what you like. We pick the towns that fit best and put them in the route with the fewest hours behind the wheel.
Your 14-day road trip from San José
Cities: 7 towns, flying home from San José.
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Driving
- 450 km · 10 h 40 min
- A day, on average
- About 60 km
- Costs for 2, roughly
- €4,260
- A person
- €2,130
Change the nights at each town (0 skips it) or tick tours, then:
Direct flights from AMS
Flight out: AMS → SJO
No direct flight then: you change planes on the way.
Flight home: SJO → AMS
No direct flight then: you change planes on the way.
Your flights for this trip
Choose a start date above, and the planner looks for the flights on the first and last day.
Your rental car for this trip
Choose a start date above, and the planner looks for a car from the first day to the last.
Day 1 · Land at San José (SJO), drive to Alajuela
1 Alajuela, Alajuela
Poás crater, an hour from the airport
- Day 1 10 km · 10 min –
- Day 2 no drive –
- Poás volcano crater
- La Paz waterfall gardens
- Coffee farm in the hills of Alajuela
Another night here? With an extra night: La Paz waterfall gardens, or a day in San José with the Gold Museum and the Mercado Central.
Hotels in Alajuela Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Casa Cafetal Aeropuerto Two Bedrooms
★★★★★ · 10.0
Hotel Bamboo Aeropuerto
★★★★★ · 9.4
Las Carmelas, Airport Juan Santamaría, Alajuela, San José
★★★★★ · 9.4
Hildas Bed and Breakfast
★★★★★ · 9.2
Hostal Casa Azul
★★★★★ · 8.5
Day 3 · Alajuela, drive to Jacó
2 Jacó, Puntarenas
Crocodiles below the Tárcoles bridge
- Day 3 90 km · 1 h 40 min –
- Day 4 no drive –
- Crocodiles at the Tárcoles bridge
- Scarlet macaws in Carara
- The surf beaches of Jacó and Playa Hermosa
Another night here? With an extra night: early to Carara for the macaws, or a surf lesson at Playa Hermosa.
Hotels in Jacó Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Tuanis Aparthotel
★★★★★ · 9.6
Villa Creole
★★★★★ · 9.6
Bamboo Boutique Hotel
★★★★★ · 9.4
Monte Carlo Luxury Condominiums
★★★★★ · 9.2
from €500 a night
The Backyard Hotel
★★★★★ · 9.2
Day 5 · Jacó, drive to Manuel Antonio
3 Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas
Sloths and monkeys above white bays
- Day 5 70 km · 1 h 40 min –
- Day 6 no drive –
- Manuel Antonio National Park
- Espadilla beach
- Sunset over the Pacific
Another night here? With an extra night: a catamaran along the coast, or kayaking in the Damas mangroves.
Hotels in Manuel Antonio Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Apto Cielo Azul
★★★★★ · 9.0
Hotel Playa Espadilla
★★★★★ · 9.0
Mango Moon Villa
★★★★★ · 8.8
Hotel Planeta Sano
★★★★★ · 8.7
Natural Pacific Suites, private family rooms
★★★★★ · 8.7
Day 7 · Manuel Antonio, drive to Uvita
4 Uvita, Puntarenas
Whales off the Whale's Tail
- Day 7 70 km · 1 h 30 min –
- Day 8 no drive –
- The Whale's Tail in Marino Ballena
- Uvita waterfall
- Caño Island by boat
Another night here? With an extra night: diving or snorkelling at Caño Island, or the Nauyaca waterfalls.
Hotels in Uvita Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Bambura Bahia Villas
★★★★★ · 10.0
Ruca Lodge - Luxury Container Tiny Home Surrounded by Nature
★★★★★ · 9.9
Apartamentos Equipados DMR #3
★★★★★ · 9.7
MADRE TERRA
★★★★★ · 9.7
Cedrela Beach Villas
★★★★★ · 9.6
Day 9 · Uvita, drive to Dominical
5 Dominical, Puntarenas
Powerful waves on the Costa Ballena
- Day 9 20 km · 20 min –
- Day 10 no drive –
- Dominical beach
- Nauyaca waterfalls
- Dominicalito for beginners
Another night here? With an extra night: on horseback to the Nauyaca waterfalls, or the whales of Marino Ballena.
Hotels in Dominical Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Villas Alturas
★★★★★ · 9.6
Hotel Villas Rio Mar
★★★★★ · 9.1
Tribe Boutique Hotel - Adults Only
★★★★★ · 9.0
Hotel Tropical Sands Dominical
★★★★★ · 8.6
Rio Lindo Hotel
★★★★★ · 8.3
Day 11 · Dominical, drive to Orosí
6 Orosí, Cartago
On Irazú volcano, above the clouds
- Day 11 130 km · 4 h 10 min –
- The craters of Irazú volcano
- Orosí's colonial church
- The ruins of Ujarrás
- The basilica of Cartago
Another night here? With an extra night: Tapantí park, or Orosí's hot springs.
Hotels in Orosí Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Coffee Pickers Village By Hacienda Orosi
★★★★★ · 10.0
Montaña Linda Guest House Orosi
★★★★★ · 7.9
Hotel Alma de Luna
★★★★★ · 6.0
Hotel Reventazon
★★★★★ · 6.0
Hotel Tapanti Media de Orosi
★★★★★ · 6.0
Day 12 · Orosí, drive to San José
7 San José, San José
The Teatro Nacional and the Mercado Central
- Day 12 40 km · 1 h –
- Day 13 no drive –
- Teatro Nacional
- Gold Museum
- Mercado Central
Another night here? With an extra night: the Jade Museum, or a day trip to Irazú volcano.
Hotels in San José Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Viajero San José Hostel
★★★★★ · 9.3
Isla Verde Hotel
★★★★★ · 9.1
Hotel Residence Inn Suites Cristina
★★★★★ · 9.0
from €120 a night
Hilton Garden Inn Santa Ana, San Jose
★★★★★ · 8.8
from €90 a night
D Sabana Hotel San José
★★★★★ · 8.8
from €120 a night
Home again
San José to San José airport (SJO), fly home to Amsterdam.
With an early flight, spend the last night near the airport.
Arrange something yourself
A few days with family or friends, a train ride, local transport: a part of the trip you arrange yourself. No hotel and no tours of ours; without the car, no kilometres and no hire those days. Enter what it costs and it counts in the total.
On the road with Google Maps or Waze
Your trip from airport to airport, with the hotels you chose (or else the towns).
- No account needed: find it again under My trips.
- Take it on the road Your trip day by day on your phone, also without signal.
- Download for Google My Maps (KML) In My Maps: create a map, Import, and choose the file. It works in Google Earth too.
- The route in Google Maps
Drive there with Waze one destination at a time
What it costs, roughly
For 2 travelling together: the flights, the rental car, a room for every two at every stop, and the tours you tick in the plan above.
| Day | Date | Night in | °C | Km | Driving | Hotel | Tours | Car hire | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alajuela | – | 10 | 10 min | €110 | – | €70 | €180 | |
| 2 | Alajuela | – | – | – | €110 | – | €70 | €180 | |
| 3 | Jacó | – | 90 | 1 h 40 min | €110 | – | €70 | €180 | |
| 4 | Jacó | – | – | – | €110 | – | €70 | €180 | |
| 5 | Manuel Antonio | – | 70 | 1 h 40 min | €160 | – | €70 | €230 | |
| 6 | Manuel Antonio | – | – | – | €160 | – | €70 | €230 | |
| 7 | Uvita | – | 70 | 1 h 30 min | €130 | – | €70 | €200 | |
| 8 | Uvita | – | – | – | €130 | – | €70 | €200 | |
| 9 | Dominical | – | 20 | 20 min | €120 | – | €70 | €190 | |
| 10 | Dominical | – | – | – | €120 | – | €70 | €190 | |
| 11 | Orosí | – | 130 | 4 h 10 min | €90 | – | €70 | €160 | |
| 12 | San José | – | 40 | 1 h | €100 | – | €70 | €170 | |
| 13 | San José | – | – | – | €100 | – | €70 | €170 | |
| 14 | Flight home from SJO | – | 20 | 20 min | – | – | €70 | €70 | |
| On the road | €1,550 | – | €910 | €2,460 | |||||
| Flights, 2 return | €1,800 | ||||||||
| Total | €4,260 | ||||||||
| A person | €2,130 | ||||||||
Estimates in euros, to plan with: a return flight from Amsterdam, a mid-size car with insurance, a room for two at each stop, and the tours' usual prices. Fuel and meals are not included. The hotels' real prices are a click away at every stop. Check the flights: not every airport has a direct flight from Amsterdam all year. Prices as of 2026-10.
Add your own budget a day: food, fuel, parking, …
Fill in an amount for every day, or change a single day in the table. Empty is nothing: only what you fill in goes into the total.
| Day | Night in | Food and drink | Fuel | Parking | Entrance fees | Souvenirs | Other | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every day | Set in the form above | |||||||
| 1 | Alajuela | €0 | ||||||
| 2 | Alajuela | €0 | ||||||
| 3 | Jacó | €0 | ||||||
| 4 | Jacó | €0 | ||||||
| 5 | Manuel Antonio | €0 | ||||||
| 6 | Manuel Antonio | €0 | ||||||
| 7 | Uvita | €0 | ||||||
| 8 | Uvita | €0 | ||||||
| 9 | Dominical | €0 | ||||||
| 10 | Dominical | €0 | ||||||
| 11 | Orosí | €0 | ||||||
| 12 | San José | €0 | ||||||
| 13 | San José | €0 | ||||||
| 14 | Flight home from SJO | €0 | ||||||
| Your budget | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | |
Our suggestions are estimates a day, greyed in the empty fields: food and souvenirs a person, the rest for everyone, and fuel by the kilometres you drive that day. Change them to what suits you. Prices as of 2026-10.
Your trip as a booklet
The route map, every day with its drive and what to see, the excursions, the costs, a packing list and room for notes: print it yourself, or have it printed and sent as a book.
Have it printed Download (A5, PDF) A4
For a print shop
With 3 mm bleed and crop marks, the fonts embedded, the map in vectors. The whole booklet · The pages inside · The cover (add &spine= and the spine's width in mm from your printer)