Run the spine
of a country.

Arrive in the capital.

Arrive in Costa Rica's vibrant capital, where you are welcomed and transferred to your comfortable base near the airport. The afternoon is yours to rest and acclimatise.

At 17:00, meet your expedition leader and fellow runners in the hotel lobby for the welcome briefing, followed by a relaxed welcome dinner.

Nine summits, cool air.

After breakfast the support van climbs the Pan-American Highway into the Macizo del Cerro de la Muerte — a high section of the Cordillera de Talamanca and the continental divide of southern Costa Rica. The day's route is the local Nueve Cumbres traverse — 17.3 km along the ridgeline, summiting Jaboncillo, Estaquero, Sákira, Sábila, Zacatales, Asunción, Páramo and Cerro Buenavista (3,491 m, the highest point of this massif and the peak the highway is named for), with a final out-and-back to Cerro Frío. Nine in all — roughly 1,640 m of ascent, 1,190 m of descent. The trail starts at the treeline and crosses it several times along the ridge; every summit is in páramo, the tropical alpine grassland that in Costa Rica only exists above 3,000 m.

From Buenavista the van picks you up and drops 1,500 m into the Río Savegre Valley — a different country at a different altitude. Tonight: Lauráceas Lodge. Ten chalets in the cloud forest, a family kitchen with trout and apples from the valley, and the resplendent quetzal feeding outside your window by morning.

Cloud forest trails.

Wake to birdsong and the cool mist of the Dota Valley. Today's run is a 9.2 km loop from Lauráceas — climbing 500 m through montane oak forest on the eastern boundary of Los Quetzales National Park to roughly 2,625 m, then descending back to the lodge. The trail runs under moss-draped robles (Quercus) and aguacatillos — wild avocados in the Lauraceae family, which is what the resplendent quetzal feeds on, and why San Gerardo holds the largest year-round quetzal population in Costa Rica. The lodge takes its name from the same family of trees.

The afternoon is yours. Rest at the lodge, walk down to the San Gerardo waterfall on the Río Savegre, take a birdwatching outing with a local naturalist — emerald toucanet, fiery-throated hummingbird, sometimes the quetzal at close range — or visit a family-run coffee finca in the valley.

The Queen Stage.

The signature day. Twenty-five kilometres point-to-point from Armonía Ambiental in Providencia (~1,800 m). A steep climb out of the village opens the day; the first seven kilometres undulate along the high ridge to a top of 1,910 m, and then a long descent drops more than a thousand metres into the cloud forest. La Chaqueta is the first clearing in the mountain — you reach it as the trees give way. The trail follows the Río Savegre down through the valley below, then closes with a final 4 km, 455 m climb into the Zona Protectora Cerro Nara. The finish line is Ranchos Tinamú (~814 m), a community-run rural-tourism lodge in San Isidro de Dota named after the great tinamou whose call carries through this forest. Total: roughly 1,380 m of ascent, 2,350 m of descent — self-supported in the sense that no van follows you.

What the day actually is: the mountain families who live on the route open their kitchens to runners — tortillas, café, agua dulce, a chair in the shade. The full story is in the Field Notes ('The Queen Stage, told slowly'). After Ranchos Tinamú the support team continues you out to Hotel Parador on the Manuel Antonio coast — twelve acres of rainforest above the Pacific, where the next two nights are.

Coast and recovery.

Trade mountains for coastline on the Reto MAE — Manuel Antonio Extreme — the local 9.5 km coastal trail and the route of an annual November race. From Quepos south to the gates of Manuel Antonio National Park, the path snakes through rainforest, climbs onto cliff-top bluffs, and drops onto seven Pacific beaches in sequence: Rocosa, Tulemar, La Vaca, La Macha, Biesanz, and the rest. Don't let the sea-level start fool you — the day accumulates around 425 m of gain over short, sharp pitches to each viewpoint.

After the run, spend a relaxed afternoon at Hotel Parador — twelve acres of rainforest, cliff-top pools above the Pacific. Optional: a guided visit to Manuel Antonio National Park (three monkey species including the endemic Central American squirrel monkey, three-toed sloths, agoutis), or sunset kayaking along the coast.

Into the wild.

After breakfast, journey south to the Sierpe River and board a boat that winds out through the Sierpe-Térraba mangroves — the largest mangrove system in Central America — into the open Pacific, and around the headland into Bahía Drake. From the village of Agujitas, the day unfolds along the Pacific coastal trail: 16.6 km of singletrack through the Punta Río Claro National Wildlife Refuge, tracing hidden coves, headlands, and stream crossings as the path slips deeper into the Osa Peninsula. Scarlet macaws in the beach almonds — the Osa holds the country's largest population.

The run ends where you sleep: Corcovado Wilderness Lodge — 189 acres of rainforest, two kilometres of oceanfront, bordered on three sides by 450,000 acres of national park and reserves. Off-grid, accessible only by boat, all meals included. Tonight: monkey calls from the canopy, the sound of waves through the open windows, and a long table for dinner.

The most biodiverse corner.

Step into one of the most biodiverse corners of the planet. Today's 15.4 km run winds through dense rainforest, alive with monkeys, toucans, and scarlet macaws, as you splash through rivers and follow rugged singletrack.

Return to Corcovado Wilderness Lodge for a well-deserved rest, or choose from enriching optional adventures — a guided excursion into Corcovado National Park, or snorkeling or scuba diving at Caño Island Biological Reserve.

The long table.

Fly back to San José this morning and return to your comfortable final stop before departure. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon at the hotel or explore the capital's lively cafés and markets.

In the evening, toast your achievement with a festive farewell dinner, celebrating the bonds forged and the miles conquered. Optional: a chocolate-making workshop, or a guided tasting of Costa Rican craft beers and coffee.

Until the next one.

Enjoy a final Costa Rican breakfast at Hampton Inn before your transfer to the airport. Depart with memories of highland peaks, cloud forests, oceanfront trails, and the warmth of the communities that welcomed you along the way.