This is freaking magical. If you’re looking for lush jungle tropical beaches and abundant wildlife there’s no better place on earth than Costa Rica.
1. Manuel Antonio National Park: Pacific Coast
Manuel Antonio has beautiful rainforests and beaches but also the best wildlife in the country. In just a couple hours we spotted macaws, iguanas, dozens of monkeys and enough sloths to make you question if you’re actually in a forest or a slow-motion movie.
If you want to you can splurge on a guide to help you spot even more animals. But if you bring your sense of adventure and a keen eye you will spot loads of wildlife on your own.
Important Things:
- Manuel Antonio is the most popular national park and tickets are limited.
- Ticket Price $18 Per Person.
- you have to book your tickets online at least a few days in advance.
The best time to go:
when it opens at 7 am, which is what we did and we saw almost no other people until 9. Bonus tip: after you’re done with the park go for lunch at the nearby Emilio’s cafe. The views are insane, the food’s fantastic and whatever you do not skip their passion fruit pie.
2. Nauyaca Waterfall
No trip to Costa Rica is complete without a waterfall and if you want to see one of the most dramatic and spectacular ones in the country. you should visit a place, located one hour south of Manuel Antonio. The Nauyaca waterfall is 200 feet high, consists of two levels and is located a little deeper inside the rainforest, it’s got that raw jungle vibe.
Getting there is going to be an adventure. The waterfall is located two and a half miles from the nearest parking lot. You either do a one-hour medium tough medium sweaty hike through the jungle. you can jump in the back of one of these cool looking 4×4 trucks, no matter how you decide to get there. Ticket Price: $10 Per Person for Entrance and $32 extra for 4×4 trucks. You’re going to love this one as Nauyaca is one of Costa Rica’s most epic waterfalls.
3. Tarcoles Bridge: crocodile bridge
Leaning over the railings of this bridge you will spot groups of American crocodiles in the Tarcoles River below. These apex predators are up to 20 feet long, weigh up to 2000 pounds and can easily take down a deer or wild boar. There’s about 2000 of them swimming around in this river making this the largest population of crocodiles in the world and a very bad place to go for a swim.
4. Monteverde cloud Forest
If you want to inject your vacation with a bit of magic that can’t be found anywhere else in the country do not skip Monteverde. Monteverde is not a jungle, it’s a cloud forest so it’s always cloudy with nearly 100% humidity, which creates this fairy tale-like scenery.
You can visit the national park and walk along the famous suspension bridges high up in the forest canopy or get even higher and soar over the canopy on a zipline. If you’re going ziplining we recommend 100% Aventura. Average time two-hour tour costs only $56 and includes the longest zipline in Latin America. And if you’re brave enough you can do a 150-foot freefall.
Bonus tip: Definitely also check out the Kolibri cafe right next to the national park entrance. The Monteverde cloud forest is home to 30 different species of hummingbirds and the Kolibri cafe has sugar water feeders hanging around their patio.
5. Playa Herradura
Costa Rica has plenty of beautiful beaches and you can’t really go wrong with any of them but Playa Herradura located just north of the town of Jaco is our favorite on the Pacific coast. It’s a great beach for swimming. Soft sand it’s inside a small bay with beautiful blue water and rolling hills in the background.
This beach is a favorite among the locals and if you come here during the weekend, you can experience a typical Costa Rican tradition, the big family outing. Locals drive for hours to bring their entire family here on the weekend.
They really love to party like, bring their tents and everything. They are having barbecues and they are playing loud music. Not only did we get to enjoy these incredible views but we also made some new friends as well. Both the human kind and the feathery kind as there are at least five or six Scarlet Macaws living on this beach.
6. San Jose Central Market
Costa Rica you are probably flying into the capital, San Jose. It’s mostly just a big city and nothing special but there is one place recommend. If you love food, go sample some of the best traditional Costa Rican food that you will ever have at the Central Market or Mercado Central.
This market is packed with dozens of so-called sodas. They are local restaurants that serve typical and affordable dishes. kind of Costa Rica’s version of a diner. You will find classics here like gallo pinto aka, the famous rice and beans loaded meat empanadas and crazy snacks like a bag of Doritos filled with ceviche. A bag of corn chips topped with raw fish and sauce.
7. La Fortuna and Arenal
La Fortuna is a small town up in the central mountains of Costa Rica and one of the most popular destinations in the country. Not only is La Fortuna the gateway to the 5300-foot Arenal volcano. Which originally put this town on the map, it is also famous for the towering La Fortuna waterfall, and is Costa Rica’s adventure hub. Ticket Price: Arenal National Park, La Fortuna Waterfall $18.
Relaxed options like hot springs, coffee tours and some pretty fantastic wildlife. Like in most of Costa Rica the activities around Arenal and La Fortuna are very outdoorsy but the weather in the mountains can be fickle at times.
Want To Avoid:
If you can monitor the weather and not book your activities too far ahead. Keep in mind that things can get very crowded and very expensive in Costa Rica, especially once you start doing guided tours. It’s very different from the rest of Central America.
If you want to have lots of adventures and spot cool wildlife but you’re on more of a budget or you don’t want to share every sloth with 20 other people, you might also want to spend some time outside the super popular areas like the Pacific and Arenal. Many of our best experiences.
8. Rio Negro Hot Springs
When you say Costa Rica, you say volcanoes. And when you say volcanoes, you say hot springs. After a long hike there is nothing quite like soaking in Mother Nature’s very own hot tub. Rio Negro hot springs there are over 10 different pools, heated by the active Rincón de la Vieja volcano. It’s a three-hour drive northeast from Arenal. Costa Rica It’s $34 per person. You get to use all the facilities for the whole day, until 5:30.
You can also find some volcanic mud. Volcanic mud is supposed to be very good for your skin because of the minerals that are in it. If you want to visit this area you can also add on the Rincón de la Vieja National Park which is right next door to the hot springs. There’s beautiful hiking and hardly any people. The volcano is erupting pretty much continuously. But when it’s not erupting you can even hike all the way up to the crater rim.
9. Puerto Viejo
Puerto Viejo is the main town on the Caribbean coast, where the rhythm of reggae meets the tranquility of the tropics. This laid-back paradise really embodies the Pura Vida lifestyle.
It’s a bit more rustic than most of Costa Rica but that kind of adds to the charm. If you want to try the many flavors of the Caribbean, visit the Tamara restaurant in the city center to sample some Caribbean meals from freshly caught seafood to traditional dishes infused with coconut and spices.
You can visit Cahuita National Park, where the rainforest kisses the Caribbean Sea and you can walk across white sand beaches, while monkeys peek at you from the canopy overhead. Cahuita has lots of cool wildlife and few fellow gringos.
10. Punta Uva
This is one of the most underrated spots in Costa Rica and it will blow your mind. It’s located near the southernmost end of the Caribbean coast, close to Playa Manzanillo. Playa Manzanillo embodies everything you will love about the Caribbean. Swaying palm trees and that signature Caribbean blue water. It’s the perfect place to come for a snorkel or a swim.
And just a short drive from here you will find Punta Uva, favorite secret spot in Costa Rica. This is where the Caribbean Sea connects to a system of mangroves that you can explore by kayak. It is one of those rare places, where you get some of the best of Costa Rica’s nature and wildlife all to yourself. There are no entrance fees to the mangroves and kayak, rentals are only about $17 per person.
Conclusion
Costa Rica offers a diverse and captivating array of destinations, that cater to every type of every budget traveler, from nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers to culture aficionadas. Each highlight on this list, including the breathtaking Manuel Antonio National Park and the serene Nauyaca Waterfall, showcases the country’s rich biodiversity and stunning landscapes.
The unique experiences found at Tarcoles Bridge and Monteverde Cloud Forest provide glimpses into Costa Rica’s captivating wildlife, while the lively atmosphere of San Jose Central Market invites visitors to immerse themselves in local culture and cuisine. For those seeking relaxation, the healing waters of Rio Negro Hot Springs and the tranquil beaches of Punta Uva offer idyllic retreats. Together, these Top 10 destinations encapsulate the essence of Costa Rica’s charm and beauty, ensuring an unforgettable journey that resonates long after the last adventure has concluded.
