Costa Rica Diving and Wildlife - 11 days

Arrive in Alajuela and meet your driver after landing. You’ll transfer to your first overnight stop near the airport, giving you a simple start before the Pacific coast route begins.

Alajuela is a practical gateway to Costa Rica’s northern countryside. If you have spare time, the city’s Parque Central, Central Market and Juan Santamaria Cultural Historical Museum offer an introduction to local life and history. Keep dinner simple and look for fresh Costa Rican ingredients - you’ll have more adventurous days ahead.

Overnight: Boutique Hotel, Alajuela

Leave Alajuela for Playa Hermosa on Costa Rica’s North Pacific coast. Break up the journey at Las Pumas Rescue Center, a nonprofit center that cares for rescued felines, deer, primates and mustelids.

The visit supports the center’s animal-care work, and you can pause at its picnic area before continuing west. Playa Hermosa is your base for the next few days of diving, with easy access to Guanacaste’s Pacific sites. The beach is a quieter counterpoint to the more built-up nearby resort towns, which is useful when your alarm is set for a dive boat.

Overnight: Boutique Hotel, Playa Hermosa

Head out from Playa Hermosa for a scuba-diving day around the Catalina Islands. This group of 7 islands has more than 13 dive sites, with conditions suited to both experienced divers and beginners.

Expect a varied Pacific marine scene rather than a guaranteed checklist: white-tipped reef sharks, manta rays, turtles, rays, jacks, tuna, moray eels and octopuses can appear. Schools of fish are a regular feature, while smaller finds include nudibranchs and harlequin shrimp. The exact operator may change, so treat the scheduled outing as the priority and the species list as a good reason to keep looking.

Overnight: Boutique Hotel, Playa Hermosa

Spend another day underwater, this time at the Murcielago Islands off northern Guanacaste. The islands lie opposite Santa Rosa National Park and are considered one of continental Costa Rica’s leading scuba destinations.

Bull sharks are the headline possibility here, alongside eagle rays, coral, moray eels and large schools of fish. Visibility can range from 40ft to 90ft (12m to 27m), so conditions will shape what you see on the day. Stay alert around the reef and let your guide set the pace - this is a proper dive day, not a float with a mask.

Overnight: Boutique Hotel, Playa Hermosa

Travel south toward the Central Pacific, stopping for a gentle float on the Corobici River before continuing to the Jacó area. The Class I and II rapids make this an easygoing river outing, with opportunities to paddle or simply let the guide handle the work.

Watch the riverbanks for howler and white-faced monkeys, coatis, iguanas, otters and birdlife. Palo Verde National Park is nearby and supports many of the birds seen in this area. After lunch and snacks on the excursion, continue to the hills near Jacó, where the transition forest meets broad Pacific views.

Overnight: Premium Hotel, Jacó

Take a boat safari on the Tarcoles River, a waterway near Carara National Park known for its large crocodile population. You’ll stay safely in the boat while your captain and bilingual guide point out crocodiles along the riverbanks.

The mangroves and riverside jungle also support birds, monkeys, iguanas, basilisk lizards, bats and smaller reptiles. This is wildlife viewing rather than a swim stop - the river is firmly for looking at, not getting into. Coffee, water and transfers are included where needed, leaving the rest of the day free to enjoy the Central Pacific setting.

Overnight: Premium Hotel, Jacó

Continue south from the Central Pacific to Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula. The route descends through lowland rainforest and passes the mangrove swamps around Sierpe before you reach the Pacific coast.

From Sierpe, continue by boat to Drake Bay. This remote area sits beside Corcovado National Park and is built around rainforest, beaches and marine life rather than urban distractions. Settle in and use the afternoon to take in the bay after a travel-heavy day. The following days focus on the Osa Peninsula’s wildlife and the waters around Caño Island.

Overnight: Eco Lodge, Drake Bay

Explore Corcovado National Park with a local guide, heading to either Sirena Station or San Pedrillo Station. The park covers rainforest, ocean bays, wetlands and mangroves on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast.

Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but this is one of the country’s strongest places to look for tapirs, peccaries, tamanduas, macaws and other forest species. Your guide helps spot animals that are very good at not being spotted, which is most of them. Lunch is included, so bring water, sturdy walking shoes and patience for the trails.

Overnight: Eco Lodge, Drake Bay

Travel by boat from Drake Bay to Caño Island for a day of scuba diving in the Caño Island Biological Reserve. The crossing itself can bring sightings of dolphins, sea turtles, rays and, at times, whales.

Underwater, the island’s Pacific waters are known for varied marine life and large schools of fish. Caño Island also has pre-Columbian archaeological remains, although today’s focus is firmly below the surface. Dive with the locally owned and managed operator, then return to Drake Bay with lunch included. Keep expectations sensible: ocean wildlife follows its own schedule, not the itinerary.

Overnight: Eco Lodge, Drake Bay

Return to Caño Island for a second scuba-diving day. Another visit gives you a better shot at seeing the reserve’s changing marine activity, from tropical fish and rays to turtles and passing larger animals.

The island’s waters are especially worthwhile for divers because conditions and sightings can differ from one day to the next. In the seasonal whale period, humpback whales may be present in the wider Pacific waters around the island. A guided boat outing and lunch are included, then you’ll return to Drake Bay for your final evening on the Osa Peninsula.

Overnight: Eco Lodge, Drake Bay

Leave Drake Bay and transfer to the local airstrip for the journey back to San José. The domestic flight brings the coastal and rainforest section of your Costa Rica trip to a close.

This is a departure day, so leave room for the handover between your local flight and onward travel. After 11 days of Pacific diving, river wildlife and Corcovado rainforest, it is a fittingly practical finish: one final view of the Osa Peninsula from above, then homeward bound.