VISIT COSTA RICA

Listen visit Costa Rica info best places to visit in Costa Rica best Costa Rica

Listen visit Costa Rica info best places to visit in Costa Rica best Costa Rica destinations.

Costa Rica is a wonderland of natural attractions, with volcanoes, beaches, cloud forests, and unique wildlife. This is a country that appeals as much to birdwatchers and luxury focused travelers as it does to surfers and backpackers. The busy city of San Jose is home to the country's best museums and lovely squares, but the real treasures lie beyond the capital, in the forests and small coastal villages. Endless stretches of beach line the Pacific Coast, with small towns that cater to surfers and sun seekers. Inland, the forest-covered mountains offer their own adventures, from volcanoes and waterfalls to ziplining and extraordinary wildlife viewing. Costa Rica also has shoreline on the Caribbean. While this is a lesser visited area of the country, it offers something a little different in terms of culture and attractions, and is known in particular as a breeding ground for green sea turtles.

1 Manuel Antonio National Park

Wildlife, beaches, and fun are what attract visitors to Manuel Antonio National Park and the adjacent town of Manuel Antonio. The park is known for its beautiful stretch of sand, forest, and the wildlife that inhabits the area. Standing in stark contrast to this tranquility is the small town of Manuel Antonio, known for its lively atmosphere. Visitors who can embrace both will find the area lends itself to a longer stay. The town has plenty of hotels and restaurants and is within easy walking distance of the park.

Guided walks through the park make for easy wildlife spotting, but even those who venture into the park on their own will have no trouble finding monkeys, sloths, and all kinds of birds. Howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and the hard-to-miss capuchins that frequent the town and park can usually be seen from the trails. Tour guides often carry tripods and telescopes, which are an added bonus for viewing and photography.

Most of the action in town is centered around the beautiful oceanfront beach, where noon time soccer matches break out, and surfers enjoy the usually gentle waves. (This is a popular place to take a surf lesson.) Across the road from the beach and higher up on the hillside are restaurants and stores, some of which can get quite loud in the evenings. For those who want to escape from the activity of the main beach, equally attractive beaches can be found inside the park.

2 Arenal Volcano (Volcan Arenal)

The Arenal Volcano National Park is found in the rugged Cordillera de Tilarán and is one of the top volcano viewing areas in the country. The main attraction in the park is the Arenal Volcano, reaching 1,633 meters. It looks just as one might imagine a volcano; a cone-shaped mountain with huge ash columns streaming from the crater.

Arenal was dormant from 1500 AD until a massive eruption on July 29, 1968, which killed 82 people and destroyed two villages. Since then, it has seen regular activity and, depending on the day or week, visitors can expect to see anything from a cloud of ash to glowing red lava flowing down the mountain.

The park is also known for its wide range of biodiversity with approximately half of all Costa Rican birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals represented somewhere within its boundaries.

The Arenal Observatory Lodge, originally a private observatory established in 1987, is the only lodge within the Arenal Volcano National Park boundaries. It is located on a macadamia nut farm on the south side of the volcano. From the lodge, there are excellent views of the volcano and Arenal Lake in the opposite direction. Numerous hiking trails are in the area, some of which lead to waterfalls, as well as old and recent lava flows.

3 Monteverde and the Cloud Forests

The Cloud Forests near Monteverde and Santa Elena have become popular ecotourism destinations within Costa Rica.