7 Best Places to Visit in Costa Rica

Arenal is one of the best places to go in Costa Rica because it embodies the country’s wonders by pulling the beauty, charm, wildlife, and adventure into a single place crowned by the cone of an iconic volcano.

Hot springs bubble at the edge of the thriving rainforest and horses graze on the plains bordering thriving plantations wedged between the base of the volcano and the glistening waters of Arenal Lake.

Arenal feels like the perfect place for an exciting immersion into Costa Rica. It is famous for giving you access to hikes, ziplining, hanging bridges, and the dramatic views of the renowned dormant peak.

Highlights: La Fortuna Waterfall • Hot Springs • Arenal Volcano National Park • Lake Arenal • Venado Caves • Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-4 days

Manuel Antonio is a haven in which you can escape to white-sand beaches and the Pacific Ocean’s crystal-clear indigo waters.

While the borders protect the country’s smallest national park, the trails, trees, and coastline offer undeniable treasures, with accessible visions of wildlife, marvelous scuba-diving hotspots, kayaking excursions, and night tours in search of red-eyed tree frogs.

Even as one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations, Manuel Antonio feels completely unspoiled, making it one of the top places to visit offering the opportunity to indulge in a luxury Costa Rica vacation.

Highlights: Playa Manuel Antonio • Manuel Antonio National Park • Manuel Antonio Hot Springs • Rainmaker Conservation Park • Los Campesinos • Playa Biesanz

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-3 days

Monteverde is an escape from the tropical heat, taking you into the Central Highlands, famous as a slim corridor of preserved cloud forests.

Cultural history is brief but welcoming, while natural history looms large, quickly enveloping you with the possibility of spotting a quetzal or uncovering the complex microclimate that creates a unique vision of clouds passing through the forest canopy.

From trekking to horseback riding, ziplining to butterfly farms, each possibility only deeper defines one of the world’s most unique ecosystems as a jewel.

Highlights: Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve • Curi Cancha Reserve • Children’s Eternal Rainforest • Cloud Forest Reserve Santa Elena • Monteverde Butterfly Garden

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 days

Tortuguero is a majestic destination and even in a country full of treasures, it stands out as a surprising and delightful place. Wildlife is the main focus, whether looking for sea turtles in the ocean or traveling the canals of the national park to discover a huge variety of species.

As one of the best places to see in Costa Rica, the sounds of howling monkeys and noisy exotic birds create an ambiance of untamed adventure in the remote northeast, reachable only by plane or boat.

Tortuguero will immediately show you it is not your average beach trip as it reveals the country’s most rewarding experiences, whether looking for a romantic escape or the perfect Costa Rica family vacation destination.

Highlights: Tortuguero National Park • Sea Turtle Conservancy Visitor’s Center • Tortuguero Village • Tortuguero Canals • Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-3 days

The Osa Peninsula is renowned for its rainforest and often cited as one of the world’s most biologically dense destinations. Secluded, eco-friendly, luxury accommodations hide among the abundant wildlife and lush rainforest, where contemporary ingenuity meets unspoiled nature.

Secluded beaches and a complex system of fresh and saltwater branches support the likes of jaguars and tapirs, mangrove estuaries and dense jungle terrain.

Visiting the Osa Peninsula makes you feel like an explorer glimpsing at rural life, pre-Columbian heritage, former mining villages, and the thrills of stepping off the beaten path, resulting in high adventure, a remarkable escape, or an eco-friendly tour of Costa Rica.

Highlights: Drake Bay • Corcovado National Park • Cano Island Biological Reserve • Osa Wildlife Sanctuary • Piedras Blancas National Park

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-4 days

San Jose represents the modern culture of Costa Rica, but offers so much more than what initially meets the eye. Coffee plantations, volcanic ridges, historic monuments, grand parks, and a burgeoning cafe scene speak volumes about the natural history and cultural influence that have shaped the city.

Museums, plazas, and colonial architecture only add to an air of elegance found only in the capital city, crowned with a pleasant climate and profound sense of local style. Its central location also makes it an easy center from which you can venture into the natural wonders outside of the Central Valley.

Highlights: National Theater • Pre-Columbian Gold Museum • Feria Verde de Aranjuez • House of Mariano Alvarez Mengar • Jade Museum

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 days

Cahuita is an authentic corner of Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coast. It has held on tightly to  its calm ambiance, steeped in Afro-Caribbean culture, and is great for a Costa Rica honeymoon or romantic couples’ tour away from the crowds.

The town sits beside the borders of Cahuita National Park, which glows with dramatic coral reefs and enticing waves, attracting scuba divers, surfers, and beachgoers looking for a place to relax.

Hiking trails can lead you around the point to where wonderful birdlife and wildlife thrive to further support the region’s indelible and unforgettable charm.

Highlights: Cahuita National Park • Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica • Tree of Life Wildlife Rescue and Botanical Gardens • Mirador las Mercedes •  Playa Negra

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-3 nights

Fourteen days is a great amount of time to visit Costa Rica, but 21 days is perfect. You could easily visit for seven to nine days and find time to enjoy the highlights as an introductory experience, but two weeks will immerse you in Costa Rica’s pura vida spirit.

While most people don’t have three weeks’ vacation time, 21 days gives you a truly immersive experience into the natural treasures and vibrant culture, opening you up to coffee or whitewater rafting, chocolate tastings or traveling off the beaten path to a secluded reserve.

Costa Rica embodies the meaning of pura vida with a cultural commitment to sustainability to preserve its captivating must-see destinations. The different regions give you unique opportunities to experience unforgettable things to do, like ziplining through the rainforest or enjoying a chocolate tour, searching for endangered monkeys or kayaking on the Pacific.

For helpful tips and information, visit Zicasso’s Costa Rica travel guide, and our sample Costa Rica tours and vacations can inspire your next trip with ideas on where to go and what to do.