Costa Rica is a treasure trove of adventure and delight in the midst of Central America. While it has a distinctively Latin American vibe, Costa Rica is one of the most popular, and easy to visit countries in Central America.
It’s most likely you’ll land in San Jose – don’t skip the city. It holds a lot more sights and fun than you might think and it’s the best place to get up close with authentic Costa Rican life. Here are 12 Quick Things To Do In San Jose.
Want beaches? There are plenty to explore on both the Atlantic and Caribbean sides of the country. Santa Teresa is a mecca for surfers and yogis alike, and is en route to Nicaragua if you’re heading that way (here’s the bus route to San Juan del Sur). Meanwhile, Puerto Viejo and up-and-coming Cahuita have a distinctly Caribbean beach vibe.
But Costa Rica is much more than its beaches. What about zip-lining through the Monteverde Cloud Forest? Exploring the volcano and lake of Arenal and La Fortuna?
Off the beaten path, Tortuguero National Park is a prime spot for watching nesting turtles. And it’s impossible not to fall in love with the wildlife in Manuel Antonio National Park – sloth and toucan spotting should be on every Costa Rica itinerary.
Not sure where to start? Here are my two main travel guides for Costa Rica:
Not sure what to pack for Costa Rica? I have you covered with my Simple Costa Rica Packing List (with Printable checklist).
Thinking of exploring further? Check out my South America Travel Guides.
Like beaches? Check out my beach travel inspiration.
The first time I visited Puerto Viejo, over a decade ago, the bus has to stop while a sloth slowly crossed the road. It was that kind of place. Where life (and the small amount of traffic) slowed down and nature came into its own. A string of beaches make up the region on the … Read more
Welcome to your printable Costa Rica packing list… Skip to the end of this post if you want the link to the printable Costa Rica packing list in high-res PDF. However, I do have good packing tips for Costa in this post if you want to read on. A lot of Costa Rica packing lists … Read more
Welcome to your ultimate Costa Rica travel guide. Costa Rica: where rainforests mingle with steaming volcanoes, where beaches are golden or black and offer surf and sunsets, where sloths and toucans are just a small slice of the exotic wildlife on offer. This small Central American country is a vacation destination that has it all. … Read more
Beaches, volcanoes, rainforests, jungle, cloud forests, zip-lines, coffee, chocolate, eco-lodges, surfing, sunsets, sloths, whales, turtles and toucans – Costa Rica is a tropical wonderland that deserves a spot at the very top of your travel bucket list. Having just returned from my 3rd trip to Costa Rica and having spent a few months in total … Read more
Is Cahuita in Costa Rica the new Puerto Viejo? I have the advantage of having visited the once sleepy Caribbean coastal town of Puerto Viejo over 10 years ago when the streets were sandy and sloths lumbered around the place like it was still their own. While I still love Puerto Viejo a decade on, … Read more
I can’t believe I skipped La Fortuna the first time I visited Costa Rica. I suppose I was on a hedonistic, one-year around the world trip (that took me six years, oops); and I was chasing to sun along the world’s coastal spots. It took me a few years of circling the globe to circle … Read more
I knew when I spotted the roaring fire in the hotel bar that Monteverde wasn’t like the rest of the places I’d visited in Costa Rica, but then I’d just entered the land of cloud forests so I wasn’t expecting it to be. I only spent a couple of nights – welcomingly cool night – … Read more
It is a truth universally acknowledged* that the more difficult it is to reach a place, the more rewarding it is when you get there. That’s proven true on so many of my trips (Copper Canyon, San Blas Islands, Senegal to name a few). However, it’s a truth not to be taken for granted in … Read more
The light woke me. I blinked, looked out of the bus window and smiled as I saw slithers of golden beach and aqua ocean glinting beyond the shade of the trees. This is the Costa Rica I came for. Even the air had changed. I wasn’t in San Jose anymore. Manuel Antonio is one of … Read more
Most people shoot through San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica and I get it – with sprawling concrete and growling traffic, it’s a far cry from the rainforests and beaches you came to Central America to see. And if you’re on a short trip, there are definitely better places to visit in this nature-packed … Read more