Last Updated: October 1, 2025
If you’re flying into Liberia Airport, you can visit some great destinations in Costa Rica. In this post, we’ll share a seven-day itinerary that will take you to some of the country’s top attractions. From vibrant tropical rainforest with exotic birds and animals to relaxing beach time, this one-week itinerary gives a taste of what makes this small Central American country unique.
We’ll also suggest some variations for those who have more time or are looking to go off-the-beaten path.
Itinerary Overview
This itinerary has you flying into Guanacaste Airport (LIR), Costa Rica’s smaller international airport located in Liberia in northwestern Costa Rica.
From Liberia, you’ll head inland to the rainforest-filled Northern Highlands about 2.5 hours away. Here, you’ll get to see the iconic Arenal Volcano, enjoy nature, and have plenty of adventures.
You’ll then travel to the coast for some beach time along the shimmering Pacific Ocean. This will be your longest drive at about 3 hours.
Guanacaste has some of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches so it will be well worth it. This region is also not far from Liberia, so you will be close to the airport for the end of your stay.
Days 1-4: Arrive in Liberia. Head to La Fortuna/Arenal.
First Night
If your flight arrives in Liberia in the morning or early afternoon, you can travel to La Fortuna the same day. The trip takes about 2.5 hours so works whether you’re renting a car or planning to shuttle.
We don’t recommend driving long distances in the dark. So if you’re arriving later in the afternoon or evening, you have a couple of options.
You could flip the itinerary to start at the beach (closer to the airport), then end in La Fortuna.
Or, if you’d like to keep the beach for last, you could stay in a hotel near the airport and head to La Fortuna the next morning. There aren’t many options for hotels near LIR, but the Hilton Garden Inn is a good one.
La Fortuna/Arenal Overview
La Fortuna is one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations. Even with its growing popularity, we still love it and recommend it regularly.
La Fortuna has a small, but busy, downtown with several shops and restaurants. Just outside this main area you’ll find tranquil rainforest and cascading waterfalls and rivers, with a few farm fields in between.
The town is spread out so it’s easy to stay outside the busy tourist areas. Not only that, but it has great accommodation options.
Vacation rentals are abundant on sites like Airbnb and VRBO and are some of the most affordable in Costa Rica.
For hotels, you’ll find over 200 in and around La Fortuna. These are mostly smaller and locally owned. Options range from luxurious boutique hotels with elaborate hot springs to budget-friendly cabins and rooms. For more information, check out our La Fortuna Hotel Guide.
To get around, we recommend a rental car since La Fortuna is more spread out. To save 10%, check out our Rental Car Discount.
Things to Do in La Fortuna/Arenal
La Fortuna has a plethora of activities that offer something for everyone. Since there isn’t as much to do at the beach, we recommend making the most of your time. Here is an overview of what’s available.
At the top of most traveler’s list is a hike near the base of Arenal Volcano. Although no longer erupting, it’s still amazing to see Arenal up close and walk the old lava rocks.
Other fun activities are zip lining and hanging bridges. The facilities in this area are some of the best in all of Costa Rica.
La Fortuna is also wonderful for wildlife viewing. River float tours, sloth tours, night tours, and hikes at nature reserves are all great ways to see animals and birds.
If you’re craving something high adrenaline, canyoning/waterfall rappelling and whitewater rafting are two popular choices.
For lots more information on visiting La Fortuna, read our full destination guide, activities guide, or check out some of our favorite tours.
Days 5-7: Beach Time in Guanacaste
Overview
After four nights in La Fortuna, you’ll travel to Guanacaste. This region is unique because many of the beaches are calm coves and good for swimming. There are also surfing beaches, if that’s on your list.
While much of Guanacaste Province is within a reasonable 1-2 hour drive from Liberia’s international airport, in this itinerary, we’ll focus on northern Guanacaste.
Playa Hermosa is a small, charming beach town in northern Guanacaste. At about three hours from La Fortuna and only 30 minutes from Liberia Airport, it’s a great choice to limit travel time.
If you’d prefer a larger town with more amenities, check out Playas del Coco just minutes south of Hermosa. Or Tamarindo, Guanacaste’s biggest and most popular beach town. Tamarindo is about four hours from La Fortuna and 1.25 hours from Liberia.
What to Expect in Playa Hermosa
Playa Hermosa is a small beach community with a main area backing the sand. Along its few roads and in the surrounding hills, you’ll find a handful of restaurants, small hotels, and modern condos. The beach itself is a wide cove, perfect for finding your own spot on the sand.
Just 10 minutes away is Playas del Coco. Coco has many more restaurants, bars, amenities, and accommodations within walking distance to its dark gray sand beach.
Tip: You probably don’t need a car for your time in Playa Hermosa if you don’t want one. The beach is close and it’s easy to walk or taxi to get around. Some condos also offer golf cart rentals. You could drop off your rental car in La Fortuna, then take a shuttle to Playa Hermosa and the airport. Feel free to contact us through our Shuttle Booking page if you’d like any help with the arrangements. We work with excellent, reputable transportation companies.
Things to Do in Playa Hermosa
Of course, the main draw in Playa Hermosa is its gorgeous beach. You can explore the turquoise waters by kayak or jet ski or just take in the view from under the palms.
For activities, catamaran or sailing tours are a great option in Guanacaste. These leave from Playas del Coco and take you up the coast for some great views and snorkeling. Sunsets can be amazing!
Playa Hermosa doesn’t have much else for activities locally, but day trips to places like Rincon de la Vieja (national park with volcanic features), Llanos de Cortez Waterfall, and Palo Verde (boat tour to see wildlife) are all possible.
Day 8: Fly Back Home
After three days oceanside, you’ll travel back to Liberia Airport (30 minutes) to head home.
Have More Time or Want to Go Off-the-Beaten Path?
If you have more than seven nights, we’d recommend adding a destination or two to the itinerary. A few nights in either Bijagua or Monteverde would make for a great loop.
Bijagua is a rural town brimming with jungle about 1.5 hours from La Fortuna. It’s starting to get busier due to its proximity to the bright blue Rio Celeste Waterfall, but remains a charming, off-the-beaten-path destination. Bijagua is a great spot for those looking for a more authentic travel experience. Check out our full post on Bijagua for more details.
The Monteverde cloud forest is also well worth a stop for two or three nights.
This ecotourism destination in the high-elevation mountains is about 3.5 hours from La Fortuna along bumpy dirt roads. Although remote, it is well-developed for tourism with tons of options for lodging and restaurants. Monteverde is primarily a nature destination. The most popular things to do are hanging bridges, hiking at a cloud forest reserve, night tours, bird-watching, and coffee tours.
Conclusion
We hope that this Costa Rica itinerary for flying in and out of Liberia Airport has gotten you excited for your trip. If you’re looking for more tips and information, here are some helpful articles to jump-start your planning:
First-Time Visit to Costa Rica: Why You Should Go, What to Expect & Tips to Plan – Climate, safety, best times to visit, and lots more. Check out this article for an overview about the country.
Traveling to Costa Rica: The Basics – Gives practical information about visas and entry, currency/money, getting around, drinking water, etc.
Itineraries: View more sample itineraries on our site like our One-Week Itinerary and Two-Week Itinerary.
Costa Rica with Kids – Tips for traveling with kids based on our own experience living in Costa Rica with our two boys.
Hello
I am travelling with my wife and kids (8 and 10) in August. We will be spending 3 weeks in Costa Rica. I’ve looked at your 2 weeks itinerary, humid season itinerary and liberia airport itinerary. This is all very interesting.
I’m only wondering what would you suggest for a 3 week itinerary considering that we fly in and out from Liberia airport?
N.B.: We usualy like to stay like a week at a place and explore around but we don’t know if it is feasible in Costa Rica considering the driving time to get around. We also like more authentic experiences (I would love to practice my Spanish).
Thank you!
David
Hi David, La Fortuna would be a good option for a whole week because there is so much to do and you could do day trips to places like the Rio Celeste from there. I probably wouldn’t head to the Caribbean coast since it’s farther from Liberia. Samara would be a good option for beach time. It’s more authentic. You could also look at Rincon de la Vieja, which is a little touristy but still feels authentic since it’s such a small area. There’s a lot there you can do on your own if you’ll have a rental car. All those places are good options in August based on expected weather.
Hi Jenn and Matt,
first off Congratulations on leaving your careers and the busy town of Boston. I do appreciate all the information you have on your Two Weeks in Costa Rica site.
We are coming in May 2026. We are pre-planning a trip for a family reunion in 2027.
We will be staying part of our time at the W at Playa Conchal, because of its location and all inclusive. Then move over to La Fortuna. WE have 2 days before the W and found The Rincon dela Vieja NP area to be interesting.
After reading your transposition blog, I think we should rent a car. Shuttles are adding up to about $700.
I do have more questions, how do I reach you?
Hi Sue, Yes, renting cars may be the easiest/cheapest option if you want to visit more off-the-beaten path destinations like Rincon de la Vieja. Rincon would be a good option for a couple of days before visiting the W Conchal, which by the way, we have stayed at and loved (full review here).
Unfortunately, we don’t offer custom trip planning anymore. If you can finalize your itinerary, though, and book your own accommodations, we’d be happy to help with activities and transportation. We have a rental car discount and also book shuttle transfers if you end up deciding on that. Our La Fortuna Hotel Guide has accommodation options there. For Rincon de la Vieja, I think Hacienda Guachipelin is the best option since it’s not that far away like some other hotels in that area and has lots of activities onsite. Our post on the local town, Curubande de Liberia, has more info about Hacienda Guachipelin and things to do.
Thank you for the reply.
I am loving all the information and discounts you offer on your website/blog Two Weeks In Costa Rica.
I do have a question-
My husband and I are planning a trip in May 2026 to investigate Costa Rica before a family reunion in June 2027.
In May we will be there 10 days, but in June 2027 the family will be there 7-8 days. Would it be crazy for them to go to Conchal area, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin area
and La Fortuna before flying out from Liberia? There are 9 kids and 10 adults.
Of course we want them to get the best of Costa Rica.
Thank you,
Sue
Hi Sue, If they could come for 8 full nights in June 2027, I think that itinerary could work. I’d plan on at least 3 nights in Conchal, 2 nights at Hacienda Guachipelin, and 3 nights in La Fortuna before heading back to Liberia. You could also structure it the opposite way to do the adventures in La Fortuna first and end at the beach. That’s usually works well with kids. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn and Matt, we are moving to Reserva Conchal and will be having our 4 best friends come for a visit the end of January. We would like to have them experience a bit of Costa Rica outside of RC. We are thinking taking them to La Fortuna/Arenal and maybe a stopover in monteverde. The issue is time. We only have 3 days in which to do so. Possibly 4. Can you recommend an itinerary for us that will give them a taste of the area. Thank you so much for your help and guidance. My husband Tommy and I loveee your website. Best regards, Cindy Weitzmann.
Hi Cindy, If you have 3 nights, we’d stick with only La Fortuna so you’re not too rushed. The drive will be about 4 hours each way so you probably won’t be able to do much the first day. That would give you 2 full days to explore. If you make 4 nights happen, then you could do another destination. Monteverde probably isn’t the the best option, though, since it takes longer to get to due to bad roads. We’d recommend looking at Bijagua/Rio Celeste or the Rincon de la Vieja area. Hope that helps. Thanks for the kind words about our site!
Hi Jenn and Matt! Curious to know why you chose Playa Hermosa over Playa Conchal? Do you like Playa Hermosa better, or is it simply more convenient to the airport? I’m planning a trip for next March and Playa Conchal looks gorgeous!
Hi Jodie, Playa Conchal is really nice too, especially if you’d like to stay at a resort. The beach is beautiful. It is a bigger destination since it has the resorts right there. Playa Hermosa is still pretty small and charming. But we really like both spots. We’re actually going to be staying at the W at Playa Conchal in September so feel free to follow us on social media for updates.
Thank you! Would love to stay at the W but $$$$ in high season.
From Liberia to La Fortuna is the drive mostly paved and flat? I am not comfortable driving uphill/downhill
Hi Shweta, Yes, the drive from Liberia to La Fortuna is all paved and mostly flat. The roads are in good condition. The second half part of the drive around Lake Arenal is along a curvy, narrow road but it’s in very good condition. Here’s a link to our Road Conditions post if you want to look up the specific roads. You’ll be taking Highway 1 and Route 142.
Tico Times has been reporting on runway condition issues in Liberia. Have you heard of any problems we should watch out for? We are taking our family of 5 to Guanacaste in March 2025 and were so excited to fly into Liberia, but now we are nervous!
Hi Kourtney, Yes, they still need to finish repairing the runway at LIR. You probably heard of some airport closures for a couple of days in early December. Thankfully, there haven’t been any problems lately. Hopefully it will stay that way.
How’s it looking now? (March 21, 2025) We are arriving soon and would like to know about the runway as well as if the recent large earthquakes were felt in your area? Thanks so much!
Stacey
Hi Stacey, They did some repairs to the runway at the end of last year and we haven’t heard about any more problems (knock on wood), so you should be all set if you’re arriving soon. There were no impacts from recent earthquakes. That barely even made the news here. Hope you have a great trip!