FAQs
Common questions about the hike and website
Camino de Costa Rica common questions
A guide service isn’t required to hike the trail, however, hiring a guide is the more popular option for completing the hike.
A guide is required when you hike the indigenous section of the trail.
Not everyone hikes from the Caribbean to the Pacific, but the majority of people do. The primary reason is logistics. Sorting out the Caribbean logistics can be a little confusing, so getting it done right away means the rest of your hike can be worry-free. Additionally, ending in Quepos means you have plenty of amenities, transportation options and lodging choices, where the Caribbean side is much more limited.
The best time to hike the Camino de Costa Rica is from mid-January to late July. These dates ensure the best trail conditions due to it being drier in the country.
The San Jose Airport (SJO) is located in the center of the country and will give you good access to the Caribbean or Pacific depending upon which side you decide to start on. This is the Juan Santa Maria Airport (SJO).
This is tricky to answer but for unguided, as low as $900. Guided treks vary significantly between mid-$2000s up to $4,000. We explore this subject more here.
The Camino de Costa Rica is 280 kilometers / 174 miles long.
12 to 16 days is normal.
Camping is an option, however, you will likely have a mix of accommodations including lodges, cabins, homestays and more.
The trail will start flat at the Caribbean and then take you into the mountainous regions of Costa Rica where you will encounter numerous ascents and descents. An elevation profile map can be viewed here.
questions about this website
You can add an accommodation by completing this form here.
We try our very best to accommodate last-minute accommodation requests, which we consider to be 3-days from check-in. However, some accommodations don’t have cell phone service or wifi, meaning that communication can take longer than usual. Sometimes it works out fine, othertimes we hear back too late to adequately plan for your arrival. Because of this, we encourage you to plan your route a little further in advance, however, we will always try our best to accommodate late requests.
If it’s an issue on this website, then we appreciate any information you can share with us so we can update it. Please email us here and we will update it. If the information is regarding the trail, then we encourage you to make a trail report on the FarOut app.