Costa Rica trip-planning guides
Our Costa Rica planning guides: itineraries, regions, transport, seasons, parks and wildlife, written to help you build a route that works.
10 yoga retreats in Costa Rica, coast by coast
Costa Rica's yoga retreats cluster in a few places: Montezuma and Santa Teresa on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, Nosara farther north, Dominical and…
Orchids of Costa Rica: where and when to see them
Costa Rica has more than 1,000 orchid species, most of them growing on trees in its wet mountain forests. The easiest place to see a lot of them is…
Animals of Costa Rica: what to see and where to go
Costa Rica packs about 5% of the world's species into a small country, and you can see a lot of them on an ordinary trip. For sloths and monkeys go…
Arenal and La Fortuna trip planner: volcano, hot springs and the lake
Arenal is Costa Rica's volcano country, and La Fortuna is the town that serves it. It's about 3.5 hours from San José by car, and 2 to 3 nights is…
Birdwatching in Costa Rica: where to go and how to plan it
Costa Rica has about 950 recorded bird species in an area smaller than West Virginia, so a well-planned two weeks can produce a huge list. Combine…
San José (SJO) or Liberia (LIR)? Choosing your Costa Rica airport
Fly into Liberia (LIR) if your trip is mostly Guanacaste and the northern Nicoya beaches; it's about 1¼ hours from Tamarindo. Fly into San José (SJO)…
Costa Rica in 10 days: Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and the whale coast
Ten days is enough for the classic Costa Rica loop: Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and a quieter stretch of the South Pacific coast around Uvita…
Costa Rica in 2 weeks: Tortuguero to the Osa Peninsula
Two weeks is enough to cross the country coast to coast: the canals of Tortuguero, Sarapiquí, Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and the Osa…
Costa Rica in 7 days: volcano, cloud forest and a Pacific beach
With one week, pick three bases and don't try to see the whole country: 2 nights at Arenal, 2 in Monteverde and 2 on a Guanacaste beach. Fly into San…
Costa Rica national parks: which to visit and how to book
For a first trip, plan around four parks: Manuel Antonio for easy wildlife, Arenal for the volcano, Monteverde for cloud forest and either Tortuguero…
Costa Rica weather: when to go, month by month and region by region
For most of Costa Rica, the best time to go is the dry season, December to April, when Guanacaste and the Pacific coast see almost no rain. September…
Getting around Costa Rica: cars, shuttles, buses, flights and ferries
Most visitors get around Costa Rica by rental car or shared shuttle, and both work well for the main route. Drive if you want flexibility and side…
Scuba diving in Costa Rica: from Guanacaste to Cocos Island
Costa Rica's best diving is on the Pacific side. Guanacaste is the easiest base, with manta rays at the Catalina Islands and bull sharks at the Bat…
Surfing in Costa Rica: the best surf towns and how to plan a trip
For beginners, the easiest bases are Tamarindo, Nosara (Playa Guiones) and Santa Teresa, all with plenty of surf schools. Intermediate and advanced…
Where to stay in Costa Rica: the best bases, region by region
Choose your base towns first and your hotels second: La Fortuna for Arenal, Santa Elena for Monteverde, Manuel Antonio for the central coast…
