Costa Rica’s Central Pacific region boasts several of the country’s most popular tourist spots, including the number-one attraction, the Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (the Monteverde Cloudforest Biological Reserve), draped over the ridge of the Cordillera de Tilarán. Along with nearby Reserva Santa Elena, Monteverde protects some of the last remaining pristine cloudforest in the Americas.
With the exception of the cool climate of Monteverde, the region is tropical and drier than in the south of the country – temperatures can be uncomfortably high, with a dry-season average of about 30°C (86°F), and even in the much quieter wet season (Quepos and Manuel Antonio, in particular, receive torrential afternoon rains) temperatures don’t cool down by much.
Tailor-made travel itineraries for Costa Rica, created by local experts
![Costa Rica: Coast to Coast](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1466767398710/shutterstock-2138363_listing_1466767629409.jpeg)
12 days / from2980 USD
Costa Rica: Coast to Coast
From paradise beaches, scenic narrow waterways and magical rainforests, Costa Rica has much to offer. Head east and discover the tranquil Caribbean Sea, head west for the tumultuous Pacific Ocean and surfer’s paradise.
view tour ⤍![Discover Northern Costa Rica](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1591460523666/volcano-2355772-1920-(1)_listing_1591460531695.jpeg)
10 days / from1825 USD
Discover Northern Costa Rica
This self drive itinerary allows you to explore the Central and Northern highlights of Costa Rica: from the active volcano Arenal to the cloud forest of Monteverde and the beaches of Guanacaste with plenty of surf & yoga - discover why they call it the land of Pura Vida - pure life!
view tour ⤍![A self drive Caribbean adventure](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1591641274222/costa-rica-4018153_listing_1591641284748.jpeg)
10 days / from1440 USD
A self drive Caribbean adventure
It's time to discover Costa Rica's Caribbean coast in your own rental car: From Boca Pacuare, where the turtles come to lay their eggs, to the unique culture of Cahuita and the beaches of Puerto Viejo! Your trip will finish in Turrialba, home of the main archaeological monument in our country.
view tour ⤍![Beaches and Volcanoes](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1549625381275/arenal-volcano-costa-rica-shutterstock-25377019_listing_1549625435593.jpeg)
7 days / from2050 USD
Beaches and Volcanoes
Escape to Arenal for volcanoes, waterfalls and wildlife reserves. Enjoy gentle hikes or partake in adrenaline-fuelled river rafting. Then journey down to Costa Rica’s Central Pacific for some sand and surf fringed by dense forest that’s teeming with wildlife.
view tour ⤍![From the Cloud Forest to the Beaches](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1591707737141/beach-5175610-1920_listing_1591707744984.jpeg)
9 days / from1825 USD
From the Cloud Forest to the Beaches
On this amazing trip, you will explore the Cloud Forest and rural life of Dota, including a community visit to get to know the real Tico life before heading to the incredible Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park with its stunning biodiversity, and then the amazing beaches of Manuel Antonio.
view tour ⤍![Tropical Costa Rica](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1466770993886/shutterstock-385866835_listing_1466771031085.jpeg)
7 days / from2300 USD
Tropical Costa Rica
Visit volcanoes, take a dip in a hot springs, drift lazily along the country’s waterways and seek out wildlife in tropical lowland forest. Costa Rica’s diverse ecosystem beholds a whole host of natural treasures.
view tour ⤍![Costa Rica’s Wild South](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1466766977631/shutterstock-343711433-_listing_1466767018290.jpeg)
7 days / from2950 USD
Costa Rica’s Wild South
The wild south is an unbeatable destination for hikers and nature lovers with a sense of adventure. Come here to explore off the beaten path and to see Corcovado, a tropical wet forest and one of the most important endangered wildlife sanctuaries in the world.
view tour ⤍![Costa Rica Express - Animals & Beaches](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1669806770586/Costa-Rica-Sunset-Manuel-Antonio-National-Park-shutterstock-562017487_listing_1669806777077.jpeg)
10 days / from2795 USD
Costa Rica Express - Animals & Beaches
Start with Arenal volcano with its waterfalls, hot springs and hanging bridges before crossing the lake to Monteverde. The unique cloud forest invites both adventure and nature lovers for canopy and zip-lining activities as well as wildlife spotting. Finish the trip on the beach in Manuel Antonio.
view tour ⤍![A Dream of Costa Rica](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1669886222788/shutterstock-379352020_listing_1669886231308.jpeg)
16 days / from3360 USD
A Dream of Costa Rica
The ultimate Costa Rica trip! Spend a few days around Arenal volcano & the Cloud Forest Monteverde before heading to the coast - a beautiful hotel at the Gulf of Papagayo invites you to relax and for some water activities. Return to the Central Valley for another volcano - Poás before heading home.
view tour ⤍![Costa Rica Eco Adventure](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1694606261610/green-honeycreeper-5543596-1920_listing_1694606270070.jpeg)
12 days / from4300 USD
Costa Rica Eco Adventure
Come to Costa Rica for its compact jungle, tropical beaches, forests, wildlife and national parks. The country may be small but it’s a land of stunning natural diversity and the perfect backdrop to a veritable eco-adventure.
view tour ⤍![3 Days Adventure to Tortuguero](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1698058220784/tortuguero-canal-costa-rica-shutterstock-1473250463-4d1101f966_listing_1698058231302.jpeg)
3 days / from385 USD
3 Days Adventure to Tortuguero
Tortuguero is a small village located on the northeastern coast of Costa Rica, known for its stunning natural beauty and abundance of wildlife. A 3 days 2 nights trip to Tortuguero offers a unique opportunity to explore the lush rainforest, observe sea turtles nesting, and experience the lifestyle.
view tour ⤍![Outdoor Fun and Beaches in Costa Rica](https://d1bv4heaa2n05k.cloudfront.net/user-images/1702632655024/j-amill-santiago-Tll9Wx9QZwE-unsplash_listing_1702632663721.jpeg)
6 days / from1590 USD
Outdoor Fun and Beaches in Costa Rica
The perfect mix of jungle and beaches - visit La Fortuna with Arenal volcano and Fortuna waterfall. Afterwards, continue to Manuel Antonio with its national park and pristine beaches. Private transfers throughout ensure your comfort at all times.
view tour ⤍Jacó
Just over two hours from San José, Jacó sits in a hot coastal plain behind the broad Playa Jacó, the closest beach to the capital. An established seaside attraction, the resort draws a mix of surfers, package tourists, holidaying Ticos and retired North American baby-boomers, along with a less savoury selection of drug dealers and prostitutes. Jacó has seen some of the most excessive development along the Pacific, but the partying crowd don’t seem to mind too much. And as a base from which to explore the surf beaches along this stretch of coast, its multitude of amenities takes some beating.
Being a popular tourist town, Jaco is not short of things to do. Activities include surfing, horse-back riding, fishing, kayaking, rafting and ATV tours. For an activity that is not as action-packed but just as rewarding take a tour around the coast on a catamaran whilst sipping wine and enjoying the sunset.
Nature and Wildlife
Nearby Jaco is Manuel Antonio National Park, which offers a range of wildlife in the form of plant and bird species, and Carara Biological Reserve which is home to macaws, monkeys and jaguars. When visiting Carara there is also the option to stop off at a 2,000-year-old pre-Colombian archaeological site for a dose of history amongst your wildlife adventure.
Nightlife in Jacó
Jaco is well-known as being a traveller friendly town with a thriving party atmosphere. The nightlife is active, with many bars staying open until the early hours of the morning.
Weather in Jacó
Costa Rica’s tropical climate means that the temperature in Jaco is pleasant all year round. There are however distinct dry and wet seasons. The dry season is from December to May, and the wet season is from April to November with peak rainfall hitting in October. Don't let the wet season put you off however, as there is a charm in waiting out a tropical rainstorm in a cafe.
Parque Nacional Carara
Ecologically vital Parque Nacional Carara, 90km west of San José, occupies a transition area between the hot tropical lowlands of the north and the humid, more verdant climate of the southern Pacific coast. Consequently, the park teems with wildlife, from monkeys to margays and motmots to manakins.
Carara’s well-maintained trails are split between the heavily canopied area near the park’s ranger station and the more open terrain around Laguna Meándrica, an oxbow lake that is home to crocodiles: it’s accessed from a trailhead 2km north along the highway, towards the Río Tárcoles Bridge. At the ranger station, the loop trails of Sendero Las Aráceas (1.2km; 1hr) and Sendero Quebrada Bonita (1.5km; 1hr 30min) take in primary and transitionary forest and are reliable places to spot agouti and other small rodents; you can also often see great tinamou on the paths here, and sometimes even catch the spectacular leks of orange-collared manikins. Both routes are reached via the Sendero Encuentro de Ecosistemas, a 1.2km loop near the ranger station that is accessible to wheelchair users. Birdwatching is perhaps even better along the rivers and in the clearings on the Sendero Laguna Meándrica (4.3km; 2–4hr), where the wide range of avifauna includes boat-billed herons. Whichever trail you take, it’s worth hiring a guide from the ranger station, as they can also take you into areas that tourists aren’t allowed on their own.
Watching wildlife in Carara
Much of Carara’s bounty of wildlife is of the unnerving sort: huge crocodiles lounge in the bankside mud of the Río Tárcoles (“Carara” means “crocodile” in the language of the pre-Columbian inhabitants, the Huetar), while snakes (19 out of Costa Rica’s 22 poisonous species) slither about. Mammals include monkeys (mantled howler and white-faced capuchin), armadillos, agoutis (commonly seen), aggressive collared peccaries and most of the large cats, including jaguars and ocelots. Birding is excellent, and this is one of the best places in the country to see the brightly coloured scarlet macaw in its natural habitat – at dawn and dusk, they migrate between the lowland tropical forest areas and the swampy mangroves, soaring over in a burst of red and blue against the darkened sky. Other birds that frequent the treetops include trogons (five species), toucans (both chestnut-mandibled and keel-billed) and guans, while riverside birds include anhingas (or snake birds), the coot-like purple gallinule and storks.
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Denis
Our trip has been amazing. This is our third time in Sri Lanka and possibly my favourite trip. I am already planning my next one.
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