Playas del Coco · Guanacaste, Costa Rica Family-run · Naturalist-led since 2014 5.0 · 312 reviews on TripAdvisor
Guanadreams CRPrivate naturalist tours
Miller guiding with a spotting scope on a rainforest bridge
Tailor-made Design your private trip

One day or a whole trip across Costa Rica. Tell us your dates and what you want to see; we build each day around you, with hotel pickup.

Design your trip → WhatsApp +506 8540 7408

Private itineraries · Start in Liberia (LIR)

Private Costa Rica Itineraries Starting in Liberia

Dry forest, wetland, rainforest, volcano and cloud forest — planned day by day by a local naturalist guide, with you changing hotels as little as possible.

Male Long-tailed Manakin seen from behind, with its sky-blue back and long tail streamers, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Long-tailed Manakin, Rincón de la Vieja

Quick answer

Fly into Liberia and the dry forest, the wetlands and the rainforest are all within two hours; Arenal and the cloud forest are the next steps inland. Every itinerary here is private: your own air-conditioned vehicle and bilingual ICT-certified naturalist guide, entrance fees and taxes included, and one closed price for your group. On the Palo Verde river the boat is shared with other visitors, and your guide stays with you. You choose the hotels and we tell you where to stay. Send your dates and you get a day-by-day proposal within 24 hours.

Choose your itinerary

Male Resplendent Quetzal holding a katydid to feed its chick at Valle de los Quetzales
Resplendent Quetzal, Valle de los Quetzales

Birders & wildlife photographers

Dry Forest to Cloud Forest

10 days · Liberia → San José · 4 hotel changes · Best Feb–May

Rincón de la Vieja · Palo Verde by boat · Tenorio Rainforest · Arenal · Valle de los Quetzales · Cinchona

The Resplendent Quetzal shows on 69–84% of eBird checklists from March to May.

See the 10-day birding trip →
Brown-throated three-toed sloth reaching for leaves in the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica
wild three-toed sloth, Tenorio Rainforest

Families with kids

Family Week in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

7 days · one beach hotel · longest drive 1 h 45 · All year

Palo Verde by riverboat · wild sloths in the Tenorio Rainforest · private catamaran · Rincón de la Vieja mud pots

Wild sloths in the rainforest, under two hours from Playas del Coco or Papagayo.

See the 7-day family itinerary →
Arenal Volcano and rainforest with a lagoon in the foreground, Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano

Already on the coast

La Fortuna Overnight from Guanacaste, Costa Rica

2 or 3 days · one or two nights near Arenal · minimum four guests · All year

Hanging bridges · waterfalls · hot springs · the volcano hike

Door-to-door from your beach hotel, with your own naturalist guide throughout.

See La Fortuna Overnight →
Seasonal wetland lagoon with egrets, surrounded by dry forest, on the edge of Palo Verde National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Palo Verde wetland

First-timers · planning guide

7-Day Itinerary for Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Planning guide · read before you book

How many days you really need, and a local operator's week: rainforest combo, Palo Verde, rafting, Buena Vista and ATV.

Read the 7-day guide →

Something else in mind?

Build your own, day by day

Tell us where you're staying and what you want to see. Our planner only offers days that fit the drive, and Miller checks every proposal by hand.

What these routes look like

Places and wildlife along these routes. Tap any photo to see it larger.

How it works

  1. 1

    Pick an itinerary or start blank

    Tell us your hotel, dates and who is traveling. Every day can be swapped.

  2. 2

    Get a day-by-day proposal in 24 hours

    Pickup times, drive times, what's included and one closed price for your group.

  3. 3

    Travel with your private naturalist

    The same local team every day, with a plan B ready for rain or park closures.

Miller Contreras photographing wildlife from a hanging bridge in the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica
Miller in the field

Planned by Miller Contreras

Built from our own field days

Naturalist Guide and Wildlife Photographer, guiding in the field for more than 20 years. Every itinerary comes from days we have run ourselves: where the birds are at dawn, which roads close in the rain, and which day to swap when a park shuts.

  • No flash on birds
  • Private gardens run by the reserve owners
  • Nests watched from a distance, visits kept short

Meet your guide →

Questions travelers ask

Do your itineraries include hotels?

No. You book the hotels you like and we recommend where to stay at each base. Your private vehicle, naturalist guide, entrance fees and taxes are included, and each itinerary lists which meals are.

Can I start in Liberia and fly home from San José?

Yes. Routes that end in the cloud forest finish about an hour from San José airport, which saves you a drive of three to three and a half hours back to Liberia.

Can we do Palo Verde and Río Celeste on the same day?

No. They sit in opposite directions from Liberia, so they always go on separate days.

Are these itineraries good for kids?

Most days work for children and for people who don't hike much, and we adjust the pace to the youngest traveler.

What happens if a park closes?

Every itinerary has a plan B for each day — for example Santa Rosa instead of Rincón de la Vieja, or a second morning in the Tenorio Rainforest if La Fortuna is under heavy rain.

Tell us your hotel and dates

We reply with a day-by-day plan and one price for your group within 24 hours.

Last verified October 2026 · Drive times measured from Liberia airport.