Costa Rica & Panama Quest — Self-Launched Edition

Land at Juan Santamaría (SJO) and take an official orange airport taxi into the centre (~£20, or £1.20 on the TUASA bus if you're travelling light and it's daylight). Base yourself in Barrio Amón or Barrio Escalante — leafy, walkable, full of cafés and cheap sodas. Pick up a Kolbi or Claro SIM/eSIM at the airport, withdraw colones, and spend the evening eating casado at a neighbourhood soda.

🚌Airport taxi ~£20 or TUASA bus ~£1.20

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Barrio Amón/Escalante (~£12-18 dorm)

• →Settle in, SIM card and cash run
• →Evening walk in Barrio Escalante

Book a shared shuttle (Interbus, Easy Ride or Caribe Shuttles, ~£40-55, ~6-7hrs with the Sarapiquí stop) or do it cheaper on the public bus via San Carlos. Break the journey at the Mi Cafecito coffee cooperative in San Miguel de Sarapiquí — the same community project G Adventures uses — for a farm tour and tasting (~£15, book direct or via GetYourGuide). Continue to La Fortuna and take a shared taxi (~£6 return) to the free riverside hot springs (El Chollín) or pay ~£20 for the developed Tabacón-adjacent springs.

🚌Shared shuttle with Sarapiquí stop ~£45; local bus option ~£8

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in La Fortuna (~£14-20 dorm/private)

• →Mi Cafecito coffee cooperative tour (~£15)
• →Free riverside hot springs at El Chollín

Pick your adrenaline fix a la carte instead of the bundle. Canyoning with Lost Canyon Adventures (~£80), Gravity Falls waterfall jumping (~£95), whitewater rafting on the Balsa (~£55), or the free La Fortuna waterfall hike if you go on foot (or ~£15 entry by taxi). Ziplining and hanging bridges are another ~£45-60. Book everything the day before via GetYourGuide or directly at the operators' offices on the main street — walk-in prices are often lower than online.

🚌Local taxi or shuttle to activity sites ~£8

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in La Fortuna

• →Canyoning or waterfall jumping (from ~£80)
• →Optional Arenal hanging bridges (~£45)

The classic jeep-boat-jeep crossing of Lake Arenal is the scenic and cheap way over: ~£25-30 per person including van, boat and van again, about 3-4 hours. Arrive in Santa Elena and, in the evening, join a guided cloud forest night walk at either the Santa Elena Reserve or a private reserve (~£20-25, book direct or via GetYourGuide) — the same nocturnal wildlife experience the tour includes.

🚌Jeep-boat-jeep across Lake Arenal ~£28

🛏Hostel or cabin in Santa Elena (~£14-20)

• →Cloud forest guided night walk (~£22)

Spend the day on the trails. Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve entry is ~£12 (cheaper and quieter than Monteverde reserve), ziplining is from ~£40, hanging bridges ~£30-40, and a horseback ride ~£35. Walk to the reserve from town or take the local bus (~£1.50). Book direct with operators — the tour desks in Santa Elena will arrange anything within an hour.

🚌Local bus or on foot ~£3

🛏Hostel or cabin in Santa Elena

• →Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve walk (~£12)
• →Monteverde ziplining (~£40)

Take a shared shuttle (~£45-55, 4.5hrs) or the cheaper public bus combination via Puntarenas if you have the patience. Quepos is a humpback-surf town with cheap seafood, hostels and a lively little bar strip. Get in by early afternoon, hit the beach at Espadilla, and take an evening salsa lesson at a local bar (~£10) or just watch the sunset with a cold Imperial.

🚌Shared shuttle Monteverde→Quepos ~£50

🛏Hostel in Quepos (~£13-18)

• →Espadilla beach
• →Optional salsa class (~£10)

Take the local bus from Quepos to the park gate (~£0.80, 10 mins). Park entry is ~£15 with an online advance booking (mandatory since the visitor cap came in) — get a licensed guide at the gate for ~£25 each if you want the sloth-spotting scopes, or go without and self-spot. After the rainforest trails, swim at Manuel Antonio's white-sand beach. Afternoon option: surfing lesson (~£40) or a kayak-mangrove trip (~£50).

🚌Local bus ~£1.60 return

🛏Hostel in Quepos

• →Manuel Antonio National Park entry (~£15)
• →Optional guided wildlife walk (~£25)
• →Optional surf lesson (~£40)

Morning beach time or a Pacific catamaran sail (~£60) if you've still got legs. Afternoon shared shuttle or Tracopa public bus back to San José (~£8-45 depending on option, 3.5-4.5hrs). It's a transit night — stay near the centre and eat at the Mercado Central for maximum value.

🚌Shared shuttle ~£45 or Tracopa bus ~£8

🛏Hostel in San José (~£12-18)

• →Morning beach time
• →Mercado Central food crawl

Take a morning flight on Copa or Air Panama (~£85-130 one-way, 1h15, book 4-8 weeks ahead for the cheapest fares). Note: Panama domestic/immediate onward flights allow 1 checked bag 14kg — pack accordingly. Arrive in Panama City, grab a metro card and ride to Casco Viejo for the afternoon: colonial plazas, rooftop bars and the waterfront walkway. Cheaper dorm beds are in Casco, Bella Vista and El Cangrejo.

🚌Flight ~£100 + metro/taxi ~£5

🛏Hostel in Casco Viejo or Bella Vista (~£15-22)

• →Casco Viejo walk
• →Panama City waterfront sunset

Early visit to the Miraflores Locks visitor centre (~£12 entry incl. museum and viewing platform; take a taxi or the local bus, ~£4-8). Time your visit for a ship passing through if you can. Then fly Air Panama from Albrook to Bocas del Toro (~£70-100, ~1hr) — far faster and often similar cost to the 10-hour bus+water taxi overland route. Water taxi from the airport to Isla Colón (~£3).

🚌Taxi/bus ~£6; Air Panama flight ~£85; water taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel in Bocas town or Playa Bluff (~£15-22)

• →Miraflores Locks & museum (~£12)
• →Domestic flight to Bocas

Book a local boat tour through your hostel: the standard island-hopping day (Isla Bastimentos, Red Frog Beach, Dolphin Bay, snorkelling stop) runs ~£25-35. Or go DIY — the local water taxi to Red Frog Beach is ~£5-8 return plus £4 park entry. Bring cash, reef-safe sunscreen and your own mask if possible. Sunset snorkelling tours run ~£20.

🚌Water taxis ~£8

🛏Hostel in Bocas town or Playa Bluff

• →Island-hopping boat tour (~£30)
• →Red Frog Beach
• →Sunset snorkel (~£20)

Surf lesson on Carenero or Bluff Beach (~£30-35), a jungle cacao tour on Isla Bastimentos (~£30), the Zapatilla islands day trip (~£35), or a bioluminescence night tour (~£20). Restaurants on Isla Colón are excellent value — eat patacones and Caribbean seafood. Pack tonight for an early departure.

🚌Water taxi or bicycle ~£6

🛏Hostel in Bocas town or Playa Bluff

• →Surf lesson (~£32)
• →Optional Zapatilla islands day trip (~£35)

Water taxi to Almirante (~£5) and public bus to David (~£5, 2hrs), then a shared minibus or public bus up to Boquete (~£4, 45 mins). Boquete is a cool, green highland town with a strong hikers' hostel scene and cheap coffee finca tours (~£25). The G Adventures version of this route includes Boquete, so this is where you get the cloud-forest highlands in Panama.

🚌Water taxi + buses ~£16

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Boquete (~£14-20)

• →Scenic highland transfer
• →Boquete town and coffee culture

Hike the Lost Waterfall trail with a local guide (~£30, half-day) or tackle the Quetzal Trail section (~£25). Whitewater rafting on the Chiriquí Viejo is ~£50 with a guide. Otherwise a coffee plantation tour (~£25) and the Pipeline Trail (~£6 entry) make an easy, cheap day. Boquete's hostels run their own trips — ask at reception the night before.

🚌Local taxi ~£6

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Boquete

• →Lost Waterfall guided hike (~£30)
• →Optional rafting (~£50)
• →Coffee plantation tour (~£25)

Overnight or late bus back to Panama City from David (~£12-18, 7-8hrs) — or fly Air Panama David→Albrook (~£60-90) if you want the day back. In Panama City, reward yourself with a proper dinner in Casco Viejo and a rooftop drink, and stock up on last-minute souvenirs at the Mercado de Mariscos or the artisan stalls along the Cinta Costera.

🚌Bus from David ~£15 (or flight ~£75)

🛏Hostel in Casco Viejo or Bella Vista (~£15-22)

• →Panama City evening in Casco Viejo
• →Markets and promenade walk

Buffer morning — a last coffee at a Casco café, or a short walk on the Cinta Costera. Metro or taxi to Tocumen Airport (metro ~£1 + bus, or taxi ~£20). Remember the Panama airport departure tax (~£32) is normally included in your airline ticket these days. Overnight long-haul flights usually leave late afternoon/evening, so a morning free is comfortable.

🚌Metro ~£1 or taxi to airport ~£20

🛏None (departure day)

• →Cinta Costera morning walk