Top Five Places to Visit in Costa Rica

 

Costa Rica ranks #1 on many lists as the “happiest country in the world” and I definitely felt the joy when I visited. This probably has to do with the fact that Costa Rica is truly a country where no day is mundane. There is so much to do, that after a trip there, you will most certainly want to return to continue the adventure. From horseback riding, to surfing, to numerous zip lines throughout the country, to dolphin and monkey watching, Costa Rica has something for everyone. There are also plenty of options for where to stay, private villas, all-inclusive resorts and treehouse hotels. Below is a list of my top five places to visit in Costa Rica.

Monteverde Cloud Forest: Spending a day in the Monteverde cloud forest is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done while traveling. A cloud forest is the result of the atmosphere regularly causing a layer of clouds to form right above and amid tree tops of a forest. The Monteverde cloud forest consists of over 35,000 acres of cloud forest, and contains an immense amount of protected wildlife within its cover. Hanging bridges throughout a portion of the forest allow for travelers to literally walk among the trees (takes about 1.5 hours to walk all of the bridges). The visitors’ area of the forest also contains a butterfly garden and hummingbird garden. If you do go to Monteverde, don’t forget to bring an umbrella, as its climate is very different than other parts of the country, and is quite often rainy and cold.

Volcanoes: Due to the climate of Costa Rica, it’s often difficult to see views of the volcanoes unobstructed by clouds, but when you do, or if you at least get a partial view, it’s quite spectacular.

• Arenal Volcano is the most visited volcano in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, as of 2010 it is no longer active, and is now in resting mode, which means its eruptions are not occurring for now. In the past, at sunset, you could see lava flowing regularly and it was quite the sight. Arenal is still interesting to see, and has the most typical cone-shape of all the volcanos in Costa Rica. While here, definitely catch a zipline, and also visit the many hot springs in nearby La Fortuna (more below). Arenal is convenient to get to from either of the two big airports in Costa Rica, Liberia and San Jose.
• Poas Volcano is another well-known, active volcano in Costa Rica and is very close to the capital city of San Jose. The volcano is surrounded by forests and has a few great hiking trails. It has one active crater with a boiling acid lake of stunning turquoise blue color, to which you can actually hike upto and look into.

La Fortuna: La Fortuna is the area right outside of the Arenal Volcano, and is most famous for its glorious hot springs. Tabacon is supposed to be the best of the hot springs there, but there are also others that are quite good without the hefty price tag.

Tamarindo: If you want to go surfing while in Costa Rica, Tamarindo is the place to go. The water is beautiful and clear, even if you don’t want to surf, and the sand is worthy of sinking your feet right in.

Tortuguero National Park: Tortuguero is the third most visited national park in Costa Rica. If you want to go to this national park for the famed turtles (tortugas), the main attraction, you have to time your trip correctly. Go during the night-time (with a guide, which can be arranged at your hotel or through a kiosk at Tortuguero village) of winter months (February-July) for your best shot at seeing various types of turtles laying their eggs on the beach. Note that the park can only be visited by plane or boat.

Additional activities that don’t require you to be in a particular destination within Costa Rica include wildlife boat cruises, coffee tours, sugarcane plantation tours, snorkeling and a day trip to Nicaragua.

 

I would love to hear if you think additional places should be added to this list of top five places to visit in Costa Rica.  XOXO