The Talamanca with the rain switched off: cold, clear mornings on the páramo, hard sun by nine, and views that reach both oceans from nine summits.
The dry season on the spine of Costa Rica: on the Nueve Cumbres you start in the cold — nights on the páramo sit at or below freezing, and the air above 3,400 metres is thin and clear enough to burn you by nine — and on a clear morning you run with both oceans in sight. In the first weeks of the season the mountain is still green from seven months of rain; by February the ridges are at their driest and clearest.The dry season on the spine of Costa Rica: on the Nueve Cumbres you start in the cold — nights on the páramo sit at or below freezing, and the air above 11,200 feet is thin and clear enough to burn you by nine — and on a clear morning you run with both oceans in sight. In the first weeks of the season the mountain is still green from seven months of rain; by February the ridges are at their driest and clearest.
Down in Dota the quetzals are resident all year; from mid-February, when the wild avocados fruit, they come lower to feed, and a sighting beside the lodge at first light is a real possibility — never a promise. The Savegre runs low and clear through the Queen Stage descent. On the coast the dry season has cleared the sky: Manuel Antonio's trail runs bright and dry, and off Drake Bay the season belongs to the northern humpbacks, which breed on this coast from December to March.
Who it is for: runners who want the summits clear and the trails fast, and who accept that the dry season is Costa Rica's high season. Pack for two climates in one week — a warm layer for the páramo morning, and the lightest kit you own for the Osa.
A real itinerary, with real distances, real lodges, and the meals that bookend each day — dated for the dry season.
Each route is drawn from our own field reconnaissance. Select a day to read its profile, or follow the line of the journey end to end.
San José 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.
Cordillera de Talamanca Dry seasonWe start as early as the drive from San José allows; the ridge is clearest in the morning, and the sun on the páramo is fierce by nine.
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.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 — 10.7 mi along the ridgeline, summiting Jaboncillo, Estaquero, Sákira, Sábila, Zacatales, Asunción, Páramo and Cerro Buenavista (11,453 ft, 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 5,380 ft of ascent, 3,900 ft 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 9,800 ft.
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, with luck, the resplendent quetzal feeding outside your window in the morning.From Buenavista the van picks you up and drops 4,900 ft 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, with luck, the resplendent quetzal feeding outside your window in the morning.
Cloud forest Dry seasonQuetzals are resident in the Dota all year; from mid-February the wild avocados fruit and a sighting beside Lauráceas at first light is possible — never promised.
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.Wake to birdsong and the cool mist of the Dota Valley. Today's run is a 5.7 mi loop from Lauráceas — climbing 1,600 ft through montane oak forest on the eastern boundary of Los Quetzales National Park to roughly 8,612 ft, 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.
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.The signature day. 16 miles point-to-point from Armonía Ambiental in Providencia (~5,900 ft). A steep climb out of the village opens the day; the first 4.3 miles undulate along the high ridge to a top of 6,270 ft, and then a long descent drops more than 3,300 feet 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 2.5 mi, 1,493 ft climb into the Zona Protectora Cerro Nara. The finish line is Ranchos Tinamú (~2,671 ft), a community-run rural-tourism lodge in San Isidro de Dota named after the great tinamou whose call carries through this forest. Total: roughly 4,530 ft of ascent, 7,710 ft of descent — self-supported in the sense that no van follows you.
What the day actually is: at three or four houses down the route, mountain families open their kitchens to runners — coffee, agua dulce, fruit, an empanada, 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 — five hectares of rainforest above the Pacific, where the next two nights are. Tonight dinner is yours: recover quietly at the hotel, or tell us the kind of table you want in town and we'll have it booked.What the day actually is: at three or four houses down the route, mountain families open their kitchens to runners — coffee, agua dulce, fruit, an empanada, 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 — 12 acres of rainforest above the Pacific, where the next two nights are. Tonight dinner is yours: recover quietly at the hotel, or tell us the kind of table you want in town and we'll have it booked.
Pacific coast Dry seasonDry season on the central Pacific: bright mornings and a flat sea.
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.Trade mountains for coastline on the Reto MAE — Manuel Antonio Extreme — the local 5.9 mi 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 1,394 ft of gain over short, sharp pitches to each viewpoint.
After the run, spend a relaxed afternoon at Hotel Parador — five hectares 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. Tonight, dinner is yours — Manuel Antonio is the one town on this route with a real choice of tables. Tell us the kind of evening you want and we'll have it booked.After the run, spend a relaxed afternoon at Hotel Parador — 12 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. Tonight, dinner is yours — Manuel Antonio is the one town on this route with a real choice of tables. Tell us the kind of evening you want and we'll have it booked.
Drake Bay Dry seasonDecember to March is the northern humpbacks' breeding season off Drake Bay.
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.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: 10.3 mi 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 — 76.5 hectares of rainforest, two kilometres of oceanfront, bordered on three sides by 182,000 hectares 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 run ends where you sleep: Corcovado Wilderness Lodge — 189 acres of rainforest, 1.2 miles 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.
Osa Peninsula 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.Step into one of the most biodiverse corners of the planet. Today's 9.6 mi 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.
Return 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 kilometres conquered. Optional: a chocolate-making workshop, or a guided tasting of Costa Rican craft beers and coffee.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.
Departure 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.
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Prefer the other half of the year? The Trail Running Expedition · Rainy Season The Talamanca at full volume: early starts on the ridge, rain by mid-afternoon, and the Osa in whale season. Read the rainy-season edition → This is one edition of The Trail Running Expedition — the route, its lodges, and the answers to the questions we hear most are on the route page.
This edition departs 5 – 13 December 2026. 6–8 athletes. Founder-led, photographer-supported.
