Overview
A few quick thoughts before I describe the trip:
Kosher Food: The availability of Kosher food around Liberia, Costa Rica, is limited. We brought along frozen meals from Pomegranate, bakery items, bread, snacks, shmears, and other essentials, but supplemented our stock with "Great Value" items (e.g., chips, cookies) from a nearby Walmart, just 15 minutes from Liberia International Airport. The Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo was familiar with our needs and warmed up our meals every night, delivering them to our room with only a minor and occasionally inconsistent room service fee. Notably, there was no extra charge for warming food here (unlike the $50/night fee we encountered at Hyatt Regency Maui). Be sure to tip the kitchen staff and concierge when leaving. For customs, be aware they may inspect your food—Costa Rican customs did ask us to open a meal to verify it was cooked, but we were allowed through. Pomegranate provided USDA stickers, which we added to each meal for smoother clearance. Additionally, a local Chabad Rabbi, Rabbi Hershel Spalter, offers a food delivery service that can provide Kosher food within a day if needed.
Rain: Costa Rica’s rainy season is from September to November, and rain can even affect the Peninsula Papagayo (dry rainforest). During our early November trip, we experienced frequent rain in the afternoons and evenings, although mornings and early afternoons were mostly clear with occasional drizzles. We had one full day of clear weather with light showers. The dry season, generally from December to April, sees minimal rain in the dry rainforest, but in the “wet” rainforest regions (like La Fortuna, Arenal and Rio Celeste), rain is more common. Be prepared to embrace the rain and plan activities around it as best you can.
Driving: We rented a car and drove frequently. Most roads were manageable, especially for experienced drivers, although the final 1.5 hours of the route to La Fortuna involved narrow, winding two-lane roads where oncoming traffic could be unpredictable. Part of this drive was on an unpaved road with significant potholes, but our 4x4 handled it well. We recommend renting a 4x4 if you prefer the freedom of self-driving and can manage some challenging roads. Say Tefillas HaDerech with a lot of kavana.
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Trip Itinerary
Sunday, November 3
Our direct flight from JFK to Liberia (JetBlue; 9:00 AM–2:35 PM) landed smoothly. We cleared customs with our Kosher meals (see Kosher Food section above) and took a short Budget shuttle to pick up our rental car, where we were pleasantly upgraded to a 4x4 SUV. After a quick stop at Walmart for additional snacks, we drove 45 minutes to the Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo. After checking in and handing our frozen meals to the concierge, we hurried off to our first activity, a Bioluminescence Tour (The Explorers at Peninsula Papagayo). Despite rain earlier, it stopped just as we arrived. We explored a dark bay by canoe, with water sparkling as we disturbed it—interesting but a bit pricey at $120 per person.
Monday, November 4
After breakfast, we drove to Cataratas Llanos de Cortés (about an hour away), which offered scenic waterfalls with an affordable entrance fee. Although swimming under the falls wasn't allowed due to debris, several souvenir vendors added a local touch to the experience.
Next, we headed to our Rio Celeste Horseback Riding Tour, booked directly through the guide’s website for a slight discount (
https://riocelestehorsebackride.com/about/). This challenging but rewarding ride through Tenorio Volcano National Park offered incredible views, up-close interactions with howler monkeys, and a chance to swim in the stunningly blue Rio Celeste. Our guide, David, even prepared volcanic mud for us to enjoy on the riverbanks. We then visited Tenorio Volcano National Park, which has a fantastic trail that includes waterfalls, a lagoon, hot springs, and scenic river views. Note: tickets from Costa Rica’s official tourism site are about a third of the price of those on Tripadvisor.
After our hike, we joined a Private Sloth Tour in Bijagua, just minutes from the park. Our guide showed us native plants, frogs, butterflies, and sloths perched in treetops, aided by standing binoculars. A great way to round out the day with some iconic Costa Rican wildlife. We drove back to Andaz, where we switched to a room with a view and enjoyed our pre-warmed meals (conveniently ordered via the Andaz’s WhatsApp concierge).
Tuesday, November 5
We spent this day exploring the Papagayo Peninsula. The hotel provided electric bikes (free), which were essential for handling the peninsula’s steep hills and provided excellent views. Our planned Mangrove Tour was unfortunately canceled due to heavy rain and large waves, but the hotel quickly refunded us, and we enjoyed the day relaxing on the property.
Wednesday, November 6
We set out early, enjoying a hotel-provided to-go breakfast before the three-hour drive to Desafio Adventure Company’s pickup point for a rafting tour on the Balsa River. The rafting was thrilling, with beautiful scenery and occasional sightings of local wildlife. About an hour in, we pulled over and the crew cut up fresh pineapples, watermelons, etc. which really hit the spot.
After a quick stop at La Fortuna Waterfall, where a brief but intense rainstorm soaked us as we climbed back up the 350 steps, we raced to our next adventure—a 3-hour ATV tour of the Arenal Volcano lava fields. Despite heavy rain, the ATV tour was exhilarating, especially after nightfall when we drove through a rainforest and then took a short hike to the base of the Arenal Volcano for some unreal views. Was delighted to see some wildlife including a snake but was less delighted to learn that it’s well-deserved nickname was “kiss of death.” We capped the day with a relaxing visit to Ecotermales Fortuna hot springs. This resort has several pools at different temperatures with volcanic rocks/sands at the bottom of some pools which release minerals into the pools but are NOT NATURAL HOTSPRINGS. Regardless was a nice, chilled way to end the day (the rain had stopped then). The three-hour drive back to Andaz was a challenge, but with music up and windows down, we made it. Our meals were waiting upon our late return—big thanks to the concierge.
Thursday, November 7
After a relaxed breakfast, we took the hotel’s water shuttle to the Casa de Playa, the main beach, where we enjoyed paddleboarding in the bay and spotted howler and white-faced monkeys. Following a leisurely lunch, we packed up and checked out. After a quick ride to Budget to return the car, we shuttled to the airport. Security was smooth, though I was subjected to a quick additional search at the gate, which got weird as I’d mistakenly grabbed my wife’s suitcase with a wig, makeup, and her clothes—no questions asked though. Our flight back to New York was empty and even left early, landing us back at JFK around 9 PM.
