AmericasOriginal Research

Costa Rica

Rainforests, volcanoes & pura vida

Guides2

Comparisons1

SafetyExercise Increased Caution

— Overview

Why we keep coming back.

Costa Rica is the poster child for eco-tourism with cloud forests, active volcanoes, and Pacific and Caribbean coastlines. Sloths, toucans, and surf breaks come standard.

Live · right now

18° / 64°F

mainly clear in San Jose

Feels 17° · 69% humidity · wind 10 km/h

Next 2 days

Wed, May 13

21° / 10°

Thu, May 14

30° / 11°

Next holiday · Costa Rica

Anexión del Partido de Nicoya a Costa Rica

Sat, Jul 25, 2026

In 74 days · Annexation of the Party of Nicoya to Costa Rica

Also coming up

Sun, Aug 2Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles82d
Sat, Aug 15Día de la Madre95d
Tue, Sep 15Día de la Independencia126d
Tue, Dec 1Día de la Abolición del Ejército203d
Fri, Dec 25Navidad227d

🇨🇷 Fast facts

Capital: San José
Language: Spanish
Population: 5.3M
Currency: Costa Rican colón (₡)
Timezone: UTC-06:00
Calling code: +506
Drives on: Right

Best time to visit · based on 10-year climate

Go in May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct

Source: Open-Meteo ERA5 (San Jose)

JAN

10.5°

116mm

FEB

11.2°

89mm

MAR

12.2°

102mm

APR

14.5°

34mm

MAY

17°

15mm

JUN

20°

1mm

JUL

20.8°

1mm

AUG

21.1°

1mm

SEP

20.7°

5mm

OCT

18.1°

32mm

NOV

13.4°

59mm

DEC

10.5°

109mm

IdealGoodDoableTough

Live · surf report · Tamarindo

1.4 m

funFun size — head-high peaks

Period 12s · direction 201°

Wed

1.4 m

13s period

Thu

1.4 m

13s period

— Regions

Where to go in Costa Rica

Arenal & Northern Lowlands

Arenal Volcano (extinct since 2010 but still spectacular), La Fortuna waterfall, hot-spring resorts (Tabacón, Baldi). Three nights.

Monteverde Cloud Forest

Hanging bridges, zip-lines through cloud forest, the Santa Elena reserve, hummingbird gardens, night walks for sloths and tarantulas. Two nights; the road in is unpaved and slow.

Manuel Antonio & Central Pacific

Tiny national park with one of Costa Rica's best beaches plus monkeys/sloths/iguanas at arm's length. Combine with Quepos sport-fishing or the surf at Dominical and Uvita (whale-watching August–October).

Guanacaste & Nicoya Peninsula

Drier Pacific north — Tamarindo, Nosara, Santa Teresa for surf, yoga, and the digital-nomad scene. Liberia airport (LIR) is the gateway.

Caribbean Coast (Puerto Viejo, Tortuguero)

Different country, different vibe — Afro-Caribbean culture, Tortuguero National Park (boat-only access, sea-turtle nesting July–October), Cahuita and Manzanillo for diving and reggae beach bars.

— When to go

The seasonality call

Period	Verdict
Dec–Apr	Dry season — peak prices, sunshine, perfect everywhere. Christmas/NY runs 50% premium.
May–Jun	Green season starts — afternoon rains, cheaper, lush, fewer tourists.
Jul–Aug	Mid-summer break — sunshine returns to Pacific; whale-watching at Uvita; turtles nesting Tortuguero.
Sep–Nov	Wettest months — Pacific often genuinely difficult; Caribbean side at its best (opposite monsoon).

— Entry & visa

Visa requirements

US, UK, Canadian, Australian and EU passport holders enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Six-month passport validity required. Proof of onward travel checked at boarding. No vaccines mandatory.

— Budget

What you'll spend

Shoestring: $50–80/day — hostels, sodas (local diners) for casado, public buses (slow but cheap), shared taxis.
Mid-range: $140–230/day — boutique eco-lodges, sit-down dinners, rental SUV, guided wildlife tours.
Luxury: $700+/day — Nayara Tented Camp, Lapa Rios, private guides, helicopter to the Osa Peninsula.

Costa Rica costs notably more than its Latin American neighbours — closer to US prices than to Mexico's. Eco-luxury is the local specialty and runs steep.

— Getting around

Transport on the ground

Rent an SUV — the country has gravel roads to every interesting place and 4WD is genuinely useful. Domestic flights (Sansa, Skyway) save the long Pacific–Caribbean drives. Shuttles (Interbus, Gray Line) connect the tourist zones for $50–60. Avoid public buses for tight itineraries.

Edited by

Marcus Johnson

Senior Writer · New Orleans, USA

Marcus Johnson writes about the Americas for destination.com, with a specialism in music tourism — from New Orleans jazz rooms to Buenos Aires milongas to the touring circuits of Mexico City and Austin. He reported from Latin America for The Atlantic and Rolling Stone before joining in 2024.

Americas
Music & nightlife
Road trips
Cultural reporting

Costa Rica hub last reviewed May 1, 2026

— From the journal

Costa Rica guides

All 2 stories →

Adventure

Costa Rica Eco-Travel: Rainforests, Turtles & Volcanoes

Costa Rica Eco-Travel: Rainforests, Turtles & Volcanoes — an expert guide with local insights and Expedia booking.

8 min read

Neighbourhood Guide

Barrio Escalante: San José's Coffee-Bloom Gastro Quarter in May

Barrio Escalante: San José's Coffee-Bloom Gastro Quarter in May — an expert guide with local insights and Expedia booking.

7 min read

— Head to head

Pair it with.

Costa Rica

Mexico

— Safety advisory

Current level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution

Exercise increased caution due to crime. Costa Rica is a popular eco-tourism destination, but petty theft affects tourists.

Read the full briefing →

— The scorecard

How Costa Rica scores.

Our editorial team rates every destination 1–10 across 10 travel dimensions, calibrated against the full catalogue. Strongest on nature & landscapes and adventure; weakest on nightlife.

Value for money

6/10

Food scene

7/10

Beaches

9/10

Culture & history

6/10

Ease of travel

7/10

Nature & landscapes

10/10

Nightlife

6/10

Family-friendly

9/10

Adventure

10/10

Luxury options

8/10

Compare Costa Rica with another destination →

Editorial itineraries

Day-by-day plans for Costa Rica

10 days

10 Days in Costa Rica: Arenal, Monteverde, and the Pacific Coast

A 10-day Costa Rica itinerary — two nights in San José area, three at Arenal, two in Monteverde, three on the Pacific coast — covering the country's signature rainforest-to-volcano-to-beach arc.

— How we report this hub

What you read here, and where it came from.

On-the-ground reporting. Every section of this Costa Rica guide is sourced from destination.com editors who have reported from the country in person, in many cases more than once. We don't pivot from press releases.
No paid placement. Hotels, restaurants and operators named here are recommended on editorial merit. When we earn an affiliate commission on a booking link, we say so on the page — it never affects what we recommend or in what order.
Data we use. Visa rules, prices and seasonality call-outs cite official government sources, our editor's most recent in-country reporting, or the operator's published rate (in that order). Numbers age — see the verified date below for the last review.
Corrections. Send corrections directly to our editors; we publicly log every correction we make.

Reviewed by Marcus Johnson✓ Last verified May 1, 2026

— Plan the tripAffiliate · We may earn

Book Costa Rica in one place.

Hotels, flights and packages via our booking partner — Expedia Group. Live pricing, free cancellation on most.

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Loading destination guide

Where to go in Costa Rica

Arenal & Northern Lowlands

Arenal Volcano (extinct since 2010 but still spectacular), La Fortuna waterfall, hot-spring resorts (Tabacón, Baldi). Three nights.

Monteverde Cloud Forest

Hanging bridges, zip-lines through cloud forest, the Santa Elena reserve, hummingbird gardens, night walks for sloths and tarantulas. Two nights; the road in is unpaved and slow.

Manuel Antonio & Central Pacific

Guanacaste & Nicoya Peninsula

Drier Pacific north — Tamarindo, Nosara, Santa Teresa for surf, yoga, and the digital-nomad scene. Liberia airport (LIR) is the gateway.

Caribbean Coast (Puerto Viejo, Tortuguero)

Different country, different vibe — Afro-Caribbean culture, Tortuguero National Park (boat-only access, sea-turtle nesting July–October), Cahuita and Manzanillo for diving and reggae beach bars.

The seasonality call

Period

Verdict

Dec–Apr

Dry season — peak prices, sunshine, perfect everywhere. Christmas/NY runs 50% premium.

May–Jun

Green season starts — afternoon rains, cheaper, lush, fewer tourists.

Jul–Aug

Mid-summer break — sunshine returns to Pacific; whale-watching at Uvita; turtles nesting Tortuguero.

Sep–Nov

Wettest months — Pacific often genuinely difficult; Caribbean side at its best (opposite monsoon).

What you'll spend

Shoestring

$50–80/day — hostels, sodas (local diners) for casado, public buses (slow but cheap), shared taxis.

Mid-range

$140–230/day — boutique eco-lodges, sit-down dinners, rental SUV, guided wildlife tours.

Luxury

$700+/day — Nayara Tented Camp, Lapa Rios, private guides, helicopter to the Osa Peninsula.

Costa Rica costs notably more than its Latin American neighbours — closer to US prices than to Mexico's. Eco-luxury is the local specialty and runs steep.

What you read here, and where it came from.

On-the-ground reporting. Every section of this Costa Rica guide is sourced from destination.com editors who have reported from the country in person, in many cases more than once. We don't pivot from press releases.

No paid placement. Hotels, restaurants and operators named here are recommended on editorial merit. When we earn an affiliate commission on a booking link, we say so on the page — it never affects what we recommend or in what order.

Data we use. Visa rules, prices and seasonality call-outs cite official government sources, our editor's most recent in-country reporting, or the operator's published rate (in that order). Numbers age — see the verified date below for the last review.

Corrections. Send corrections directly to our editors; we publicly log every correction we make.

Reviewed by Marcus Johnson✓ Last verified May 1, 2026