Explore Costa Rica
Explore the country by landscape, region and travel style with verified guides, practical comparisons and decision-focused advice.
Seven ways to explore the country
From volcanic energy to the memory held by its towns, every route reveals a different Costa Rica.
Destination explorer
Filter published guides by destination type and province. Some places extend across two provinces and appear under either selection.
66 places
Alajuela · Central Volcanic Range
Poás provides one of Costa Rica’s most direct volcanic experiences. The public-use area leads to a viewpoint over a broad active crater with gases, fumaroles and an acidic lake whose appearance changes with rainfall and activity. Dwarf highland vegetation and cloud forest make the setting markedly different from Alajuela’s lowlands.
Open guide →Heredia · Braulio Carrillo National Park
Barva is the forested and more physically demanding option in this selection. Its Braulio Carrillo National Park sector protects mature forest, high-elevation oak stands and lakes occupying old craters. The experience is less about bare volcanic rock and more about walking through a cold, wet and quiet ecosystem.
Open guide →La Fortuna and Tilarán · Northern Zone
Arenal’s near-symmetrical cone dominates La Fortuna. Following the eruptive period that began in 1968 and a marked reduction in visible activity after 2010, official visits focus on trails around the base, old lava flows, rainforest and viewpoints toward the cone, lake and Tilarán range.
Open guide →Cartago · Central Volcanic Range
Irazú is Costa Rica’s highest active volcano and one of its most accessible high-elevation landscapes. The Craters Sector has dark terrain, low vegetation and views of the main and Diego de la Haya craters. The separate Prusia Sector offers forest hiking and is not part of the same crater circuit.
Open guide →Cartago · Irazú–Turrialba massif
Turrialba is among Costa Rica’s most closely monitored volcanic systems. Its recent eruptive phase reshaped the craters and repeatedly affected farming communities and the Central Valley with gas and ash. When SINAC authorizes visits, the experience is more austere than Poás or Irazú.
Open guide →Bagaces, Guanacaste · Guanacaste Range
Miravalles is the highest point in the Guanacaste Range and a massif with a complex geological history. Its surroundings combine protected forest, water sources, fumaroles, hot mud and Costa Rica’s foremost geothermal landscape. Visitor experiences concentrate on the lower slopes and nearby communities; unrestricted crater climbing should not be assumed.
Open guide →Alajuela and Guanacaste · Guanacaste Range
Tenorio marks the southeastern end of the Guanacaste Volcanic Range and consists of several forest-covered cones and craters. The visitor experience is not a summit climb: the official route through Tenorio Volcano National Park leads to the Río Celeste waterfall, a viewpoint over the massif, Blue Lagoon, volcanic bubbling vents and the Teñidero.
Open guide →Guanacaste · Guanacaste Range
Rincón de la Vieja displays geothermal activity from official trails without requiring a direct active-crater view. Mud pots, fumaroles and hot water occur among dry, wet and cloud forest. The park has two separate visitor sectors: Las Pailas and Santa María.
Open guide →Santa Cruz, Guanacaste
Tamarindo combines a broad beach with one of Guanacaste’s most developed visitor hubs. It is a convenient base for surf lessons, sunset walks and excursions, but also a busy area where advance booking and care with belongings matter.
Open guide →Cabo Velas, Santa Cruz, Guanacaste
Conchal is known for the shell fragments that give much of its shore a distinctive texture and pale colour. Water often looks clear in settled weather, but the experience depends on public access, tide and surf.
Open guide →Santa Cruz, Guanacaste
Flamingo is a pale-sand bay surrounded by a residential and tourism area. Its marina is a departure point for sailing, fishing and diving, while the beach itself is open and sunny.
Open guide →Nicoya, Guanacaste
Sámara combines a long bay with a town whose services are close at hand. Reef formations and the bay shape can produce more moderate surf in some sectors, but conditions change and always require assessment.
Open guide →Cóbano, Puntarenas
Santa Teresa is a long coastal strip with surf breaks and a visitor community spread along the road. It combines nature, restaurants and social life, but road and pedestrian infrastructure require planning.
Open guide →Garabito, Puntarenas
Jacó is among the most accessible beaches from the Central Valley and operates as a full-service tourism town. Its long shore, surf and nightlife suit short visits, but this is a busy urban beach experience.
Open guide →Quepos, Puntarenas
Manuel Antonio Beach lies inside the national park of the same name, combining a scenic bay with tropical-forest trails. A visit depends on official admission, opening hours, capacity and protected-area rules.
Open guide →Bahía Ballena, Osa, Puntarenas
Uvita is the main gateway to Marino Ballena National Park and the Whale Tail tombolo. Its shape is best appreciated from the air or high viewpoints; on foot it can only be explored within a safe low-tide window.
Open guide →Talamanca, Limón
Punta Uva combines small bays, forested headlands and clear-water sectors when the Caribbean is settled. It forms part of the coast south of Puerto Viejo and requires respect for reefs and local culture.
Open guide →Cahuita, Talamanca, Limón
Cahuita combines Playa Blanca and Puerto Vargas with forest trails and one of the Costa Rican Caribbean’s most important coral reefs. The park is notable for shared governance with the community.
Open guide →La Fortuna, San Carlos, Alajuela
The Fortuna River drops roughly 70 metres inside a humid-forest reserve managed by ADIFORT. It is one of the Northern Zone’s best-known visits, combining a viewpoint, a long staircase and designated river areas.
Open guide →Tenorio Volcano National Park, Alajuela and Guanacaste
Río Celeste waterfall lies on the official Tenorio Volcano National Park trail. Its colour appears when suspended mineral particles scatter light; the route also links a lagoon, bubbling springs and the Teñidero when all sections are open.
Open guide →Barú, Pérez Zeledón, San José
Nauyaca combines two major waterfall tiers on private land in the Barú mountains near Dominical. Visitors can hike or select transport options offered by the operator.
Open guide →Bagaces, Guanacaste
Llanos de Cortés is a broad, photogenic fall near Bagaces, often visited between Liberia, the coast and the mountain range. Its appearance and pool change markedly between dry and rainy seasons.
Open guide →Bajos del Toro, Sarchí, Alajuela
Catarata del Toro drops into a volcanic formation surrounded by cloud forest in Bajos del Toro. The descent provides several viewpoints and many stairs, creating a very different experience from a recreational swimming fall.
Open guide →Vara Blanca, Heredia and Alajuela border
La Paz Waterfall Gardens combines five waterfalls with cloud-forest trails at a private attraction near Vara Blanca. The roadside fall is only part of the system, and stopping on the road is not a safe substitute for a visit.
Open guide →Montezuma, Cóbano, Puntarenas
The Montezuma waterfalls form a multi-tier system on the Montezuma River near town. Popularity does not remove risk: access can be irregular, rocks are slippery and jumping has caused serious accidents.
Open guide →Uvita, Osa, Puntarenas
Uvita waterfall is an accessible fall near central Uvita and is often paired with Marino Ballena. Its proximity does not mean national-park infrastructure: access and conditions should be confirmed locally.
Open guide →Tacares, Grecia, Alajuela
Los Chorros protects two falls in a forested canyon at Tacares de Grecia. Access and management have changed at different times, so visitors must confirm opening and a safe route before departure.
Open guide →Aquiares, Turrialba, Cartago
Aquiares waterfall lies in the coffee landscape on the slopes of Turrialba volcano. The ICT regional tourism guide describes a drop exceeding 30 metres; access should be coordinated with local operators or hosts.
Open guide →Bijagual de Turrubares, Carara, Puntarenas
Bijagual Waterfall, also associated with the name Manantial de Agua Viva, descends through the forested mountains of the Carara region. This is not a roadside stop: access crosses private property and must be arranged through the site’s authorized tours.
Open guide →Quepos, Puntarenas
Manuel Antonio combines tropical coastal forest, trails and beaches inside one of Costa Rica’s most visited protected areas. Capacity is limited and admission should be purchased only through official SINAC channels.
Open guide →Osa Peninsula, Puntarenas
Corcovado protects a large expanse of rainforest, coast and rivers on the Osa Peninsula. Its sectors have different access, distances and rules; a responsible visit requires booking, planning and an authorized guide on several routes.
Open guide →Tortuguero, Pococí, Limón
Tortuguero protects canals, lagoons, very humid forest and a beach essential to sea turtles. There is no direct road access: navigation, weather and nesting-observation rules are central to planning.
Open guide →Cahuita, Talamanca, Limón
Cahuita protects beaches, coastal forest, mangrove and one of the Costa Rican Caribbean’s most important coral reefs. Its entrances operate differently and marine activities depend on weather and authorized operators.
Open guide →Uvita, Osa, Puntarenas
Marino Ballena protects beaches, mangroves, reefs, islets and marine habitat off Uvita. The Whale Tail tombolo can only be walked during a safe tidal window.
Open guide →Turrubares and Garabito, San José and Puntarenas
Carara protects the transition between tropical dry and humid forest near the Grande de Tárcoles River. It is known for birdlife, particularly scarlet macaws, and has a universal-access trail.
Open guide →Talamanca Range
Chirripó protects páramo, montane forest, lakes and glacial landforms around Costa Rica’s highest elevations. The main route is a demanding expedition requiring reservations and coordinated services.
Open guide →La Cruz and Liberia, Guanacaste
Santa Rosa combines tropical dry-forest conservation with the history of the 1856 National Campaign. The historic sector has road access, while Playa Naranjo and other sectors require different logistics and conditions.
Open guide →Bagaces, Guanacaste
Palo Verde protects Ramsar wetlands, lagoons, mangroves and dry forest in the lower Tempisque basin. It is among Costa Rica’s best parks for concentrations of resident and migratory waterbirds.
Open guide →Central Volcanic Range and Caribbean slope
Braulio Carrillo protects a vast band of montane rainforest between the Central Valley and Caribbean lowlands. Its visitor sectors are separate and should never be confused with informal roadside stops on Route 32.
Open guide →Talamanca Range
Costa Rica’s highest point requires booking, physical preparation and multi-day logistics from San Gerardo de Rivas.
Open guide →Chirripó National Park
These emblematic rock formations lie inside Chirripó National Park and are visited from Crestones Base under the park reservation.
Open guide →Cañas, Guanacaste
Cerro Pelado is known for grassy ridges and broad views. Access crosses private land, so booking, parking and rules must be confirmed with an identifiable operator.
Open guide →Escazú Hills, San José
Pico Blanco is a demanding hike near the metropolitan area. Variants start around Escazú, but access and property boundaries must be confirmed first.
Open guide →San Rafael, Heredia
Cerro Dantas offers cloud-forest trails near Braulio Carrillo. It is a private reserve whose visit depends on hours, admission and conditions provided by management.
Open guide →Pérez Zeledón, San José
Cerro Ena is a mountain route linked to Pérez Zeledón communities and the Chirripó landscape. Entry, guide and lodge must be arranged in advance where applicable.
Open guide →La Amistad International Park
Kamuk is a remote La Amistad expedition, not a casual hike. It requires a guide, permits, several days, self-sufficiency and coordination with communities and authorities.
Open guide →San Rafael, Heredia
Monte de la Cruz is an accessible forest walk above San Rafael de Heredia. It also acts as a starting area for longer routes that require separate confirmation.
Open guide →Potrero Cerrado, Oreamuno, Cartago
A former tuberculosis hospital preserving Costa Rica’s public-health memory and a distinctive architectural complex amid highland farmland.
Open guide →Santa Teresita de Turrialba, Cartago
Costa Rica’s foremost protected archaeological monument preserves roads, mounds, plazas and a hydraulic system built by pre-Columbian societies.
Open guide →Ujarrás, Paraíso, Cartago
The walls of the former Church of the Immaculate Conception preserve the memory of the vanished town of Ujarrás within a garden overlooking the valley.
Open guide →Downtown Cartago, Cartago
The unfinished parish structure condenses centuries of earthquakes, rebuilding and urban change in Costa Rica’s former capital.
Open guide →Palmar Sur, Osa, Puntarenas
The only currently public component of the Diquís World Heritage property preserves spheres in context, mounds and evidence of former chiefdom settlements.
Open guide →Santa Rosa Sector, Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste
The Casona interprets the battle of 20 March 1856 and hacienda life inside a national park protecting tropical dry forest.
Open guide →Avenue 0 and Street 0, downtown Heredia
A brick tower built in 1876 that outlived an unfinished military project and became an emblem of Heredia.
Open guide →Juan Mora Fernández Plaza, downtown San José
Costa Rica’s foremost historic theatre combines eclectic architecture, painting, sculpture and a programme that has kept the building alive since 1897.
Open guide →Cuesta de Moras, downtown San José
Former Bellavista Barracks houses archaeology, history and natural-history collections while preserving evidence of its transformation from military post to museum.
Open guide →Orosi, Paraíso, Cartago
A 1743 Franciscan church and its former convent preserve architecture, sacred art and community memory in the Orosi Valley.
Open guide →Below Plaza de la Cultura, San José
An archaeological collection explores metallurgy, social organization and the worldviews of Costa Rica’s pre-Columbian peoples.
Open guide →Central Avenue at streets 13 and 13 bis, San José
Five galleries connect jade, ceramic and stone objects with the social, religious and everyday lives of pre-Columbian societies.
Open guide →La Sabana Metropolitan Park, San José
Costa Rica’s state art collection occupies La Sabana’s former airport terminal and spans creative work from the nineteenth century onward.
Open guide →CENAC, former National Liquor Factory, San José
MADC presents contemporary art and design from Costa Rica, Central America and the Caribbean inside a former industrial complex.
Open guide →North side of Alajuela Central Park
The museum interprets the 1856–1857 National Campaign, Juan Santamaría and Alajuela’s historical memory.
Open guide →Barrio Escalante, San José
A heritage house explores the 1940s Social Reforms, Calderón Guardia and major twentieth-century debates.
Open guide →Santa Lucía de Barva, Heredia
A historic house interprets coffee-era daily life, kitchens, trades and beliefs in Costa Rica’s Central Valley.
Open guide →Central San Ramón, Alajuela
The former Municipal Palace brings together regional history, documentary heritage, everyday life and natural themes from western Costa Rica.
Open guide →Former Comandancia, central Cartago
Cartago’s former Comandancia and jail preserves institutional architecture while serving as the city museum and cultural centre.
Open guide →There are no destinations for this combination yet.
