The best places to see in Costa Rica and tours that’ll bring you right there
Costa Rica’s beauty is no secret. “The scenery of Costa Rica packs a punch with breathtaking volcanoes, rainforests, and beaches,” said staffer Haylie. Whether you’re a beach bum, wildlife lover, or active adventurer, our Costa Rica tours have a little something for everybody. Plus, it’s the country that coined the concept of pura vida! “Pura vida embodies what it means to be in Costa Rica—slow down, relax, and enjoy the ride,” said staffer Matt. See how you can enjoy the ride with this list of the best places to see in Costa Rica.
The best beaches to visit in Costa Rica
If you’re the type of person whose ideal trip includes visiting sandy beaches, soaking up the sun, surfing, swimming, and snorkeling, Costa Rica has a beach (or two) for you. Here are the best Costa Rica beaches and how to enjoy them to their fullest.
Flamingo Beach and Conchal Beach
These are two of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica for taking a peaceful swim. On our Grand Tour of Costa Rica: From the Caribbean to the Pacific, you’ll spend two days on the Guanacaste Coast. If you’re a beach lover, you’ll adore this area. It’s known for all coastal activities, from surfing to swimming to sailing.
Pro tip: The Guanacaste Coast is also one of the best places to visit in Costa Rica for hikers. If you love long walks in warm weather, head here to enjoy the aquamarine water and verdant rainforest views during your treks.
Playa Hermosa
Just like the name says, this is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. We love visiting Playa Hermosa for swimming and snorkeling. It’s also located along the Guanacaste Coast, which means you can spend your free time on many of our Costa Rica tours taking a dip and watching tropical fish thriving in the dramatic, volcanic-rock formations.
Playa Cocles
This beach in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is also one of the best places in Costa Rica for snorkeling. We take you there on our Grand Tour of Costa Rica: From the Caribbean to the Pacific. Use your free day in town to wander down to the beach and dive into the cerulean waters.
Pro tip: If you’re a surfer or someone who enjoys watching others surf, Playa Cocles is the best Costa Rica beach to go to during your free time on your Costa Rica tour. Avid surfers from around the world journey to this country to embrace the pura vida lifestyle and ride the waves at its beaches, so sit back and admire them hanging 10.
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The best national parks to visit in Costa Rica
Many of the best places to see in Costa Rica are its spectacular national parks. The country has some of the most impressive in the world, each offering remarkable experiences. As staffer Haylie puts it: “I don’t think people realize how diverse the wildlife is before they go to Costa Rica. It’s a relatively small country with different microclimates, so on the same day, you can go from seeing howler monkeys and sloths in the jungle to sea turtles in the ocean.”
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
This national park is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Costa Rica—and a stop on our Costa Rica: Rainforests, Volcanoes & Wildlife tour. Here you will get a chance to glimpse the area’s vast and colorful birds. See if you can spot any of the 30 different hummingbird species, macaws, or toucans through the misty rainforest air. Plus, the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve in Monteverde is famous for being one of the best places in Costa Rica to see other rare animal species.
“I visited Costa Rica for a week in October and my favorite part by far was Monteverde,” said staffer Kayla. “Specifically, I most enjoyed taking a night tour through the cloud forest, getting to feel the immensity and liveliness of the rainforest by headlamp light, looking through a telescope to spot daytime animals sleeping, and getting to see nighttime activity from frogs, monkeys, and more.”
Tortuguero National Park
This park is home to one of Central America’s largest remaining tropical rainforests. It’s a diverse habitat for an expansive list of animals to thrive in, with landscapes that encompass mangrove forests, swamps, and beaches. This makes Tortuguero the perfect home for a multitude of rare species and one of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica. It lays claim to hosting one of the world’s largest green sea turtle populations, with 30,000 females nesting there per season on average. You’ll also be able to spot caimans, toucans, and green macaws, as well as howler, spider, and white-faced monkeys. Psst… definitely look down. The lagoons you’ll cruise through on our Costa Rica: Rainforests, Volcanoes & Wildlife tour contain more than 50 different fish species.
Arenal Volcano National Park
This is one of the best places to see in Costa Rica, and if you’re on our A Week in Costa Rica: San José, Arenal & Guanacaste tour, you’ll get to experience it up close and personal. The volcano stands an astounding mile high and you might be lucky enough to spot steam snaking skyward from Arenal’s caldera. Look for even more wildlife like sloths, snakes, and spiders awaiting prey in their webs.
Poás Volcano National Park
Visit this park on our Costa Rica for Solo Travelers: Volcanoes, Jungles & Beaches tour and experience the perfect park for exploring Costa Rica’s natural landscapes. Its namesake volcano is the largest open volcano in the world—and a powerful symbol of the geothermal forces that formed Costa Rica. After a short walk to a viewing platform, peer into the massive crater and at the bubbling, sulfuric, green lake inside it. Be sure to scan the caldera’s walls for striations caused by previous eruptions. This dramatic natural landmark is one of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica.
Ready for a trip to the land of pura vida? Whether you prefer the turquoise waters of its vast beaches or the deep greens of its national parks, you’ll see them all up close on our Costa Rica tours. Book yours today!
