Central Valley & Highlands
Trains first pulled in at this atmospheric, now-abandoned station more than a century ago and continued until the 1990s, when the remaining freight…
Must-see attractions in Costa Rica
Mal País & Santa Teresa
About 8km north of the Playa El Carmen intersection (past Playa Hermosa), Playa Manzanillo is a combination of sand and rock that’s best surfed when the…
Northwestern Costa Rica
Santa Rosa is the southern sector of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste. Some 30km of hiking trails weave through this tropical dry forest, offering…
Central Valley & Highlands
The village of Ujarrás was damaged by an 1833 flood and then abandoned. All that remains are the crumbling walls of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Limpia…
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles
Central Valley & Highlands
Cartago's most important site, and Costa Rica's most venerated religious shrine, this basilica exudes Byzantine grace, with fine stained-glass windows,…
Reserva Biológica Hitoy-Cerere
Southern Caribbean
Only the most intrepid of nature enthusiasts will make the journey to Hitoy-Cerere, about 60km south of Puerto Limón and only accessible by 4WD along a…
Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja
Northwestern Costa Rica
Given its proximity to Liberia, this park (about 160 sq km) feels surprisingly uncrowded and remote. Named after the steamy main attraction – the active…
Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa
About 3km south of San Vito, Finca Cántaros is a recreation center and reforestation project. Over 7 hectares of grounds – formerly coffee plantations and…
Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo
Caribbean Coast
Enter this underexplored national park and you will have an idea of what Costa Rica looked like prior to the 1950s, when 75% of the country’s surface area…
Southern Caribbean
This small but beautiful park – just 10 sq km – is one of the more frequently visited national parks in Costa Rica. The reasons are simple: the nearby…
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Golfito
Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa
This small, 28-sq-km reserve encompasses most of the steep hills surrounding Golfito, though it's easy to miss. There are no facilities for visitors, save…
To Corcovado via Puerto Jiménez
About 8km south of La Palma, Finca Köbö is a chocolate-lover’s dream come true (in fact köbö means ‘dream’ in Ngöbere). The 20-hectare finca is dedicated…
La Fortuna
This center, 4km east of town, has a well-developed trail system that’s excellent for birding, as well as for spotting mammals such as coatis and agoutis …
Sarapiquí Valley
Down a rugged road and across the hanging bridge is home to more than 80 varieties of heliconias, tropical flowers, plants and trees. The two-hectare…
Northwestern Costa Rica
La Casona is the main edifice of the old Hacienda Santa Rosa. The battle of 1856 was fought around this building. There are wonderful displays detailing …
Caribbean Coast
Enthusiastic owner Chito is a passionate naturalist who spent 20 years building and introducing wildlife into a 5km canal system just outside Siquirres…
Northwestern Costa Rica
An unexpected architectural landmark in this otherwise innocuous town, this Catholic church was designed by famed local painter Otto Apuy. The church (and…
Sarapiquí Valley
The frogs hop free in this lovely tropical garden, a perfect habitat for more than 28 species. On bilingual guided tours you’re likely to see old…
Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco
Central Valley & Highlands
This little-visited national park is where five of Costa Rica's major rivers originate. The 143-sq-km reserve has a sizable but little maintained trail…
Puntarenas
Quite possibly the most beautiful building in Puntarenas, Casa Fait is a purple-and-cream clapboard 1920s colonial building, with ornate iron balconies…
Central Valley & Highlands
The University of Costa Rica runs the exceptional 11-hectare Lankester Gardens, started as a private garden by British orchid enthusiast Charles Lankester…
Monteverde & Santa Elena
There's no sign, no website, and last we checked, nobody was collecting any money for this delightful roadside attraction. It's simply a hollowed-out fig…
Arenal & Around
This snake house offers a hands-on animal experience, as in, handling and milking a venomous snake. It's home to a red-tailed boa (one of the largest…
Quepos to Uvita
Near the entrance to Nauyaca Waterfall, this weathered reptile park sits on an acre of land and is a mini–Jurassic Park. It's got everything from…
Central Valley & Highlands
Occupying a privileged position on the corner of the plaza just north of the church, this low-lying Spanish structure dates back to the late 18th century…
La Fortuna
You can glimpse the sparkling 70m ribbon of clear water that pours through a sheer canyon of dark volcanic rock arrayed in bromeliads and ferns with…
Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco
Península de Nicoya
Costa Rica’s oldest protected wilderness area covers 12 sq km at the tip of the Península de Nicoya. The unique park is covered by evergreen forests,…
Northwestern Costa Rica
Sloths, frogs, snakes, butterflies and prolific birdlife inhabit the gorgeous grounds of this finca, worth a visit to see the methods of a working organic…
Sarapiquí Valley
Father and son Dave and Dave greet all comers to this 4.5-hectare reserve on the Río Sarapiquí, 200m north of the cemetery. You don't have to be a birder…
Nosara Area
Reservations are required to visit this wildlife sanctuary, set on 50 glorious acres of jungle and garden. The sanctuary is dedicated to rescuing,…
El Castillo-Arenal Butterfly Conservatory
Arenal & Around
More than just a butterfly conservatory (although it has one of the largest butterfly exhibitions in Costa Rica). Altogether there are six domed habitats …
Uvita
A few kilometers before Uvita is a signed turnoff to the left. A rough dirt road (4WD only) leads 3.5km up the hill to this private reserve on the farm of…
Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación
Central Valley & Highlands
Catie's sprawling grounds, 2km east of Turrialba, encompass 10 sq km dedicated to tropical agricultural research and education. Agronomists from all over…
San José
This architecturally unremarkable concrete plaza in the heart of downtown is usually packed with locals slurping ice-cream cones and admiring the wide…
Central Valley & Highlands
This artisanal woodworking studio is run by Hermes and Miguel Quesada, sons of renowned Tico carver Macedonio Quesada. The brothers maintain the campesino…
Central Valley & Highlands
On the northern edge of San Ramón park, this informative museum run by the University of San Ramón accounts the cultural heritage of the area with a…
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Bahía Junquillal
Northwestern Costa Rica
The quiet bay and beautiful protected beach at Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Bahía Junquillal provide gentle swimming and snorkeling opportunities…
Nosara Area
The private 35-hectare reserve behind Lagarta Lodge has trails leading through a mangrove wetland down to the river and beach. Stop in the Lagarta lobby…
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
West of town, this farm and botanical garden has long produced organic pepper and cacao, along with more than 150 tropical fruits and ornamental plants…
Northwestern Costa Rica
Don’t cruise through La Cruz without stopping at this oddly shaped ‘tourist and cultural center’ on the western edge of town. You might stumble across an…
