Have the travel bug? We’re talking all about the best places to visit in Costa Rica!
Costa Rica is a relatively small Central American country, but the nation’s beauty and natural attractions make it a top travel destination.
Costa Rica is located in Southern Central America, between Nicaragua and Panama. A top travel destination in Latin America, it has beautiful scenery, natural attractions, and vast wildlife. Following are some of the best places to visit in Costa Rica.
Best Places to Visit in Costa Rica’s North
The northern parts of Costa Rica have some of the nation’s top natural attractions. The Arenal volcano, located in the province of Alajuela, is one of the country’s top travel destinations. Countless activities are offered in the Arenal area, out of the town of La Fortuna, located very close to the volcano. Arenal is the country’s most active volcano, and day hikes around its base are top activities for visitors to the area. ATV tours, wildlife watching, and waterfall rappelling are also available in the area. There are numerous hotels near Arenal as well.
Not far from Arenal, the Monteverde cloud forest reserve is open to visitors. The reserve encompasses a large area of an undisturbed cloud forest, which is home to the Resplendent Quetzal, one of the most beautiful birds in the world.
Tortuguero National Park, in Northern Limon on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, is a top park to visit to get a feel for the nation’s Caribbean wildlife and landscape. Rainforest and swamp there is home to countless animal and plant species, making Tortuguero a nature lover’s paradise.
Top Travel Destinations in Central Costa Rica (Coast to Coast)
Manuel Antonio National Park, though the country’s smallest, is a top travel destination because it lies within a couple of hours of San Jose (on the Pacific coast), and its beautiful beaches, wonderful wildlife, and the numerous activities in the area all act as tourist magnets. It is located near and accessible from Quepos.
Puerto Limon, across the country, lies near the midpoint of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coastline. Although the Caribbean side of the country has more crime, much of it is still largely undeveloped, and it has an entirely different feel from the popular Pacific side.
Places to Visit in Southern Costa Rica
Corcovado National Park, on the Osa Peninsula on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coastline, is one of the country’s wildest and best preserved national parks. There is no better place in the nation to see wildlife than Corcovado, which has numerous hiking trails that run through the park’s numerous natural habitats.
The Golfito area near Golfo Dulce is another excellent spot to visit on the lower Pacific coast. For those who love offshore fishing, the waters off of this area can rival those of anywhere else on Earth when it comes to billfish, dolphin (mahi-mahi, dorado), wahoo, and yellowfin tuna fishing.
The above areas are all some of the best places to visit in Costa Rica to see wildlife and local culture. All of them are open to the public, and all of them can offer travelers unrivaled experiences.