Travelogues Costa Rica
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Vacation in Costa Rica : Highlights & Travel Tips
Costa Rica is a standout destination for travelers thanks to its remarkable mix of biodiversity, adventure, and easygoing "pura vida" culture. In a relatively small country, you can move from cloud forests and volcanoes to Pacific surf towns and Caribbean beaches in just a few hours, making it ideal for travelers who want variety without complicated logistics. Nature is the main draw: national parks, wildlife refuges, and private reserves offer frequent sightings of sloths, monkeys, toucans, sea turtles, and colorful frogs, while the country’s strong commitment to conservation makes it especially appealing for eco-conscious visitors.
Key highlights include zip-lining through Monteverde’s misty canopy, hiking around Arenal Volcano, soaking in natural hot springs, rafting jungle rivers, and relaxing on beaches in Manuel Antonio, Santa Teresa, Tamarindo, or Puerto Viejo. Travelers can also enjoy snorkeling, surfing, waterfall hikes, and coffee or cacao tours, with excellent opportunities for both luxury stays and budget-friendly eco-lodges. For practical planning, expect a mix of microclimates and pack for both heat and rain, especially if visiting the rainforest or cloud forest regions. Renting a car offers flexibility, but road conditions can be rough in rural areas, so shuttle services are often easier; booking popular parks, lodges, and activities in advance is wise during peak season.
Best time to travel Costa Rica
The best time to visit Costa Rica is from February through March, when travel popularity peaks and conditions are typically ideal for exploring beaches, rainforests, and national parks. January is also a strong option, while April can still be pleasant with slightly fewer crowds before the wetter, quieter months begin.
All travel reports from Costa Rica
Cahuita - In the Caribbean
A small town with beautiful Caribbean beaches is our first destination. Of course, the flora and fauna of this place also pique our interest. In the evening, we arrived in the...
Costa Rica: Oh, that's what a tapir looks like...
When the four of us set off for Costa Rica, we had many ideas but no plan on how to travel around the country. Eventually, we spontaneously decided to rent a car and join our...
Costa Rica - Jacó
Jacó is the complete opposite of Drake Bay. There is a lot more going on here, with many people out and about and plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops. We immediately felt at...
Costa Rica - Puerto Jimenez
In Puerto Jimenez we stayed at the Corcovado Beach Lodge Hostel/Hotel. It's a beautiful facility right by the water, but a bit remote. But hey, we have a rental car, so no...
Costa Rica - Manuel Antonio
In Manuel Antonio, we met up with Patrick again, as he will accompany us on our journey for the next few days. We stayed at the Que tuanis hostel, which is quite nice here...
Costa Rica Animal Rescue Center Guayabo
In a small village nearby, there was an Animal Rescue Center that you could visit without spending much money, and the children were happy. We donated something, and we were...
Costa Rica_La Fortuna_Coffee Farm
Today we went to a coffee, cocoa and sugar cane farm and did a tour with tasting. That was great for all of us. For some it was the chocolate and for others it was the coffee....
Birthday & Arrival Manuel Antonio
Hello, Today, there are just a few pictures and no great text because we were out and about a lot yesterday and today, and I was too tired in the evenings for a charming report...
13/02/2023 to 14/02/2023 - Turrialba / Costa Rica
At 5 AM the alarm clock rang. We packed up all our things and drove to Santo Domingo Airport. We had already checked in online, but we arrived at the airport two hours early,...
Small addition...
I forgot to mention one more thing... So we took a taxi back to the island. This time it was a smaller taxi. On the boat, there were only the taxi couple and an older man who I...
Von Skorpionen, Moskitos und 'unserer' Lodge (Sámara 12. & 13.5.22)
Beach Life in Samara and Unwanted Visitors
Boat trip on the Sarapiqui River (25.4.22)
Boat safari on the Sarapiqui River
Puerto Viejo, 4/18/22 - Pura Vida
Arrival in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in the Caribbean
Travel day La Fortuna - Tortuguero
The journey is the destination! This should definitely be the motto for the bus rides here. It was definitely another wild journey that started at 5 am in the morning and ended...
To Jacó
On the go. I should take out the camera now for taking pictures. There are plenty of motifs. Yesterday I took over my car. And the additional insurance had to be, they drive...
In paradise at the foot of Arenal (02/01/2022)
Hot springs and lots of nature, today we relax in a dreamlike setting...
Diving Trip to Cano Island
The Isla del Cano is a small island off the west coast of Costa Rica in the Pacific Ocean and is part of a protected national park. The island is known for its spectacular...
San José: Summer sun in the German winter
After much uncertainty about whether our vacation and flights would take place due to Corona, we landed in San José, the capital of Costa Rica, yesterday without any major...
Stranded with and without a beach
The events are unfolding quickly and at the moment it's difficult to adequately describe the beautiful experiences we have had here in Costa Rica amidst the global crisis. Costa...
La Fortuna
After a cozy bus and a thrilling taxi ride, I arrived in La Fortuna, looking forward to the Arenal Hostel Resort, my accommodation for the next 3 nights. It is located in the...
Liberia
After a bumpy and sweaty bus ride to Liberia, I arrived at the Dodero hostel. The hostel is very small, but the garden is especially cool 😊 After my arrival, I visited the...
Quad tour to Nosara
To not just lazily lie on the beach on the weekend, the four of us Swiss decided to go on a quad tour. Not everything went according to plan... We waited for about 1.5 hours at...
Monteverde / Santa Elena
After a three-hour drive to Santa Elena, we arrived at our hostel, Monteverde Backpackers, on Saturday afternoon - our accommodation for one night 💤 In the afternoon, we...
0.12.2019 from La Fortuna to Juanilama
Hotel in La Fortuna
15/09/2019 to 16/09/2019 - Liberia/Costa Rica → Ometepe/Nicaragua
After spending a total of over 18 hours at the airport and on the plane from Hawaii via Los Angeles to Costa Rica, we were glad to have landed in Liberia at around 8pm. We...
Costa Rica - Dominical
We continued our journey along the Pacific coast towards the south - next stop: Dominical. A super small town with perfect surfing conditions, a few very cool cafes and hostels,...
2nd day in Paradise
Today we hiked to another paradise beach, Punta Mona, and back. We walked parallel to the beach through the jungle, which was very exciting and interesting with the different...
Day 4 and 5 in Monteverde
Monteverde, night walk, coffee tour, Curi Cancha, cloud forests, St. Elena
Costa Rica Drake Bay
On the bus ride, we immediately experienced the warmth and hospitality of the Ticos (Costa Ricans) when, after a conversation, we were offered a visit to a vacation rental....
Costa Rica - The Land of Many Colors
On July 20th, we arrived in San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The city has around 340,000 inhabitants. Costa Rica itself has only five million. We spent two days in the...