Becoming world famous for hikers is the coast to coast (Atlantic to Pacific) hiking trail titled El Camino de Costa Rica (WEBSITE link), a 280 kilometer hike through forests, mountains, farms and small villages with many suggested overnight stays in homes, camping or even a few luxury hotels nearby. 🙂
A through-hike takes most people about 16 days or two weeks+, not rushing. Many local people here do weekend segments to complete the trail in about 16 weekend segments while working during the week. I tried one weekend segment in the mountains and loved it, but at my age (84) and leg problems now, I decided that I could not do the whole trail. But I recommend it for younger hikers! 🙂 People come from Asia, Europe, U.S., Canada and South America to hike it. If you speak Spanish, you could do the trail without a guide, but otherwise, and even with Spanish, a guide is preferable! 🙂 See the website linked above for info on finding a guide.
The only authorized hiker guide (book) for this trail has just been updated with much more info and maps and for those flying in from other countries, includes suggested ways to get from the San Jose Airport (SJO) to start on either the Atlantic or Pacific side (Atlantic starts with flat lowlands while Pacific starts with climbing a mountain). The new revised guide is available now on Amazon.com at this link: El Camino de Costa Rica Hiking Guide. (BOOK Link) and it is available in both a Paperback Edition and the electronic Kindle Edition.
Happy Hiking!
¡Pura Vida!