COSTA RICA VACATIONS for every travel style
Petite in size but wealthy in natural wonders, Costa Rica is one of the most versatile vacation spots in the world. Whether you’re into sandy beaches and rolling hillside farms or misty cloud forests and active volcanoes, there are options aplenty for relaxation and adventure.
The Central American country was already a popular travel destination before the pandemic, but its array of outdoor attractions and early moves to relax entry requirements drove a surge in interest.
“Costa Rica is definitely one of our hottest destinations right now,” says Alisa Cohen, founder of the boutique travel agency Luxe Traveler Club. “It’s easy to get to, there’s amazing hotels, there’s tons for every age – especially if you have kids – to do.”
With all of Costa Rica’s potential, where should you go? Most travel experts who book trips to Costa Rica agree: Don’t spend your time in one place. “We always say split it,” says Nicki Wheeler, a British expat who’s lived in Costa Rica since 2004 and owns the travel company Sendero Adventures.
Wheeler recommends visitors get away from chain hotels and mainstream sites. With so much nature to explore, she says, they should “be adventurous. Do things maybe that you wouldn’t do at home.”
For a wellness retreat: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
While many different areas in Costa Rica cater to travelers who want a vacation focused on their health and wellbeing, Jorge Varela, a private guide for ToursByLocals, recommends renting a house in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in southeast Costa Rica. There you’ll find beautiful rainforest, access to the Caribbean Sea, yoga, mindfulness and meditation workshops and restaurants serving organic food.
“Something that I like about this area is they don’t have chain or big hotels,” he says. “They have boutique hotels and bungalows in the middle of the forest.”
Alternatively, travel guide Pabrö Sánchez says the Valle del General has a lot of “glamping” and also boasts boutique hotels that focus on wellness. Wheeler is a fan of retreats in Golfo Dulce, a tropical fjord in the Osa Peninsula, her favorite area in Costa Rica.
For beaches: Take your pick of Caribbean or Pacific
With nearly 800 miles of coastline, Costa Rica boasts many distinct beaches.
The Pacific side tends to get more attention thanks to its world-class surf spots, but the Caribbean coast dazzles, too. “That’s where you’ll find the most beautiful coastline in Costa Rica,” Varela says of the country’s southern Caribbean region, listing off “Champagne-colored sand, turquoise waters, coral reefs good for snorkeling, colorful schools of fish.”
Wheeler says Pacific beaches,
“especially in the Guanacaste area” to the north, “are just so beautiful ... probably some of the best in the world.”
On the Pacific coast, Varela recommends staying around Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio or Playa Flamingo, known for its pinkish sand and good hotels.
For the food: San José While Costa Rica isn’t famous for its gastronomy, Wheeler says recent changes to the food scene include new takes on local ingredients and traditions. “It’s absolutely amazing, especially in San José,” she says.
Varela says Barrio Escalante is the best neighborhood for food lovers, where “there are literally seven to 10 blocks with restaurants, pubs, specialty coffee shops.” He says there are also spots for “more refined” cooking as well as sodas, the name for small local restaurants, where you can find “more traditional tapas we call bocas.”
Even if you want to spend time eating your way through San José, Sánchez recommends staying outside of the city proper. Areas in the nearby highlands like Alajuela and Heredia have fewer crowds and better views.
For zip-lines and volcano hikes: Corcovado National Park
Costa Rica is synonymous with adventure tourism. “That’s what we’re good at,” Wheeler says, noting the country’s famous surf, national parks, zip-lining and volcano trekking. Plus, “we have the Pacuare River, which is one of the top 10 rivers in the world for white-water rafting,” she says.
At Corcovado National Park, “they do two- or three-night trips where you go live with the park rangers,” she says. “... It’s very, very remote and it’s definitely one of the places that hosts most of the wildlife species of Costa Rica.”
Surfers will want to hit the Pacific coast. For beginners, Sánchez suggests the towns of Nosara, Malpaís or Santa Teresa.
For families: La Fortuna
Varela and Wheeler say families will find activities for all ages in La Fortuna. “It’s an activity hub,” Wheeler says, listing options like tours of chocolate farms, visiting hot springs and Arenal Volcano National Park.
For a beach, Varela sends families to Playa Hermosa because it’s easily accessible from the Liberia Guanacaste Airport (LIR); has calm, swimmable water; and is good for snorkeling. Varela says families can also take boat rides from Playa Hermosa to secluded beaches and islands.
For wildlife: Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
To see wild animals, head to the misty forest of Monteverde, home to hundreds of species of birds, monkeys, bats, reptiles and amphibians, porcupines and sloths.
“The hikes in Monteverde Cloud Forest are amazing,” Wheeler says. “Especially if you go early in the morning.”
For something off the beaten path: The Osa Peninsula
Costa Rica has plenty of hidden gems, but they’re not simple to reach. For example, there’s the Osa Peninsula at the southernmost tip of the country near the Panama border.
Varela suggests splurging on an ecolodge like La Paloma on the peninsula’s Drake Bay, where the nature is pristine. “It’s remote and harder to get to ... and a little bit more expensive than moretouristy areas,” he says. That’s on purpose: Those extra barriers for entry help prevent overtourism.