Best things to do in Costa Rica

Translated as ‘land of the turtles,’ the rainforests of Tortuguero National Park reach right to the edge of the ocean. A complex network of waterways flows through this dense, tropical vegetation, home to a rich variety of exotic wildlife including sloth, howler monkey, puma, jaguar and an abundance of bird species such as the heron and kingfisher.

It's one of the largest national parks in Costa Rica, spanning 31,187 hectares of coastal reserve. Exceptionally diverse in wildlife, Tortuguero is one of the country's greatest national treasures. Explore the labyrinth of canals and lagoons on our Costa Rica Discovery trip and head out at dusk to go in search of turtles on the beach - Costa Rica is one of the most important green turtle nesting sites in the western Caribbean.

​Located to the north of the country, Arenal is perhaps Costa Rica’s most famous national park. Spanning around 12,200 hectres and encompassing eight of Costa Rica’s 12 different ecosystems, the park includes hot springs, cloud forest, an active volcano and waterfalls. Its main attraction is the active Arenal Volcano, a perfectly conical lava mound rising from a fertile landscape of lush green hillsides and forests.

Learn about a fascinating array of flora and fauna on a guided walking tour around the flanks of this mighty peak on our Costa Rica Coast To Coast tour and observe its crater from a safe viewpoint before indulging in a volcanic mud treatment in a local spa.

The wet, tropical climate and steep, mountainous landscapes of Costa Rica have resulted in a myriad of river torrents that are perfect for whitewater rafting. Tumble down fast-flowing cascades of fizzing water on the Pacuare River as it hurtles over large boulders and squeezes through tight canyons on our Explore Costa Rica trip. As the river widens, slow-moving pools offer a serene moment of calm under the rainforest canopy. Blue morpho butterfly flutter around the steep walls of the gorge and yellow-beaked toucan watch over us from above before we surge forward once more down the next breathtaking rapid.

Your Explore leader will be a local expert from the area, so they will be able to help you spot various animals in Costa Rica's cloud forests and beyond.

There are two species of sloth in Costa Rica: Hoffman's two-toed sloth and brown-throated sloth. Hummingbirds can be spotted sucking up the nectar in the country's cloud forests. Quetzals are harder to spot, but our expert leaders have a pretty good track record of helping customers spot them; you can also see toucans and macaws in Costa Rica. Between June and October, huge numbers of Atlantic Green turtles come ashore to nest on the beaches of Tortuguero in Costa Rica, which is the largest Atlantic Green turtle nesting site in the Western Hemisphere.

The red-eyed tree frog can be found in Costa Rica's rainforests, clinging onto the leaves in the upper parts of trees. We stay in rainforest lodges on many of our tours, where the call of the howler monkeys echo in the trees around you in the morning. Other animals you’ll likely see leaping around in the canopy are capuchin monkeys. Ocelots are one of the six species of wild cats you'll have the best chances of spotting in Costa Rica, particularly in Monteverde.

Nestled in the heart of Costa Rica, Braulio Carrillo National Park is a haven for nature enthusiasts. Its majestic mountains are cloaked in lush, verdant forests, allowing visitors to explore a diverse range of ecosystems. Its cloud forests and tropical rainforests are teeming with exotic wildlife and vibrant flora, as well as some of the best hidden waterfalls in Costa Rica, like the Charquillo Waterfall.

Our Central American Explorer tour sees you visit the Caribbean lowlands of Limon Province to reach Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui, an area that lies in the shadow of the Central Cordillera Mountains, which is sandwiched by the Braulio Carrillo National Park to the west and the Tortguero National Park to the east.