Costa Rica

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

Traveling in Costa Rica

You can turn it around and see it in any way you want: Costa Rica just wasn't for us. After our stay in San José, we rented a car, but no matter where we drove, the time was...

Manuel Antonio National Park - Nature turned into a commercialized experience

Manuel Antonio Nationalpark Manuel Antonio Costa Rica

Monteverde - Coffee Tour, Cloud Forests, and the Most Beautiful Bird in the World

First of all, the most beautiful bird in the world is not the Quetzal. Although I was lucky enough to see one. And the coolest bird in the world is definitely the Java Sparrow....

Week 28-30: Home

We returned from paradise and within two and a half days packed all our lives into 12 suitcases and a cage. A final visit to Piccolo and a last tour in Medellin with the gl

Sámara/Puerto Carrillo

Our first stop today is the Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Here we will take the Sendero Las Pailas hiking trail, which is approximately 4 km long. The national park is

BLOG 17: Poás Volcano & Hacienda Doka

In the morning, the rain drums on the roof of our 'Field House' in the lodge, and the fog is thick as it was in the evening, and it's quite cold as well.

BLOG 15: By Boat to Corcovado National Park

Boat ride from Uvita to the Ranger Station

BLOG 8: Animal Rescue Center and Caribbean Vibes

For today, we have no special plans; first, we'll visit the animal hospital very close to our lodge, which grandly calls itself the 'Jaguar Rescue Center,' even though th

High up in the mountains: the cloud forest of Monteverde

Although La Fortuna is a tourist hotspot, it was surprisingly difficult to find good connections for onward travel from there. It seemed that all frequently used routes and bus...

Monteverde

After La Fortuna, I continued on to Monteverde, more specifically to Santa Elena, which is the largest town in the region. To get there, I booked a so-called "Jeep-Boat-J

Puerto Viejo

After San José, my first stop on my journey was a small place called Puerto Viejo. In the past, many Afro-Caribbean people from Jamaica came here to help with the constru

Happy and sad at the same time

The last 2/3 weeks in the lodge were really beautiful. I let everything wind down slowly and finished my last small tasks. Especially in the last week, I didn't work much

Drake Bay - Eine besondere Freundschaft im Paradies

Ich hatte schon viel von Drake Bay und dem Corcovado Nationalpark gehört und die meisten Leute schwärmten sogar regelrecht davon. Für mich stand deshalb schon vor meiner Reise...

How to Survive a House Arrest and a World Trip as a Family

From one day to the next, constantly together, not so much contact with the outside world... We have been doing this for 8 months. Let us inspire you!

Week 4: The Story That Wasn't

Another week has passed. More sea, pool, surfing, lounging, diarrhea, and vomiting on repeat. Just a regular week. During last week's family meeting, I announced that starting...

Little Vacation

The last few weeks have been quite exhausting: worked a lot, then had the retreat (which was a different kind of work – but mainly for the mind), and then worked a lot again....

Costa Rica

Our 3-week tour took us from the capital San José to the Pacific and then to the Atlantic to Panama, before we explored the north of the country as a conclusion.

In tune with the waves and mosquitoes

Waves. Beach. A glimpse into countless days in paradise.

Desire Place Puerto Viejo

A desire place, according to Duden, is a location where someone's longing hangs. And that's exactly how we feel about Puerto Viejo since we traveled there for the first time 2.5...

Costa Rica: Los Quetzales National Park

The most beautiful bird in the world

Rollercoaster of emotions!

The night was quite loud, and I woke up frequently. I realized that I was seemingly staying in a very popular nightlife district (Sachsenhausen) in Frankfurt. Yet, it was

Two nights on the Caribbean side in Cocles

Since we will unfortunately be leaving Costa Rica on March 4th, we decided to visit the Caribbean beaches here. The drive took about five hours, and it must be said that the...

Evening at the Beach

Today, I continued working with the CRM software, and at 3 PM I finally had free time. There are about 30 of us here, and nine of us went to the beach together. The journey...

Back in San José

Now it was time to return to San José to gather the remaining documents and hopefully finalize everything with migration... Normally, the return journey takes 2 days - but I had...

On the way to the Luna Lodge

Finally arrived at the Luna Lodge, I can say that the journey here was both relaxing and a bit adventurous. Yesterday, I took the only bus of the day at 12 o'clock that took me...

Arenal Volcano and why there must be mosquitoes

Arenal Volcano Hike and Chocolate Tour

Langstreckenhinken

An intense week of travel is behind us. While the body has arrived, the rest is still lagging behind.