Where to go in Costa Rica?
“Where should we go in Costa Rica?” Oh my gosh, I love Costa Rica. When we returned from our first trip there in 1996 I said I could be a billboard for this country! I still feel that way today. A trip to Costa Rica is an awesome family adventure outside of the United States. This article gives advice for a first-time visit to Costa Rica.
Marcy,
Happy New Year! So I know we are a little late to planning but I’d love to go to Costa Rica over Easter break. Our kids have the same spring break schedules this year — whoo hoo!
Any recs of places to stay? Towns? We would love to do some hiking, water sports, zip lining, animal sighting, etc. We are adventurous but not too ‘off the beaten path.’ I would like a somewhat authentic experience (in other words, resorts are fine but not looking for an Americanized resort with a golf course!). I’d love to hear your thoughts when you have a chance. No rush.
-Katie
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Costa Rica Planning Advice
Where to go in Costa Rica?
Seriously, where to start? Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia and is one of the world’s most biologically diverse countries. Needless to say, you have a lot of choices! After three wonderful trips to some of the more popular locales I suggest a combination of jungle and beach for your first trip to Costa Rica. You can find most of the adventures that Costa Rica is known for from these locations. My Favorite Costa Rica Activites.
1 | Arenal + Beach
Start in La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano for zip lines, hiking, waterfall, and more. Then pick a beach between the Papagayo Gulf and Tamarindo for the second half of your vacation. You will find an abundance of beachfront hotels in this region. The best airport is the Liberia Airport.
2 | Manual Antonio
Make your base in Manual Antonio. It is a great area to see a lot of wildlife, including a ton of monkeys. There are great hikes and beaches to explore. There are many day trip options. The best airport is the San Jose Airport.
3 | Guanacaste Beach
It is not my recommendation for an active and adventurous family to stay at a beach for their entire visit. However, it saves a lot of driving and is a way to experience Costa Rica if you prefer a beach vacation. Many folks do! Use the Liberia Airport.
Airports
International flights
San Jose and Liberia airports are both good choices. However, Liberia is smaller and easier to navigate. Look at where you are going in the country and the driving time. I like to price out both airports and have even flown into one and out of the other to save time and/or money. Google Flights is a great tool for looking at options. There are plenty of hotels near both airports if you have early or late flights.
Hopper flights
We have taken a couple local flights. (1) San Jose to Tamarindo. (2) San Jose to Drake Bay/Osa Peninsula. Take a look if the pricing to see if it is worth it to you.
Rental cars and safety
Location Snapshots
San Jose
San Jose is the largest city and airport in Costa Rica. There are a lot of hotels near the airport for early or late flights. We stayed at the Hampton Inn near the airport when we had a late-evening arrival.
San Jose is a big city and is not as safe as the rest of the country. If inclined to visit the downtown there are a few historic buildings and large market. We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Grand d’Oro in San Jose in 1996 and it looks just as lovely today as back then.
Liberia
Liberia is a smaller and easier airport to get in and out of with a rental car. And, you can get a transfer to nearby beach resorts if you do not want to rent a vehicle. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport when we had a late-evening arrival.
Tamarindo
Tamarindo is one of several Pacific beach towns in the Guanacaste Province. We enjoyed the beachfront Hotel Capitan Suizo in 1996 and it still has really great reviews.
Arenal Volcano/La Fortuna
The Arenal Volcano does not erupt anymore but nonetheless is an impressive sight. It is a bit of a drive to get here from either airport, however many adventures await you! You can go hiking, horseback riding, visit waterfalls, zip lines, and more. This is the place to go for zip lines and hot springs! We have stayed at Los Lagos and the Arenal Observatory Lodge.
Monteverde/Santa Elena
A cloud forest with nature-on-steroids. I felt like that the nature was bigger than life, like at Disney. But this was the real deal. Activities such as hiking, zip lines, and more. Quite honestly, I cannot remember where we stayed.
Manual Antonio
MA is an easy-to-get-to destination to see a lot of monkeys and other flora and fauna. There are many activities such as hiking, beaches, white water rafting, zip lines, and more. Take your time in the Manual Antonio National Park and enjoy its many beaches and hikes. Did I happen to mention the monkeys?
My kids really liked the El Avion Restaurant — great photo ops. We stayed in a bungalow at Hotel Costa Verde. If you enjoy yoga, take a class on their pavilion and enjoy the sweeping panoramic views.
Jaco/Hermosa
Jaco is developed and not a very pretty beach. However, it is a great place to surf! Get out to stretch your legs at the Tarcoles Bridge on your drive south. It is about one-half hour before Jaco. Safely from above, you can witness a bunch of crocodiles under the bridge. Remember to have someone stay with the car if your luggage is visible.
I recommend stopping in Jaco for some surfing on your way to Manual Antonio. Or, surf for a couple days and stay in nearby Hermosa. Hermosa Beach boasts an idyllic black sand beach and gorgeous views. However I would not venture too far into the water as it is a very rough surf. Instead, hang out on the beach and watch the expert surfers ride the waves. We stayed at the beachside Backyard Hotel.
Uvita
Uvita is a less touristy and less developed area south of Manual Antonio. Activities include beaches, jungle, waterfalls, ocean kayaking, snorkeling, and more. Come here to visit the amazing whale tale at Marino Ballena National Park — explore at low tide and again as the tide rolls in and the sand bar disappears. We stayed at a lovely Airbnb rental — Casa Uvita.
You can make it a day trip from Manual Antonio or stay a few nights. Go on a tour with Carlos and Bahia Banana Kayaks. We ocean kayaked back and forth over the sdfdsf and then hiked through a nearby mangrove. Have fun catching your own tilapia for lunch at Tilapias El Pavon in Ojochal. It is the second tilapia restaurant and across the street from the El Pavon waterfall. Trek to Playa Arco at low tide so you can wade through the cave. Be sure to leave before the tide comes back in. We parked at the Villa Leonor Restaurant (good food!) hiked about 30-minutes north to get to Playa Arco. You will cross a stream or two and go up a frosted hill towards the end. Want to surf? Head to Dominical, which is less than an hour north for beginner surfing lessons. I do not remember the name, but before leaving ask for directions to a waterfall just down the road from town.
Osa Peninsula
The Osa Peninsula is a wonderful truly off the beaten path experience. You will be surrounded by nature, birds, monkeys and zero commercialism. Many activities such as beaches, waterfalls, snorkeling, hiking, boat rides, and more. Osa Peninsula. And, don’t miss the sunsets!
We took a hopper flight — to a truck — to a boat — to a tractor to get to the Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge. For the return we took a coastal ocean boat ride — continued to a river boat ride — to the little town of Sierpe where I had arranged for a rental car to be delivered.
The Lodge has packages or you can handpick your excursions. We were pleasantly surprised to have a dedicated guide during our stay. Freddy! We explored the property and added boat excursions to the Corcovado National Park and to Cano Island + snorkeling. This destination was a bit of a splurge but an experience of a lifetime.
Rincon de la Vieja
Another volcano! We stayed at the Blue River Resort at Rincon de la Vieja but there are now closer properties to the Pacific in this region. I will say, if you are looking for a remote experience, the Blue River is crazy blue and the land is beautiful. We like to go a little out of our comfort zone so we really liked it. Except, however when my oldest son got bitten by a poisonous bullet ant on our waterfall hike. He took Benadryl right away but was delirious for about 12-hours — and accidentally walked into a boiling river. No joke. Be safe and carry Benadryl with you in these remote locations.
While the hotel and the area is nice, it is a long and bumpy drive to get there.
Our Itineraries
Keep in mind that I like to pack in a lot and push the adventure side of things. These itineraries included hopper flights.
1 | Arenal Volcano + Monetverde Cloud Forest + Tamarindo Beach
2 | Rincon de la Vieja + Arenal Volcano + Manual Antonio
3 | Osa Peninsula + Uvita
Visited in June 1996, November 2012, November 2014
