Costa Rica was the second trip I went on in my life and I didn’t have a lot of money at the time. At this point in time, travel priorities would be focused mainly around cost and trying to save money while still having a true adventurous and fun time.
Our main goals for this trip were to stay in a very affordable eco lodge in the rainforest, avoid expensive tours and experience nature and animals for as cheap as possible. I think I did a really good job accomplishing all of these objectives.
But, upon doing my research for this trip, I quickly realized that Costa Rica is a giant tourist hub with very overpriced attractions and tours and heavily promoted mini theme park like things to do. We decided to avoid heavy tourist places like Manuel Antonio and La Fortuna and instead go for something more hidden and quiet, while still getting to do amazing and adventurous things. This is my guide on how to travel Costa Rica on a budget.
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Rent a car
Be prepared to drive yourself around this beautiful country, go road tripping and visit cool attractions without a tour guide. Looking back, I would absolutely always rent a car when visiting Costa Rica, whether or not I’m doing a budget trip or not.
Having a car to explore the country at your own pace is irreplaceable and would save you an ungodly amount of money, time and peace of mind. One of the things that saved us a fortune on this trip was having the ability to look something up online, put it in Google Maps and just drive to the location ourselves. No GetYourGuide or Viator booking required and we saved a lot of money.
The cheapest time to visit Costa Rica for low prices
We visited Costa Rica in November and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. We were the only people at our hotel, prices were cheaper than usual and there were no tourist crowds anywhere we went. I understand that not everyone can visit during the off season, but visiting Costa Rica outside the peak tourist months is the first step in ensuring you keep your Costa Rica trip affordable.
Not only the prices when I landed, but the plane tickets for this time of year is just cheaper than if we were to book in June or July perhaps.
It was rainy and foggy a lot of the times, but that wasn’t an issue at all. We still did all the things we wanted and more. Just because it’s the rainy season doesn’t mean it rains all the time. Honestly, I love that rainy moody vibe as much as a nice sunny time. The rains were great for us to do things like whitewater rafting and hiking too.
Where to stay in Costa Rica on a budget
We stayed in the Rio Cuarto area in Costa Rica in an eco lodge called Hotel Del Bosque. This place was really affordable for how well everything worked. The entire eco lodge was run by a family who was very friendly and went out of their way to ensure we had a great time. They would light bonfires for us at night, take us to do certain activities, breakfast was free and they had a bunch of really cute dogs.
What I was looking for when deciding on where to stay in Costa Rica, was somewhere that was deep into nature. A place with hikes nearby, rivers, animals and to just have that really outdoorsy Costa Rica vibe at all times. And that’s exactly what we got.
Our Costa Rica budget activities
I was actually so excited to come to Costa Rica, because of all the physical activities that are embedded into nature here. One of the best things we did here was we explored Laguna Rio Cuarto, the deepest lake in Costa Rica. I would consider this a hidden gem. Absolutely nobody talks about this place and it’s always left out of most people’s Costa Rica itineraries. When we arrived here, there was literally nobody else besides the guys that you pay and they let you in.
We drove here from our hotel on our own, after just putting it into Google Maps. Lake Rio Cuarto is a lake that’s inside of a volcano. The guys at our hotel even let us use paddle boards to traverse the entire lake. It was rainy, the forest surrounding the lake was deep green and we had an amazing time.
I believe we paid like $12 USD to enter. There are changing rooms, toilets and showers too. I really think this experience trumps so many of the other expensive paid tours that you have to book in advance, with thousands of people crowded around you.
One of the next activities we did was whitewater rafting. After doing whitewater rafting here, I realized that I actually love this activity. I try to do more rafting and kayaking everywhere I went after this. This was so adrenaline pumping for all of us and the guide that was in the raft with us was really helpful and ensured our safety. It was all of our first time doing whitewater rafting too.
There are many different places in Costa Rica that you can do whitewater rafting, but at Hacienda Pozo Azul it was really affordable and similar to everywhere else that we went, we were the only people doing this. This Costa Rica budget itinerary was as if we had the country all to ourselves. Hacienda Pozo Azul is an eco lodge, tour operator and restaurant all in one.
Shortly after whitewater rafting, we did some horseback riding in the Costa Rican forest through the same place, all for one small fee. These 2 activities plus lunch at the restaurant cost us only $125 per person. I was shocked by how much value this day was. Imagine having an entire day of activities, food and an amazing time all for a small cost. This place, Hacienda Pozo Azul is in the Sarapiqui area and the river rafting was in the Sarapiqui River.
The horseback riding started in a horse farm. There were so many mounds of horse poop everywhere, so be careful not to step in any. We started with an introduction on how the horses operate and what commands and actions we need to know to get the horses to do what we need them to do. But mainly the horses just knew exactly what to do for the entire ride.
We went from the lodge area and into the forest. We passed through rivers, mountain tops where you can see the river all the way down and through fields of grass. This was honestly one of the coolest experiences I’ve had in Costa Rica.
We also did hiking from our hotel. When I say from our hotel, I mean the trailhead of the hike starts in the hotel itself and there are many different trails you can do. If you book an accommodation in the forest like we did, more than likely there are hikes from there or nearby that are absolutely free.
Some of the things we ate for our Costa Rica budget trip
We ate most of our meals at family run restaurants called sodas. I was surprised that you can literally find these sodas every 5 minutes or so, even in rural non touristy areas. One of the first sodas we went to was very soon after arriving at the airport in Costa Rica. It was high in the mountains where there was a dense mist and the temperature was very cold.
These sodas are so much cheaper than eating at regular restaurants. These restaurants know they are catering mostly to tourists and they jack up their prices to suit. I would say the food in Costa Rica is very mediocre. You mostly get rice, beans, plantains and vegetables for almost every meal. I didn’t see any traditionally distinct dishes anywhere we went. But that’s alright, I don’t think people come to Costa Rica for the food.
This entire trip cost us $886 USD per person. Of course you can add different regions if you’d like and stay at multiple hotels. I stayed at 2 hotels. This hotel called Hotel del Bosque for the first half and a larger beach hotel down near Santa Teresa for the second part of our trip.
So, that’s how we saved a lot of money on our trip to Costa Rica. I really think Costa Rica is one of the most naturally biodiverse places on earth and I know this is what attracts so many people and therefore results in high prices. But, there are things you can do that’ll greatly reduce how much money you spend on your trip.
