Many Central American countries may boast about their size, but Costa Rica proves that it’s more about quality than quantity.
In its just 19,700 sq miles (it is actually the 70th smallest country by landmass in the world!), it boasts gushing waterfalls, glimmering crater lakes, lush rainforests and towering volcanoes – this is a land for the eager adventurer and explorer.
All of this is in the stunning landscape that Costa Rica offers; white sand beaches to sink your feet into, rainforests and national parks that hold around five per cent of the world’s biodiversity and make up a quarter of the country, five listed active volcanoes and ample wildlife viewing. What else could you really ask for?
Costa Rica’s impressive efforts towards conservation and the environment go almost unrivalled, in fact the small country is home to around 5% of the entire world’s biodiversity. On top of this, 25% of the country’s land is protected in either national parks, forest reserves or biospheres.
This provides a mecca for the wildlife that call Costa Rica home, and it’s wildly considered the best destination for guaranteed animal encounters year round. Highlights include zip-lining through the jungle, walking above the clouds on canopy walkways and cruising along rivers in search of the creatures that live here in abundance.
Does Costa Rica sound tempting? I thought so. I’m pretty sure you’ll love this extraordinary country. Plan a trip to see the colourful sights and sounds, and have the time of your life.
Costa Rica Travel Resources
These are my favourite companies to use when I travel.
• Search cheap flights with Skyscanner.
• Find the best deals on hotels on Booking.com.
Costa Rica Tours
Browse small group adventure tours with G Adventures or Contiki. Choose between several overland and adventure trips taking in the highlights whilst having tons of fun.
Ultimate Costa Rica Itinerary
These are some of the most popular sights and places to add to your Costa Rica travel itinerary:
• Arenal Volcano
• Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
• Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve
• Parque Nacional Corcovado
• Manuel Antonio Beach
• Parque Nacional Tortuguero
• Poás Volcano
• Rincón de la Vieja Volcano
• Catarata Río Fortuna
Top Things to Do in Costa Rica
What else does a combo of nature, ancient ruins, beautiful beaches and super-cute wildlife lend itself to? That’s right: double-tap-worthy holiday snaps and watch the Instagram likes roll in.
These are some places you just have to visit:
Discover San José
San José is the capital of Costa Rica as well as the capital of the province of San José. The city comprises an impressive amount of adjacent villages that in decades has melted with the original centre of San José.
The city is actually habited by some 700 thousand people. San José was founded around 1737-1738 and its first habitants named the new settlement the name of (the holy, San) José de Nazareth.
Nowadays, San José is a mix between modernity and history, and enjoys a favourable reputation as one of Central America’s least violent cities. The most visited locations in San José include the National Theatre, the Gold Museum, several parks and other colonial buildings.
If this is your first time visiting Costa Rica, you can become more familiar with the art and culture of the country by visiting the many museums. The Costa Rica Gold Museum offers tourists the opportunity to see a collection of thousands of pre-Columbian gold artifacts. The collection includes Costa Rica’s first coin, known as the Media Escudo, animal figurines and jewelry.
The Costa Rica National Museum provides visitors with a rich history of the country as well as exhibitions of art including pottery, stone and gold. You can also view various works of art including sculptures, photography and paintings at the Costa Rica Art Museum.
Beaches
Costa Rica’s name literally translates to “Rich Coast”, and some of the things this small country is rich in are coastlines and nearly 300 beautiful beaches for you to enjoy.
Jaco, Costa Rica is recognized as Costa Rica’s party beach and is one of the most visited. Golfito is known for sportfishing, but it is also a favorite spot for surfers, particularly its beaches, such as Zancudo, located to the south.
If you’re in surfer mode, Playa Hermosa offers big waves to test your surf skills. Manuel Antonio is popular because of its beautiful scenery with soft white sand and blue-green waterfalls. You can kick back and enjoy the sun or dive into the waters and go snorkeling or stay above water and go kayaking.
The southern part of Costa Rica is especially well-loved by beachgoers because it provides an ample selection of beautiful and even secluded beaches. The interesting part is they all have their own special characteristics and you may find it difficult to decide which one gave you the best beach experience.
Some beaches may be rocky or sandy, and even then, the latter comes in different colours, from white sand, black, gold, and even pink.
Volcanoes
In addition to the beaches and water, you can experience a real thrill by seeing one or all of the six active volcanoes, which include the Arenal volcano, Poas volcano, Rincon de la Vieja volcano, Irazu volcano, Tenorio volcano, and the Turrialba volcano. You can watch geysers explode into the air, with the Irazu volcano being the tallest in the country reaching upwards of 11,260 feet.
See Sloths
Along with its (much larger) neighbour South America, Central America is the birthplace of the sloth, everyone’s favourite super-slow Bradypodidae. Enough said.
Explore the Cloud Forests
Costa Rica’s natural beauty certainly knows no bounds. Lush rainforests support a myriad of bird, wildlife and plant species, which have all evolved thanks to 200 volcanic formations spewing out fertile rich lava for the past 65 million years. Don’t worry, only 5 are active today! Don’t forget to try and spot the elusive quetzal bird in the cloud forest… good luck!
Explore Monteverde: An Environmentalist’s Paradise
Monteverde is one of the most picturesque towns in the Americas with a vibrant and one-of-a-kind atmosphere.
The number one must-see attraction in Monteverde is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. Here, one can fly through the rainforest on a zip line, take an invigorating hike, ride a horse through the wilderness, or take one of the many tours, such as the Night Tour, the Coffee Tour, or Canopy Tours!
The Canopy Tours combine ziplining with sky bridges and other fun contraptions to stay at canopy level and get the best view of the rainforest! The preserve is an ideal hotspot for those with an interest in tropical wildlife and preservation.
The mountain town of Monteverde, believe it or not, was founded by Americans! Although this does not affect its rich environment and indigenous population, it is interesting to learn about its unique background. Many year ago, Quaker Americans fled to Monteverde to avoid the draft for the Korean War. They cultivated the land and, before you know it were designing the nature reserve to be enjoyed by many generations to come!
Zipline
Costa Rica may be small in size but its landscape, national parks, beaches and wildlife make it the ultimate holiday destination. Home to the Monteverde Cloud Forest and Manuel Antonio National Park, the tropical atmosphere makes it perfect for spotting sloths, monkeys and various bird life. Zip-lining through the lush jungle is one of the most adrenaline pumping ways of experiencing the beauty of this fantastic country.
Volunteer with Sea Turtles
Who wouldn’t want to help out these little guys? The fishing village of Tortuguero is well known for its turtle population. Tortuguero is derived from the Spanish word tortuga, or “turtle”. Its beaches are famous for being the nesting grounds of turtles like the Leatherbacks and the Green Sea turtles.
The bohemian town of Montezuma is a little isolated thanks to the unreliable communications services, but it still wins the hearts of tourists. Playa Grande is the main destination for beach lovers.
Joining sea turtle conservation in beautiful Tortuguero is a volunteer program for nature lovers looking to make a real difference. Your role as a volunteer can include monitoring the baby turtle hatchery where, depending on season, you could be involved in counting newborns and releasing them back into the wild.
Scuba Diving
Costa Rica is one of the top dive destinations in the world with beautiful coasts, corals and marine life. There are beginners and advanced courses/trips available. I wrote a guide to diving the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica which you might want to check out.
Laid Back Beach Life in Nosara
Nosara is a village on the Nicoya Peninsula. It has four popular beaches: Playa Nosara, Playa Guiones, Playa Ostional, and Playa Pelada. It is well-known as a surfing spot and thanks to wildlife refuges in the area, you won’t be seeing any heavy commercial and real estate developments near the beach.
Learn Spanish
Costa Rica is one of the most popular countries in the world to study Spanish with well established language schools throughout the country. You can book classes in places like San Jose all year round.
Get Historic in San Ramon
The central urban area of San Ramón follows the pre-colonial Spanish town planning of blocks of 100 yards divided into lots 50×50 yards and streets spaced 20 yards apart. San Ramón’s principle roads include highways to Atenas and Naranjo (which links San Ramon with Grecia and Alajuela.
San Ramon is about halfway between San José and Puntarenas on the Inter-American Highway. The canton has one of the richest forest reserves in Costa Rica teeming with wildlife. Its parish church building is noteworthy due to its architecture (concrete formed over a steel structure built by Krupp of Germany).
Costa Rica Travel Tips
People & Culture
Unlike some of its neighbouring countries, Costa Rica has, over the years, become quite Americanised, meaning that it’s a much more comfortable environment to be in if you’re worried about travelling alone. If anything, the Costa Ricans, or Ticos as they call themselves, live what they dub ‘pura vida’ – meaning ‘the pure life’. Living life with a laidback and easygoing approach, Ticos help Costa Rica’s image of being the happiest country on earth; so much so that you’re sure to see a smile wherever you go. Be sure to learn some basic Spanish before arriving.
Accommodation
With the many attractions for you to enjoy, planning your Costa Rica trip entails much thought. One of the first considerations to bear in mind when planning is where to stay. While lots of hostels and hotels are available, many choose to rent Airbnb’s because these homes are cheap and come fully equipped with kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms etc. You can avoid having to share rooms like you would in a hostel and you can come and go as you please without the disturbance of a maid knocking on your room door early in the morning.
Transport
Getting around the country is a breeze – sort of. There are countless ways to navigate Costa Rica, from the dozens of rental car companies, to in-country flights, to busses, taxis and private shuttles. Many of the hotels provide shuttle services, and most day trips can be booked with transportation provided.
If you are the adventurous type, a car rental with a GPS certainly provides you with the most freedom. Hiring a rental car is recommended as Costa Rica is a small country and has a decent network of highways and roads. Though driving around the Central Valley surrounding San Jose can be an interesting experience, a few hours behind the wheel here and you’ll easily settle into navigating the roads.
If you’re planning to explore several different regions on your trip, then a day tour with small company is the way to go. For example, a day trip to Arenal volcano with a jungle canopy tour and horseback ride can run you around $150 per person with hotel pickup and meals included. This is a great way to have a guided, hassle-free trip and see some of the popular destinations in Costa Rica.
Safety
To put it simply, Costa Rica is as smooth as it gets outside of North America, making you feel comfortable and at ease when on your travels. There’s a reason why over two million tourists visit the country every year, particularly attracting expats, adventure seekers, backpackers and surfers.
Safety, of course, is all relative, and any country you go to will have its own issues, so like everywhere, you just need to be aware of your dos and donts. Always keep a close eye on your personal belongings and don’t leave valuables unattended. But this piece of advice would be dished out if you were staying back at home in the UK, to be fair!
Add to this the fact that major natural events like earthquakes or hurricanes are rare, and you’re pretty sorted.
Foods to Try
Gallo pinto is a Costa Rican dish made of rice and beans and is usually served with plantain, cheese and vegetables. If you’ve been to Costa Rica you’ll know that it’s impossible to escape this dish.
Breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s always on the menu. Gallo Pinto may be the country’s most popular dish because it’s a deliciously balanced meal which encompasses the Costa Rican way of life “Pura Vida”.
Plan a Trip to Costa Rica
If you dream of strolling through lush tropical jungles, with colourful parrots soaring above and monkeys swinging from branch to branch and are you desperate to see sloths in the wild then Costa Rica is your perfect travel destination.
Costa Rica provides plenty of opportunities for the urban dweller to unwind and take in all-new and exceptional views, and the beaches are sure to leave you breathless and inspired.
Costa Rica is also the ideal jumping-off point for people who want to start exploring the Caribbean, and the country definitely does not disappoint. It is increasingly gaining popularity as a top spot for eco-tourism, and because great care is being taken to ensure that its natural beauty is well-preserved, you can count on seeing some of the most awe-inspiring panoramas.