Hello Kelli!

Great questions! Costa Rica offers tons of awesome destinations worth checking out, but La Fortuna (Arenal), Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio are popular choices for a first trip. They offer a great balance between adventure, nature, and relaxation, while offering experiences that span a volcano, hot springs, national parks, nature reserves, several ecosystems, wildlife-spotting opportunities, and beautiful beaches. 🙂

As a side note, we often recommend visiting three destinations with about 10 days in the country, so this is a great plan!

As for how many days you should spend in each place, this entirely depends on the tours/activities you’d like to experience in each area. Some people give themselves more time in La Fortuna/Arenal to participate in several adventure activities, some people want more time in Monteverde to explore a number of nature reserves, and some people want more time in Manuel Antonio to enjoy the beach. To help you decide which tours/activities you’d like to experience in each place, which will in turn inform you of the amount of time (i.e., days and nights) you should give yourselves at each destination, don’t miss these pages on our site:

La Fortuna/Arenal tours/discounts: https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/la-fortuna-tours/

Monteverde tours/discounts: https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/monteverde-tours/

Manuel Antonio tours/discounts: https://puravidaeh.ca/product-category/destinations/manuel-antonio-tours/

In addition, this article on our blog can help you plan a 10-day trip that includes visits to 3 destinations: https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-itinerary-10-days-in-costa-rica/

Pura vida! 🙂