Best Things to Do in Costa Rica: 25 Must-Do Adventures (2026)

Few countries pack as much into such a small space as Costa Rica. In a place roughly the size of West Virginia you can surf the Pacific at dawn, stand below an active volcano by lunch, and fall asleep to howler monkeys in the rainforest, all in the same day. Home base for Max’s family is Guanacaste, and we’ve spent years exploring the country coast to coast, so this guide to the best things to do in Costa Rica is drawn from first-hand experience: the beaches and volcanoes, the wildlife and adventures, the regions worth building a trip around, and exactly how to plan one that captures the pura vida.

Costa Rica at a Glance

The magic of Costa Rica is how much variety sits within a short drive. In a single trip you can pair the dry tropical beaches of Guanacaste with the misty cloud forest of Monteverde, the volcano-and-hot-springs combo of La Fortuna, and the wildlife-packed rainforest of the Pacific coast. Here are the best things to do in Costa Rica, starting with where to go.

Best Time to Visit Costa Rica

Costa Rica has two seasons, and both have their merits. The dry season (roughly December to April) is the classic time to visit, with reliable sunshine, especially on the Pacific side, which makes it best for beaches, surfing and outdoor adventure; it’s also the busiest and priciest, and Christmas, New Year and Easter book out well ahead. The green season (May to November) brings lush, vivid landscapes, waterfalls at full flow, fewer crowds and lower prices, in exchange for afternoon downpours that usually clear by evening. September and October are the wettest on the Pacific but, counterintuitively, some of the driest and best months on the Caribbean coast.

Our honest take after years here is simple. For guaranteed beach weather, come in the dry season. For green landscapes, better value and room to breathe, the shoulder months of May, June and November are the sweet spot. Don’t write off the green season, either: the rain usually comes as a heavy afternoon burst rather than all-day drizzle, mornings are often clear, and the whole country turns a vivid emerald that photos never quite capture. For a deeper breakdown, see our guides to the best time to go to Costa Rica and what to expect in the Costa Rica rainy season.

Best Places to Visit in Costa Rica

Costa Rica rewards a region-hopping trip, and most first itineraries string together a beach, a volcano and a forest. These are the regions worth building your trip around.

Guanacaste and the Gold Coast

The northwest province of Guanacaste is our home base and Costa Rica’s dry-season beach heartland: golden bays, reliable sun and some of the country’s best surf and sunsets. Tamarindo is the lively hub, with restaurants, surf schools and easy access to nearby beaches; Playa Conchal has crushed-shell sand and turquoise water; and quieter gems like Playa Avellanas, Playa Negra and Playa Grande draw surfers and turtle-watchers. It’s the easiest region for a first beach trip, served by Liberia’s international airport (a shorter transfer than San Jose to the coast). See our roundup of the best beaches in Guanacaste.

Guanacaste isn’t only beaches. Inland, Rincon de la Vieja National Park has steaming volcanic fumaroles, bubbling mud pots and waterfalls you can hike and swim, while the Papagayo Peninsula holds the region’s cluster of high-end resorts. It’s also a great base for adventure day trips, from zip-lining and horseback riding to river tubing. For a slower stay, the best all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica are concentrated along this coast, and the sunsets over the Pacific here are the best in the country.

The Nicoya Peninsula: Nosara and Santa Teresa

South down the Nicoya Peninsula, the vibe turns barefoot and bohemian. Nosara is a yoga-and-surf town wrapped in protected jungle, with wildlife on the beach and world-class breaks; Santa Teresa and Mal Pais are its wilder, surf-and-sunset counterpart at the peninsula’s tip. Between them, laid-back Samara has one of the safest swimming beaches in the country, and Montezuma charms with waterfalls and a hippie-ish main street. Roads here are rough and a 4×4 helps, but the reward is some of the country’s most beautiful, laid-back coastline.

Nicoya is also one of the world’s five Blue Zones, where locals famously live past 100, which has helped cement the peninsula’s wellness reputation. It’s the heartland of Costa Rica’s yoga-and-wellness scene and a place people come to slow down as much as to surf. Ostional, on the peninsula’s Pacific edge, hosts the arribada, a mass sea-turtle nesting event where thousands of olive ridleys come ashore at once, one of the natural wonders of the region (see our guide to the Ostional turtle nesting).

Arenal and La Fortuna

Inland, the perfectly cone-shaped Arenal Volcano towers over the town of La Fortuna, and this is one of the country’s must-do stops. Soak in natural hot springs heated by the volcano, walk the hanging bridges through the rainforest canopy, chase the thundering La Fortuna Waterfall, and raft the nearby rivers. It’s the easiest place in Costa Rica to combine adventure and relaxation in one base, and one of the best regions for spotting wildlife on a guided rainforest walk.

Beyond the headline sights, La Fortuna packs in more than most travellers expect: canyoning down jungle waterfalls, a night walk to spot frogs and sloths, a boat safari on the wildlife-rich Cano Negro wetlands, and the serene Lake Arenal for kayaking and windsurfing. Two nights is the minimum here, and three lets you mix a big adventure day with a slow hot-springs evening. Many travellers pair Arenal with Monteverde, linked by a scenic jeep-boat-jeep transfer across the lake.

Monteverde Cloud Forest

High in the mountains, Monteverde is a different Costa Rica: cool, misty cloud forest dripping with moss and orchids, alive with birds (including, if you’re lucky, the resplendent quetzal). Walk the reserve’s suspension bridges, zipline above the canopy, and take a night walk to spot sleeping wildlife. The winding road up is slow, but the misty, moss-draped forest is worth every minute, and the cooler climate is a welcome change from the coast.

There’s more to Monteverde than the famous cloud forest reserve. The town of Santa Elena has its own quieter reserve, plus a butterfly garden, a hummingbird gallery, a bat jungle and coffee and chocolate tours that make great rainy-afternoon activities. It’s one of the best places in the country to understand how a cloud forest works and why Costa Rica protects so much of its land, and there are plenty of reasons to visit Monteverde beyond the ziplines.

Manuel Antonio and the Central Pacific

Manuel Antonio National Park pairs rainforest with postcard beaches and is the easiest place in the country to see wildlife, with sloths, monkeys and iguanas along accessible trails that end at swimmable coves. It’s compact, family-friendly and hugely popular, so go early and consider a guide, whose spotting scope will show you far more than you’d ever find alone. It’s also home to one of Costa Rica’s most unique stays, the Costa Verde airplane hotel, a converted Boeing 727 on the ridge above the park.

The wider central Pacific is worth exploring too. The surf-and-party town of Jaco is the closest beach to San Jose; further south, Dominical is a laid-back surf town beside the tiered Nauyaca Waterfalls; and the bay at Uvita, shaped like a whale’s tail, is one of the best spots in the country for humpback-whale watching (roughly July to October and December to March). For where to base yourself, see the best eco-hotels in Manuel Antonio.

The Osa Peninsula and Corcovado

For raw wilderness, nothing beats the remote Osa Peninsula in the far south, home to Corcovado National Park, which National Geographic once called the most biologically intense place on Earth. This is the place for serious wildlife (tapirs, scarlet macaws, all four monkey species, even elusive big cats) on ranger-guided hikes, plus kayaking the mangroves of the Golfo Dulce. Entry to Corcovado requires a certified guide, and most visitors base themselves in Drake Bay or Puerto Jimenez and take a day tour or a multi-day trek staying at the park’s rustic ranger station. It takes real effort to reach, which is exactly why it stays wild and why the wildlife density is unmatched. See our guide to a Corcovado National Park tour.

The Caribbean coast: Puerto Viejo

The Caribbean side marches to a different, Afro-Caribbean beat, with reggae, spicy rondon and rice-and-beans cooked in coconut milk, and jungle-backed beaches. Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is the hub, with nearby Cahuita National Park, the Jaguar Rescue Centre and some of the country’s best snorkelling. Cycle the coast road to the golden-and-black sands of Playa Cocles and Punta Uva, or head inland to the Bribri Indigenous territory for a cacao tour. It’s rainier and more off-grid than the Pacific, and all the more characterful for it.

Tortuguero: the Costa Rican Amazon

Up in the remote northern Caribbean, Tortuguero National Park is reachable only by boat or small plane, and that isolation is the point. A maze of jungle canals threads through the rainforest, best explored by kayak or guided boat at dawn, when caimans, river otters, monkeys and herons come out. From July to October it becomes one of the most important green-sea-turtle nesting sites in the world, and you can join a guided night walk to watch the turtles come ashore, a genuinely moving thing to witness.

The Central Valley and San Jose

Most trips begin in the Central Valley around the capital, San Jose. It’s often skipped, but it’s worth a day for its lively central market, the excellent Gold and Jade museums, the grand National Theatre and a genuinely good food scene before you head out. The valley is also the gateway to some of the country’s best day trips: hiking the crater rims of Poas and Irazu volcanoes, wandering the highland cloud forests and waterfall gardens, rafting the nearby rivers, and touring the coffee farms that put Costa Rican beans on the map. For arrival logistics, see our guide to the airports in Costa Rica.

Best Things to Do and Must-Do Adventures

These are the experiences that define a Costa Rica trip, in any region. Many can be booked as day tours, so browse Costa Rica tours and activities on GetYourGuide to line them up in advance.

Watch wildlife

Wildlife is the number one reason people come, and Costa Rica delivers. Despite covering just 0.03% of the planet’s surface, it holds around 5% of its biodiversity, so a single trip can turn up sloths and four species of monkey in the rainforest canopy, scarlet macaws flashing over the Osa, sea turtles nesting on both coasts, poison-dart frogs, crocodiles and more than 900 species of bird. The single best thing you can do is hire a knowledgeable local guide, whose trained eye and spotting scope will find animals you’d walk straight past, and to head out at dawn or dusk when the forest is most active. Manuel Antonio, Corcovado, Tortuguero, Monteverde and the wetlands of Cano Negro are the standout spots, and even hotel gardens often deliver.

Surf the Pacific

Costa Rica is one of the world’s great surf destinations, with warm water year-round and consistent breaks for every level on both coasts. Beginners learn in the gentle whitewater of Tamarindo, Samara or Santa Teresa, while experienced surfers chase the reef and beach breaks of Playa Negra, Avellanas, Pavones (one of the longest lefts in the world) and the legendary Witch’s Rock up in Santa Rosa National Park. Board rentals and lessons are easy to find in every surf town, and many travellers build an entire trip around chasing waves down the Pacific coast. See our guide to the best surfing in Costa Rica.

Zipline and cross the hanging bridges

Costa Rica invented the canopy zipline, and flying through the treetops is a rite of passage, best over the cloud forest at Monteverde or the rainforest around Arenal. For a slower canopy experience, the hanging bridges at Monteverde and La Fortuna let you walk through the treetops at eye level with the birds.

Raft the rivers

The country’s mountain rivers make for superb white-water rafting, from beginner-friendly Class II-III floats to the adrenaline of the Pacuare, regularly rated one of the world’s most scenic rafting rivers, which drops through jungle gorges and past waterfalls. See our Costa Rica rafting guide for where to go.

Hike volcanoes and chase waterfalls

Costa Rica sits on the Ring of Fire, and its volcanoes are a highlight: hike the slopes of Rincon de la Vieja’s steaming fumaroles and mud pots, peer into the crater lakes of Poas and Irazú, and cool off in the impossibly blue Rio Celeste at Tenorio. Waterfalls are everywhere, from La Fortuna to Nauyaca and Uvita. See our guides to Costa Rica’s best waterfalls, the best hikes in Costa Rica and the cloud forest of Tenorio National Park and Rio Celeste.

Soak in volcanic hot springs

After all that adventure, La Fortuna’s volcanic hot springs are the perfect reward, from luxurious resort springs like Tabacon to free local river spots where hot water meets the current. It’s the most relaxing thing to do in Costa Rica, and a lovely way to end a day of hiking or rafting.

Dive, snorkel and paddle

Below the surface, the Pacific offers big-animal diving (rays, sharks, turtles) around the Catalina and Bat Islands off Guanacaste, and the remote Cocos Island is a bucket-list liveaboard. On the Caribbean, Cahuita’s reef is great for snorkelling. Calmer bays and rivers are perfect for stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking, an easy, family-friendly way to get on the water.

Slow down with yoga and wellness

Costa Rica is a global wellness hub, and the surf-and-yoga towns of Nosara and Santa Teresa are dotted with studios and retreats where a sunrise class on the beach is part of daily life. Pair it with the Blue Zone longevity of the Nicoya Peninsula and it’s easy to build a restorative trip. See our picks of the best yoga retreats in Costa Rica.

How to Get Around Costa Rica

Costa Rica is compact but its mountains and rough coastal roads make journeys slower than the map suggests, so plan generous drive times. A rental car (ideally a 4×4 for Nicoya and the back roads) gives the most freedom, especially for the beach regions where public transport is thin. Shared and private shuttles link the main tourist hubs door-to-door, and domestic flights on small planes save a full day when hopping from, say, San Jose to the Osa Peninsula.

If you are driving, never drive at night, as roads are unlit and full of cyclists, animals and potholes. Download offline maps before you go, and budget for the mandatory local insurance that rental quotes often leave out. For more, see our Costa Rica travel tips.

How to Plan Your Costa Rica Trip

With so many regions, the trick is not trying to see everything. Distances are short on the map but slow on the ground, so it’s better to pick two or three areas and enjoy them than to spend your holiday in a rental car. Here’s how the classic trip lengths tend to break down.

One week

Focus on one or two nearby regions. A popular first-timer’s week pairs Arenal/La Fortuna (volcano, hot springs, waterfalls) with Manuel Antonio or a Guanacaste beach, giving you a rainforest-and-coast combo without too much driving. Alternatively, base yourself in Guanacaste for a pure beach-and-surf week with day trips.

Ten to fourteen days

The sweet spot, and enough for the classic loop: San Jose, then La Fortuna, then Monteverde, then down to Manuel Antonio and the coast, with a few beach days to finish. Two weeks lets you add the Osa Peninsula or the Caribbean coast for a real sense of the country’s range. It’s an easy route to follow or adapt to your own interests, whether that’s surf, wildlife or wellness.

Getting between regions

Renting a car gives the most freedom, but you can also link the main hubs by shared shuttle, private transfer or the occasional short domestic flight. Shuttles are affordable, door-to-door and take the stress out of the mountain roads, and the famous jeep-boat-jeep across Lake Arenal connects La Fortuna and Monteverde. See our Costa Rica shuttle guide for how it all connects.

Budget and what to pack

Costa Rica is pricier than most of Central America, but you can travel it at almost any budget: hostels, sodas (local diners) and public buses keep costs down, while eco-lodges and private tours push them up. Our Costa Rica travel budget guide breaks down realistic daily costs. For gear, think quick-dry clothing, reef-safe sunscreen, insect repellent, a rain layer even in dry season, and sturdy sandals or trail shoes, all covered in our Costa Rica packing list. For couples marking a special trip, see our ideas for a Costa Rica honeymoon.

Where to Stay in Costa Rica

Costa Rica does sustainable, eco-conscious accommodation better than almost anywhere, and a stay in a jungle lodge (waking up to birdsong and monkeys) is part of the experience rather than a compromise. A classic loop overnights in a few key regions; these are four of our favourite sustainable lodges to build a trip around, and for more see our roundup of the best eco-lodges in Costa Rica.

Nayara Springs

Nayara Springs is an adults-only luxury eco-resort below Arenal Volcano, with private villas, plunge pools fed by mineral hot springs and a genuine reforestation and sustainability programme that has drawn sloths back to the grounds. It’s a splurge, but it’s the standout stay for a romantic or special-occasion Arenal base.

Monteverde Lodge & Gardens

Monteverde Lodge & Gardens is one of the country’s original eco-lodges, set in its own reserve on the edge of the cloud forest with naturalist guides, night walks and a long-standing conservation ethos. Comfortable rather than flashy, it’s the thinking traveller’s Monteverde base.

Arenas del Mar

Arenas del Mar is a rare sustainable resort that runs straight from the rainforest down to two private beaches near Manuel Antonio, with wildlife in the gardens and strong green credentials. It’s the pick for pairing easy park wildlife with a genuine beachfront stay.

Lapa Rios Lodge

Lapa Rios Lodge is the country’s most celebrated rainforest eco-lodge, a cluster of thatched bungalows overlooking the wild Osa Peninsula where the jungle meets the sea. Remote and immersive, with all four monkey species often visible from your deck, it’s a bucket-list stay for the country’s most biodiverse corner.

Sustainable Travel Tips for Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a global leader in eco-tourism, running on nearly all renewable electricity and protecting more than a quarter of its land in national parks and reserves, so travelling responsibly here matters and is easy to do. Choose certified sustainable lodges and tour operators (look for the CST certification), keep your distance from wildlife and never feed it, and skip any attraction that lets you handle sloths, sedate them or pose with them for photos, as it causes real harm.

Beyond wildlife, small choices add up. Stick to marked trails, take reef-safe sunscreen to protect the coral, refill a bottle rather than buying plastic where the water is safe to drink, and pack out what you pack in. Most importantly, spread your spending: eat at locally owned sodas (family-run diners), hire local guides, buy from local artisans and stay in family-run lodges, so that tourism income reaches the communities protecting all this nature in the first place. It’s the single best way to make your visit a positive one.

Safety Tips for Traveling in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the safest countries in Central America, with a stable democracy, no army and a well-developed tourism industry, but a few sensible habits go a long way. The most common issue by far is petty theft, so don’t leave valuables in a parked car (rental cars are a known target) or unattended on the beach, and use hotel safes. Violent crime against tourists is rare, and the usual big-city common sense covers San Jose after dark.

Nature is the bigger risk to respect. In the ocean, rip currents are the real hazard and account for most tourist drownings, so swim at beaches with lifeguards where you can, never swim alone, and if you’re caught in a current, stay calm and swim parallel to shore. On the roads, avoid driving at night, keep to sensible speeds and watch for sudden potholes, one-lane bridges and animals. Tap water is safe to drink in most of the country, mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue are a low but real risk in the lowlands so pack repellent, and travel insurance is well worth it for the adventure activities, which you can sort with SafetyWing travel insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the number one thing to do in Costa Rica?

Wildlife-and-nature experiences top most lists, from spotting sloths and monkeys in the rainforest to standing below Arenal Volcano and hitting the beaches of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula. Manuel Antonio and Corcovado are the standout wildlife parks.

What is Costa Rica best known for?

Its biodiversity and eco-tourism: rainforests and cloud forests, volcanoes, incredible wildlife, world-class surf, and a “pura vida” pace of life. It protects over a quarter of its land in national parks and reserves.

How many days do you need in Costa Rica?

Ten to fourteen days covers a classic multi-region loop combining a volcano, a cloud forest and the coast. A week is enough to go deep on one region, such as Guanacaste or the Arenal-Monteverde area.

What is the best month to visit Costa Rica?

The dry season (December to April) is most popular and reliable for sunshine. For fewer crowds and better value with lush scenery, the green-season shoulder months of May, June and November are ideal.

Is Costa Rica expensive to visit?

It’s pricier than most of Central America. Budget mid-range, and save with local sodas, shared shuttles or public buses, and green-season travel. Costs climb over Christmas, New Year and Easter.

Do you need a car in Costa Rica?

Not essential, but a rental car (ideally a 4×4) gives the most freedom, especially in Guanacaste and Nicoya. Shuttles and domestic flights are good alternatives for hopping between the main hubs.

Final Thoughts

After years of living in and travelling Costa Rica, the thing that still amazes us is the range. In a single two-week trip you can string together what feels like five different countries, from Guanacaste’s golden beaches to Monteverde’s misty forest to the wild Osa. Pick a couple of regions, leave room to slow down, and let the pura vida do the rest. For a taste of the country, don’t miss our guide to must-try Costa Rican dishes or the best beaches in Costa Rica. For a truly unique stay, you can even sleep in a converted Boeing 727 at the Costa Verde airplane hotel above Manuel Antonio. What’s top of your Costa Rica list?

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