Sights in Costa Rica
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Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio was declared a national park in 1972, preserving it (with just minutes to spare) from being bulldozed and razed to make room for a coastal development project. Although Manuel Antonio was enlarged to its present-day size of 16 sq km in 2000, it is still the country’s second-smallest national park. Space remains a premium, and as this is one of Central America’s top tourist destinations, you’re going to have to break free from the camera-clicking tour groups and actively seek out your own idyllic spot of sand.
That said, Manuel Antonio is absolutely stunning, and on a good day, at the right time, it’s easy to convince yourself that…
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Península de Nicoya
The Nicoya Peninsula is a sun-drenched strip of land with over 130km (81mi) of stunning coastline bound by dry, tropical rainforest. As looks go, it's a beauty and the most popular tourist destination in the whole country. Though the coastlines are being increasingly colonized by gringos, the interior remains dedicated to agriculture and ranching.
In the past, poor access kept development in check. The recently constructed Friendship Bridge and the international airport in Liberia have created fast-track access. The resort mania around Playa Panamá and Playa Tambor is quickly spreading south. With record numbers of foreigners flocking to Nicoya, it's more important than…
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Monteverde Cheese Factory
Until the upswing in ecotourism, Monteverde’s number-one employer was this cheese factory. Started in 1953 by Monteverde’s original Quaker settlers, the factory produces everything from a creamy Gouda to a very nice sharp, white cheddar, sold all over the country, as well as other dairy products such as yogurt and, most importantly, ice cream. Reservations are required for the two-hour tour of the factory.
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Herrera Gardens & Conservation Project
On the east side of the airstrip, Herrera Gardens & Conservation Project is a 250-acre reserve with beautiful botanical gardens. This innovative, long-term reforestation project offers an ecologically and economically sustainable alternative to cattle-grazing. Visitors can explore the 5km of garden trails or 15km of well-marked forest trails. Guided tours focus on birding, botany or even tree climbing! Stop by Jagua Arts & Crafts (near the airstrip) to buy a map or arrange your tour.
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Playa Hermosa
While newbies struggle to stand up on their boards in Jacó, a few kilometers south in Playa Hermosa seasoned veterans are thrashing their way across the faces of some truly monster waves. Regarded as one of the most consistent and powerful breaks in the whole country, Hermosa serves up serious surf that commands the utmost respect. Of course, you really need to know what you’re doing in these parts – huge waves and strong riptides are unforgiving, and countless surfboards here have wound up shattered to pieces and strewn about on the shoreline. Still, even if you're not a pro, the vibe here is excellent, the surfers are chilled out and the beach lives up to its name.
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Aventuras Bosquemar Canopy
If you prefer to tour the rain forest at high speed, the thrilling Aventuras Bosquemar Canopy is the first zip-line canopy tour on this side of the peninsula. Five lines stretch between five platforms, winding 600m through primary forest. It's about 8km from Jiménez near the village of Miramar - prices include transportation from Puerto Jiménez.
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Finca La Isla Botanical Garden
To the west of town is a working tropical farm where the owners have been growing organic pepper, cacao, tropical fruits and ornamental plants for more than a decade. Part of the farm is set aside as a botanical garden, which is also good for bird-watching and for wildlife observation (look for sloths, poison-dart frogs and toucans). The informative guided tour includes admission, fruit tasting and a glass of fresh juice to finish, or you can buy a booklet (US$1) and take yourself on a self-guided tour.
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Playa Negra
The entire southern Caribbean coast - from Cahuita all the way south to Punta Mona - is lined with unbelievably beautiful beaches. Just northwest of town, Playa Negra offers the area's safest swimming, as well as excellent body boarding.
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Arenal Observatory Lodge
This lodge was built in 1987 as a private observatory for the Universidad de Costa Rica. Scientists chose to construct the lodge on a macadamia-nut farm on the south side of Volcán Arenal due to its proximity to the volcano (only 2km away) and its relatively safe location on a ridge. Since its creation, volcanologists from all over the world, including researchers from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, have come to study the active volcano. Today, the majority of visitors are tourists, though scientists regularly visit the lodge, and a seismograph in the hotel continues to operate around the clock. The lodge is the only place inside the park where you can…
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Playa Guiones
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Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Golfito
The small, 28-sq-km reserve encompasses most of the steep hills surrounding Golfito, though it's poorly publicized and easy to miss. It was originally created to protect the town’s watershed, though it also protects a number of rare and interesting plant species. It is home to several cycads, which are ‘living fossils,’ and are regarded as the most primitive of plants. The reserve also attracts a variety of tropical birds, four species of monkey and several small mammals.
There are no facilities for visitors, save a gravel access road and a few poorly maintained trails, but for those who don't have the time or ability to hike in Corcovado, it provides a quick…
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Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro
Because of the region's relative remoteness, this 102 sq km (63 sq mi) refuge has long been frequented, primarily by two sorts of specialists. Anglers come in search of that elusive 40-pound snook, though they abandon ship April through July when the park is closed to fishing (a good time to get a bargain price on accommodation). Birders flock here each year from January through March to spot an unequalled assortment of waterfowl.
During the dry season, water levels drop, concentrating the birds (and fish) in photogenically (or tasty) close quarters. From January to March, when migratory birds land in large numbers, avian density is most definitely world class.
The Río…
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Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal
Arenal was just another dormant volcano from about AD 1500 until 29 July 29 1968, when something snapped. Huge explosions triggered lava flows that destroyed three villages, killing about 80 people and 45,000 cattle. Although it occasionally quieted down for a few weeks or even months, Arenal produced menacing ash columns, massive explosions and streams of glowing molten rock almost daily from 1968 until it all quite abruptly ended in 2010.
Still, any obituary on the Arenal area is quite premature given the fact that the volcano has retained its picture-perfect conical shape despite the volcanic activity, and there is still plenty of forest on its lower slopes and in the…
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Parque Nacional Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa is a wild space of pristine beaches, tropical dry forests and savannahs of thorn trees and swaying jaragua grass. The wildlife on Península Santa Elena is both varied and prolific, especially during the dry season. The rainy months of September and October are best for turtle watching. Here you'll find arribadas (mass-nesting) of up to 8,000 olive ridley sea turtles.
Established in 1971, this national park is one of the oldest in Costa Rica - it's also one of the biggest, spanning 38,674ha (95,565 acres). Santa Rosa is one of the best-developed, though still simple, camping facilities of the nation's parks.
The surfing at Playa Naranjo is world-renowned,…
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Monumento Nacional Arqueológico Guayabo
This is the largest and most important archaeological site in the country. Although Guayabo is not nearly as breathtaking as Mayan and Aztec archaeological sites (don't expect pyramids), excavations have unearthed sophisticated infrastructure and mysterious petroglyphs. Polychromatic pottery and gold artifacts found here are also exhibited at the Museo Nacional in San José.
The most impressive find at Guayabo is the aqueduct system, which may have served more than 20,000 people in AD 800, the height of the city's prominence. It uses enormous stones hauled in from far-off Río Reventazón along an 8km (5mi)road that's in pretty good shape (by Costa Rican standards). The…
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Parque Nacional Los Quetzales
Costa Rica's newest national park, formerly the Reserva Los Santos, was made official in 2005. Spread along both banks of the Río Sevegre, the park covers 5000 hectares (12,355 acres) of rain and cloud forest. With altitudes of up to 3000m (9843ft), this is the heart of the Cordillera de Talamanca, which means picturesque mountain streams, glacial lakes and a range of glorious peaks.
The lifeblood of the park is the Río Savegre, which starts high up on the Cerro de la Muerte and feeds several mountain streams and glacial lakes before pouring into the Pacific near the town of Savegre. Although relatively small, this region is remarkably diverse – the Savegre watershed…
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Parque Nacional Chirripó
Costa Rica’s mountainous spine runs the length of the country in four distinct cordilleras (mountain ranges), of which the Cordillera de Talamanca is the highest, longest and most remote. While most of the Talamanca highlands are difficult to access, Costa Rica’s highest peak, at 3820m above sea level, is the focus of popular. Of course, while Chirripó is the highest and most famous summit in Costa Rica, it is not unique: two other peaks inside the park top 3800m, and most of the park’s 502 sq km lies above 2000m.
Like a tiny chunk of the South American Andes, Parque Nacional Chirripó's rocky high-altitude features are an entirely unexpected respite from the heat…
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Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas
Playa Grande is considered to be one of most important nesting sites in the entire world for the baula or leatherback turtle. In 1991, the entirety of the beach and adjacent lands (379 ha) along with 22,000 ha of ocean was designated as Marino Las Baulas National Park.
The ecology of the park is primarily composed of mangrove swamp, and it's possible to find all of the six mangrove species native to Costa Rica here. This habitat is ideal for caimans and crocodiles, as well as numerous bird species, including the beautiful roseate spoonbill. Other creatures to look for when visiting are howler monkeys, raccoons, coatis, otters and a variety of crabs. But, as is to be…
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Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde
This beautiful reserve came into being in 1972, when the Quaker community, spurred on by the threat of encroaching squatters, joined forces with environmental and wildlife organizations to purchase and protect an extra 328 hectares (811 acres) of land. This fragile enviroment relies almost entirely on public donations to survive. Today, the reserve totals 10,500 hectares (25,946 acres).
Visitors should note that some of the walking trails are very muddy, and even during the dry season (late December to early May) the cloud forest is wet. Many trails have been stabilized with concrete blocks or wooden boards and are easy to walk on, though unpaved trails deeper in the…
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Butterfly Farm
Yes, they farm butterflies in Costa Rica, and it's a fascinating process. Opened in 1983, this was the first commercial butterfly farm in Latin America. Informative guided tours will take you through tropical gardens filled with hundreds of butterflies. Learn about the complex butterfly life cycle and discover the importance of butterflies in nature.
In the wild, it's estimated that less than 2% of caterpillars survive to adulthood, though breeders at the farm boast an astounding 90% survival rate. This ensures a steady supply of pupae for gardens, schools, museums and private collections around the world. If you visit on a Monday or a Thursday from March to August, you…
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Wilson Botanical Garden
The world class Wilson Botanical Garden covers 12 hectares (30 acres) and is surrounded by 254 hectares (628 acres) of natural forest. The garden was established by Robert and Catherine Wilson in 1963 and thereafter became internationally known for its collection. Today, the well-maintained garden holds more than 1000 genera of plants in about 200 families and plays a scientific role as a research center.
The gardens are well laid out and many of the plants are labelled. A trail map is available for self-guided walks featuring exotic species like orchids, bromeliads, palms and medicinal plants. The many ornamental varieties are breathtakingly beautiful and tours explain…
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El Jardín de las Mariposas
One of the most interesting activities is visiting the butterfly garden. Admission entitles you to a naturalist-led tour (in Spanish or English) that begins with an enlightening discussion of butterfly life cycles and the butterfly’s importance in nature. A variety of eggs, caterpillars, pupae and adults are examined. Visitors are taken into the greenhouses, where the butterflies are raised, and on into the screened garden, where hundreds of butterflies of many species are seen. The tour lasts about an hour.
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Avarios del Caribe & Buttercup Center
About 10km north of Cahuita, this small wildlife sanctuary sits on an 88-hectare island in the delta of the Río Estrella. The now-famous orphaned sloth named Buttercup reigns over the grounds, ever since she was adopted by owners Luis and Judy at the age of five weeks.
Their passion for these funny creatures is contagious; informative guided tours (US$20 to US$30) allow visitors to meet some of the resident sloths. The center also offers a variety of excursions through the canals and lagoons of the Estrella delta, where 312 (and counting!) species of birds have been recorded. Besides the prolific birdlife, this lowland rain forest is home to monkeys, caimans, river…
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Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park
The Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park is a collection of botanical gardens reflecting each of the topographic zones native to Costa Rica. As you walk along impeccably manicured trails, you’ll pass through palm forests, pasture lands, herbariums, cactus fields, bamboo groves, bromeliad gardens, orchid beds and a loma canopy. The gardens are accessed by an aerial cable car, which is included in the price of admission.
If you’re an adrenaline junkie, there is also a canopy tour (adult/child US$55/40) that has you swinging through the trees, as well as opportunities for horseback riding and rock climbing. If you’re traveling with the little ones, they’ll be content for hours either…
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Lankester Gardens
The University of Costa Rica runs the exceptional Lankester Gardens, which was started as a private garden by British orchid enthusiast Charles Lankester in 1917, but was turned over to the university for public administration in 1973. Orchids are the big draw at this tranquil 11-hectare spot, with more than 1100 at their showiest from March to May. There is also a new Japanese garden, as well as areas full of bromeliads, palms, heliconias and other tropical plants. This is one of the few places where foreigners can legally purchase orchids to take home. Guided tours in English and Spanish can be arranged with prior reservation; the garden is wheelchair-accessible. Find…
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