Why should you holiday in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica means “the rich coast”, and with a coastline of 1,290 km and a mountain range of volcanoes, surrounded by tropical rainforest which runs from north to south, Costa Rica is a veritable paradise for nature lovers.

More than a quarter of the country consists of national parks, and even though, size-wise, it is similar to Switzerland, almost 6 percent of the world’s biodiversity is found in Costa Rica.

The people (Ticos) live by the motto “Pura Vida”, which roughly translated means “the pure life” or “the simple life”. Pura Vida is a lifestyle and a life philosophy, which you will also experience when visiting the country.

Choose a tour to Costa Rica and enjoy outdoor experiences in a class of their own, with the opportunity to relax on some of the country’s 300 or so beaches.

Our tours to Costa Rica

All tours to Costa Rica start in San José, the capital of Costa Rica, where almost half the country’s population lives. The city offers shops, museums and cosy pavement cafés where you can enjoy Costa Rica’s amazing coffee, Grano d’oro.

Costa Rica also offers countless wonderful outdoor experiences.

Monteverde Cloud Forest

The rainforest in Monteverde, which is located at an altitude of 1,440 metres, is also known as “the forest in the clouds”. The location and the high humidity “capture” the moisture, giving the rainforest its characteristic mist.

The mist contributes to the complex ecosystem of the rainforest, which is home to more than 100 species of mammals and more than 2,500 different plant species, including 420 different orchids.

he forest is also home to more than 400 different bird species, making it a paradise for birdwatchers.

In Monteverde, you have the opportunity to experience the mysterious cloud forest from above on a thrilling walk along hanging bridges extending between the treetops.

Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero National Park consists of an area of 77,032 hectares and a coastline stretching 35 km. It offers mangrove forest, swamps, lagoons, rivers, tropical rainforest and beach.

The biodiversity and ecosystem of the national park give you every opportunity to experience its abundant wildlife, e.g. 300+ bird species, 3 species of monkeys, tapirs, sloths and many more besides.

However, the national park is perhaps best known for being one of the most important places in the world for sea turtles to lay their eggs in the sand. It is an incredible experience to witness the eggs hatching and watching the little turtles making their way into the sea for the first time.

Corcovado National Park

In southern Costa Rica, on the Osa Peninsula on the Pacific coast, you will find Corcovado National Park, one of Costa Rica’s largest and most beautiful national parks.

More than 41,000 hectares of unique ecosystem await you here with rainforest, rivers and beaches, just waiting to be explored.

The almost untouched national park is home to fantastic wildlife, and you may, for example, see the fascinating red macaws, monkeys, tapirs, sloths and, if you’re lucky, the rare jaguars, pumas and ocelots. If you visit the national park in whale season between December and March and again from July to November, you may also be lucky to see whales.

San Gerardo de Dota

Just 2 hours from San José, in the Talamanca mountain range a little off the beaten track, you’ll find one of Costa Rica’s other gems: the village of San Gerardo de Dota.

San Gerardo de Dota is a beautiful little town, surrounded by lush mountains, making it reminiscent of a town in the Alps.

The area is a veritable paradise for birdwatchers, and one of the highlights here is to spot the beautiful resplendent quetzal in the lush rainforest surrounding the village.

Mount Arenal volcano

The 1,650-metre-high cone-shaped Arenal volcano is Costa Rica’s most famous volcano. The beautiful volcano erupted violently in 1968 but has been dormant since 2010. However, it is still an incredible sight.

The volcano is located in Arenal Volcano National Park, where almost three quarters of the 850 bird species that live in Costa Rica can be found.

At the foot of the volcano is the local town, La Fortuna. A charming town from which you have easy access to surrounding waterfalls, hot springs and other exciting activities, such as

• the La Fortuna waterfall, which drops 70 metres into a lagoon, where you can swim.

• Hot springs are pools that have been heated naturally by the thermal activity in the area.

• Various activities include mountain biking, horseback riding, kayaking, evening safari and much more besides

Beach holiday in Costa Rica

With its “rich coasts” and beautiful beaches, Costa Rica is a great place to round off with a beach holiday. You can, for example, round off your stay at Playa Sámara or in Manuel Antonio.

Playa Sámara

Situated on the Nicoya Peninsula, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is the cosy little resort of Sámara. The coastal town is especially famous for its long, wide sandy beach, Playa Sámara, which is one of the safest places to swim in Costa Rica.

Spend your days relaxing by the pool or under the swaying palm trees on the wide sandy beach or head off on one of our excursions (fee payable). You might, for example, like to kayak to the island of Chora, where you can relax on the beach, or explore the life under the ocean waves on a snorkelling tour.

Sámara is a lively town offering a good selection of shops, bars and cosy restaurants, where you can treat yourself to an array of seafood dishes.

Manuel Antonio

In western Costa Rica, on the Pacific coast, is Manuel Antonio. Combine a relaxing beach holiday on the town’s amazing beaches with a visit to the famous national park of the same name.

The town itself is not all that big, but it has several shops and cosy restaurants serving food in all price ranges. Along the coast, you will find the stunning, kilometre-long sandy beach, Playa Espadilla, which is great for a few days of relaxation and experiences.

Spend your days there swimming in the turquoise waters and visiting Manuel Antonio National Park. The park boasts impressive flora and fauna and is well worth exploring. And don’t forget your swimwear because inside the national park is Playa Manuel Antonio, which has been voted one of the world’s best beaches several times.

Other highlights in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, you can also visit:

• Rincon de la Vieja National Park:
  The main attraction of the national park is its active volcano, Rincón de la Vieja, but you will also find abundant wildlife and Costa Rica’s national flower, the Guarianthe skinneri orchid.
• The Guayabo National Monument:
  North of Turrialba, you will find Costa Rica’s largest and most important archaeological site. Guayabo National Monument is the ruins of a more than 3,000 year old pre-Columbian town inhabited between around 1000 BC and 1400 AD

• Cahuita National Park:
  Situated in southern Costa Rica, on the Caribbean coast, is Cahuita National Park – a biodiverse park consisting, among other things, of rainforest and a vast marine area. Cahuita was actually established as a national park in 1970 to preserve the beautiful coral reef that protects the abundant marine life. The national park offers fantastic walks and exceptional snorkelling.

Want to know more about our tours?

To find out more about our tours, click on “Read more” under the different tours further up the page. On the tour’s page, you will find more information about:

• The highlights of the tour
• Current prices, which depend on the date of departure
• What is included in the price of the tour
• The daily itinerary of the entire tour

To learn more about the practical issues that may arise, such as the weather, visas, etc., visit our Practical information about Costa Rica page.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our holidays to Central and South America, please feel free to contact our travel specialists who have extensive experience of all our destinations.

We look forward to helping you on your journey of a lifetime!

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller