If you are a fan of nature and wildlife, chances are that you have either already been to Costa Rica or it is on your list. After all, this tiny Central American country has about 5% of the planet’s biodiversity, and a remarkable tourism infrastructure that both protects much of that and allows for access.
But it can still be daunting to plan a trip. After all, with so many cool ecological areas, prioritization becomes a necessity. Well, I haven’t been to all of them, as I’d need months – if not years. But over the course of a couple trips, I’ve seen a reasonable percentage of the country, and can offer some basic advice and tips to help make your Costa Rica getaway the best one it can be.
This guide will cover the things I have personally done in the country; after all, writing about things I haven’t actually experienced would be dishonest and unfair to you. You can click on the links in the guide to read more detailed articles about specific places in Costa Rica, or specific aspects of the country from a cultural standpoint.
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Getting There
Costa Rica has two international airports. The largest – and most likely for you to fly into, especially if you are coming from further than North America – is in the capital, San Jose. From the airport, it is anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to get into the city, depending on traffic. (Time to get to a destination other than into the city for the night really depends on where you’re going, and my guess is that unless you arrive in the early morning, you’re probably going to end up spending a night in San Jose.)
The second airport is in Liberia, a town near the Pacific Coast in the north of the country, close to the Nicaraguan border. If your plan is to head to that area (Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula), and are coming from the US, this might be an option for you, as reaching these areas from San Jose involves long drives, and possibly a ferry.
If you arrive in Costa Rica by cruise ship, you’ll dock in Puntarenas on the Pacific side, just across the Gulf of Nicoya from the aforementioned peninsula of the same name. Your single day in the country will need to be spent in that general area, since travel times to reach other parts of the country would be prohibitive.
Getting Around
This is a complicated piece of a visit to Costa Rica, because it all depends on how many places you’ll be visiting. If you want to stay at a beach resort in Guancaste, you can probably get by without a car, and just take a taxi from the airport at Liberia. If you just want to go from San Jose to an eco-lodge, you can utilize a shuttle between the capital and the nearest town to your lodge.
If, however, you want to see more than a couple of places on your Costa Rica trip, you’re probably best off renting a car. Yes, there is a system of shuttles – both scheduled and private – that connect many of the tourism hubs, but the prices will add up and the logistics will become harder.
If you do decide to drive, a few things to pay attention to. First, while there are some good highways in the country, once you get off of those and into more remote places, you might find yourself on narrow, curvy, and poorly paved roads. It might make sense to check on road quality before you make your final plans. Second, within the central valley of the country (the areas around San Jose), traffic can be really rough, and even the highways aren’t built for the number of cars traversing the area. Just keep that in mind if you plan to make your way back into the city and to the airport just in time to catch your flight home. (I would also note that while I was rarely on the roads at night, I don’t recall any of the roads or highways outside the city having lights.)
Yes, it is possibly to fly within Costa Rica. I took a 12 or so seat airplane between San Jose and Tambor when I went to Santa Teresa Beach on the Nicoya Peninsula. These flights are not super cheap, and you’ll still have logistical issues at the other end, since if Tambor is any indication, many of these airports are just a landing strip and a shack.
What to Do
This is going to seem a bit daunting, since basically we are going to run down the list of the places I’ve been and the wildlife you’ll see there. Click the links for more information. I will try to do these with some categories in mind.
If you are visiting Costa Rica for the beaches, you’ll probably want to stick to the Pacific side. In the north you have Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula (click here to read about Santa Teresa Beach on the peninsula). Move further south and you have places like Manuel Antonio. (Click here to read about that area.) All over this side of Costa Rica you’ll find beautiful beaches and fun wildlife, but the more luxurious resorts are in the north.
The Caribbean coast is known more for wildlife than for beaches. It is also more remote and harder to reach. For example, if you decide to visit Tortuguero National Park (click here to read about that), you’ll have almost an hour on a barely-can-be-called-a-road and then two hours in a boat.
For many years, the top destination in Costa Rica was the Arenal Volcano and nearby La Fortuna. La Fortuna is still a backpacker and tourism base, but the volcano no longer is erupting. It’s still a fun day to spend around it (click here to read about Arenal), but not a necessity as it once was. But the La Fortuna area also brings you reasonably close to other wildlife spots. I went up to Cano Negro along the Nicaraguan border for a great boat safari on a river, and there are other reserves all over. (Click here to read about Cano Negro.)
While not a national park, tourists flock to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, and rightly so. This – along with Manual Antonio – was probably my favorite part of Costa Rica, for its scenery, wildlife, and adventure (like zip lines and hanging bridges). And with so many tourists, there is considerable infrastructure. (Click here to read about Monteverde.)
I did not make it to Limon on the Caribbean coast, or south of Manuel Antonio on the Pacific side, but have heard good things.
Finally, let’s talk for a moment about San Jose. If you have a day to spend there due to flight times, you can visit the National Museum (a cool place worthy of a couple hours), or even head to nearby Cartago, the old colonial capital. (Click here to read about San Jose and Cartago.) I wouldn’t add extra time here, but if, for instance, you arrive in San Jose in the morning and worry about timing to immediately leave the city for your eco-lodge so you decide to spend a night, you won’t be sad.
Where to Stay
This section will not rehash the areas you might choose to visit, but will rather talk about sorts of lodging.
If you are someone who prefers US brand hotels, you are mainly going to be limited to San Jose and Guanacaste. Beyond those areas, your choices will be eco-lodges (small or large; I’ve stayed at properties ranging from 30 rooms to hundreds), boutique hotels, hostels, or the occasional Airbnb in a town. I’d lean against the last option just for ease of use in more remote areas. (I did stay at an Airbnb in Santa Teresa Beach, but it was right in town.)
If you go the hotel or lodge route, you’ll want to decide whether you want a more remote full-service property (you can buy packages including meals), or whether you’d prefer to be in/near a town like La Fortuna, Monteverde, or Manuel Antonio.
I’m not going to specifically recommend (or warn against) any of the lodges I’ve stayed at, since 2-3 nights isn’t really enough for me to judge. I will remind you, though, that they range from more rustic to luxurious, and that proximity to wildlife is both wonderful and also a bit worrisome when it comes into your room, so don’t leave doors and windows open.
What to Eat
There is definitely a downside to staying mainly in lodges where meals are provided, as buffets meant to appeal to everyone are not really the best food. So my overall exposure to Costa Rican cuisine is a bit more limited than I’ve had in other countries. But let’s go through a few highlights.
The basic Costa Rican meal will consist of rice and beans (called gallo pinto), grilled or stewed meat or fish, and vegetables or plantains. This is great, but you might get a bit sick of it if you are eating lodge versions every day, versions that will really only vary by type of meat and veggie. Fish is almost always tilapia unless you’re on the coast or in a place where trout is farmed. (Tilapia is farmed all over the country.) If you are near the coasts, fresh seafood is more abundant, and you’ll want to take advantage of that.
For me, the best part of Costa Rican cuisine is the use of tropical fruits in sauces. I’ve had chicken or tilapia with sauces made from: mango, pineapple, passion fruit, hibiscus, and more. These all make me smile, and beat daily versions of chicken and rice.
A note here on coffee. The coffee in Costa Rica is phenomenal in terms of quality, but I found that it is generally brewed in a manner that led to what I feel is too weak. (Click here to read specifically about coffee.)
Other Useful Information
Costa Rica is among the world’s leaders in ecotourism, if not THE leader. I wrote about this trend, and what you can expect, here.
Credit cards are widely accepted, but Costa Rican money is really beautiful, so even if you only have to use cash for small snacks and souvenirs, you’ll appreciate having some.
Tap water is drinkable in the majority of the country, with the exception being parts of the Caribbean coast. That said, plumbing in Costa Rica is still an issue, so you likely won’t be able to flush toilet paper and will need to use a trash can. (Or, if in your hotel room, just shower off afterwards.)
One more note on wildlife. Don’t feed it. Don’t pet it. Don’t even really approach it. DO admire it and take photos of it. (You can see some of my favorites here.) Same goes with plants. Don’t pick the flowers, and certainly don’t eat them. Or the mushrooms. Don’t carve your initials into trees. This is why we can’t have nice things, people.
Conclusion
If you like nature, Costa Rica is a place you’ll definitely want to visit. I hope this guide has helped to break down some of the things I learned and experienced from different parts of the country, and that it assists you in planning your perfect Costa Rica itinerary, whatever that might be.
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