We bring you one of the best trips in Guanacaste, to enjoy a full weekend with incredible places in this province. Mixing mountains, waterfalls, pools and perfect beaches.

How to get there?

You take Route 1 towards Guanacaste, starting off to the right before Cañas to reach Cerro Pelado.

Waze:

Cerro Pelado: https://waze.to/lr/hd1ge19g9r

Poza Los Coyotes: https://waze.com/ul/hd1ghzmzmm

Iguanita Beach: https://waze.com/ul/hd1gh7rmvd

Virador Beach Parking: https://waze.com/ul/hd1ghdfx5w

Distance:

Cerro Pelado 4 km

Poza los Coyotes 3 km

Free Iguanita Beach

Virador Beach 2 km

Difficulty: Moderate

Accessibility: If it is accessible (Playa Virador No)

What to bring?

Fresh clothes, swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, trail tennis shoes, sandals, repellent, reusable water bottle, snacks and an excellent attitude.

Vehicle: Everything is accessible by car, only Playa Iguanita is 4 × 4

Parking: Yes

Pets: Yes

Camping: Yes

Contact:

Casa Liberia: airbnb.com/h/guesthouseliberia

Kayak Playa Iguanita: 8317-7808

Cerro Pelado 8838-3645

Poza Los Coyotes: 8486-5410

Cost: Lodging Liberia: $ 100 per night (6 people)

Kayak Playa Iguanita: ¢ 25000 per person

Cerro Pelado ¢ 2000

Poza Los Coyotes ¢ 1000

Iguanita Beach ¢ 1000

Virador Beach Free

For this plan we decided to do a very cool, easy route and with everything on the way so It can be very accessible.

**Day 1

Cerro Pelado sunset**

We left San José at noon with the idea of ​​seeing the sunset at the famous Cerro Pelado located in Cañas Guanacaste, so after about 3 hours we arrived at the parking lot of the hill, we paid the entrance fee and started walking up the road for a few 25-30 minutes (depending on the pace, they may last longer) until you reach the top where you start to enjoy the show.

If you are lucky you will be delighted with a perfect landscape with a view of the sunset and the skies with the majestic Gulf of Nicoya in the background. We were almost lucky, we arrived and it was completely cloudy, nothing was visible. But after half an hour, the hill was completely clear and we were allowed to enjoy the characteristic landscape of another planet of Cerro Pelado. Where we were not lucky was with the sunset since it got cloudy, but the truth was that we were satisfied. On the way back, it is advisable to go down with caution and keep your hands free and be careful since it is a bit slippery in the loose stone parts.

At the end of the day we went to rest at the lodging we chose which was located in Liberia, which we recommend since it is a perfect central point among all the places we wanted to visit and it has nearby food places, supermarkets, pharmacies etc.

**Day 2

Poza Los Coyotes**

We got ready to go to Cañas Dulces de Liberia, which is only 20 minutes away to visit Poza Los Coyotes, the road is beautiful and after paying the entrance we parked in the shade of the trees.

The farm is beautiful, and the pools are all close to each other ... We first went to the pool below called Cueva del Coyote and we swam into the emerald-colored water cave (we recommend renting a tire at the entrance) to enjoy the cave without worries, you can still swim but it is a little more tiring. Then we went up to see the others, one is famous for the photos that can be taken of a small waterfall and at the end the one called Poza los Coyotes that is higher up, it's very cool, the color of the water is spectacular and the stones of the place give it a nice contrast ... you can enjoy yourself here for hours so bring things to eat and water. One important fact, arrive early because it can get very crowded.

Kayak in Playa Iguanita

After having lunch in Liberia we went to Iguanita beach just 30 minutes away. You must take into account that the way to go down to the beach is with a 4 × 4 car. This is a perfect beach with many trees that provide nice shade, the water is crystal clear without waves, perfect for going with children, swimming and kayaking (which is what we did).

We ran into our friend Gabriel from Pteronotus Kayak who had everything ready for us to set sail and do a beautiful tour of this gulf, it is a delicious paddling and it depending on the time they have, the tour is longer or shorter, we paddled for a while, then we made a stop to jump into the water, which had a perfect temperature and then we went to the estuary that has super crystalline water and here we could see a lot of fish jumping, finally we ended up watching the sunset in the water.

At the end, we ate a fruit platter to recharge our batteries and go back to our accommodation in Liberia.

Day 3 Virador Beach

On the last day of the classic Guanacasteco trip, we went to the Papagayo Peninsula to see one of the beaches submerged in this place. For this, you just have to get to the parking lot (Waze link attached) and the transportation from the Peninsula complex will take you to the beach you want ... It is difficult to choose since they are all beautiful. Go early because getting to the beach takes time while you wait for the bus, then depending on the beach you have to get on another bus and then walk.

To finish reaching the Virador beach, which was the one we chose, there are paths over wooden bridges inside the forest, very beautiful and many steps (about 600). When we finished going down we were surprised by the perfection of the beach ... white sand, crystal clear water, calm, good shade and few people. If you go with good weather and a lot of energy you can visit 3 other beaches but be prepared to walk. A good tip is to go light so you don't have to carry things especially when you have to go up all the steps.

Do not forget to bring a blanket to lie on the beach, sunscreen, snacks and plenty of hydration since there is nothing nearby.

At 2pm we left the beach to start our return to San José.

SUMMARY

We spent a full weekend full of awesome activities, climbed hills, refreshed ourselves in incredible pools, kayaked watching the sunset on a perfect beach and we ended up vegetating on a paradisiacal beach ... Is there anything better than this? we really doubt it! So If you want, take advantage of these places that have a lot to offer and the best of all is that you have many routes to choose from.