Menu
Costa Rica sloth 2
58293497_xxl
Costa-Rica-Quetzal

Costa Rica is a leader in land conservation, with an astonishing 25% of its territory designated as protected area.

Its dizzying array of national parks (26 in total) are home to all kinds of wildlife, landscapes and ecosystems — think volcanic peaks, white-water rapids and miles of coastline.

Adventure is never far from the table in Costa Rica. There are rainforest hikes and world-class surfing, while its biodiversity and green conservation means that more than half a million species call Costa Rica home, from tropical fish and howler monkeys to toucans and scarlet macaws.

So come to Costa Rica and join the local ticos in their peaceful, relaxed way of life.

National parks of Costa Rica

Costa Rica's top national parks and how to get there

Costa Rica’s national parks are a beacon of inspiration to the world. As a leader in land conservation and habitat protection, Costa Rica has designated an astonishing 25% of its landmass as protected area—the highest anywhere in the world. A dizzying 26 national parks encompass all kinds of landscapes, habitats, and ecosystems...read more

14 days

Active adventures in Costa Rica

Natural wonders and unspoiled beauty
View itinerary
6 days

Costa Rica multisport

Tropical bike rides and outdoor adventures
View itinerary
13 days

Costa Rica wildlife adventure

National parks, cloud forests and turtles
View itinerary
9 days

Highlights of Costa Rica

Jungle wildlife and coastal relaxation
View itinerary
10 days

Classic Costa Rica

Pristine beaches and nesting turtles
View itinerary
15 days

Ultimate Costa Rica

Wildlife, beaches and rainforests
View itinerary
  • Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

    Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

    Boasting an incredible ecosystem and home to approximately 5% of the planet’s total bird species, 130 mammal species and more than 3,000 plants, the cloud forests of Monteverde are a nature lover’s dream...
  • Arenal Volcano National Park

    Arenal Volcano National Park

    For several decades, the Cerro Arenal Volcano was the most active in Costa Rica, spewing molten lava and red hot boulders into the surrounding darkness...
  • Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

    Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

    Once a sleepy backwater surfing town, Puerto Viejo has become a stop-off for travellers looking to party...
  • Manuel Antonio National Park

    Manuel Antonio National Park

    If you imagine Costa Rica to be a paradise of pristine beaches, exotic flowers, thick rainforests, and crystal-clear waters, where monkeys and sloths and scarlet macaws frolic freely, then you have Manuel Antonio National Park in mind...
  • Guanacaste National Park

    Guanacaste National Park

    Sandwiched between Santa Rosa National Park and Rincón de la Vieja National Park -- the other two parks in the Guanacaste Conservation Area trio -- this incredibly diverse and endearingly rustic national park is one of Costa Rica’s least visited...
  • Cocos Island

    Cocos Island

    The uninhabited Cocos Island is known as one of the world’s best scuba diving destinations...
  • San Jose

    San Jose

    At first glance, San Jose might not seem like the prettiest of cities but delve a little deeper into the colonial mansions of Barrio Amon, the restaurants of Barrio Escalante and the many live music clubs, and you’ll soon uncover the beating cultural heart of Costa Rica’s capital...
  • Tortuguero National Park

    Tortuguero National Park

    This wild and interconnected web of canals is an aquatic fairyland, where gavilan trees stand sentry at the water’s edge, caiman snouts poke out of canals, tiger herons perch atop driftwood, and four species of endangered sea turtle travel thousands of miles every year to lay their eggs on the beaches where they once hatched...
  • Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve

    Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve

    The first national park in Costa Rica, Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve is part of the Tempisque Conservation Area in the province of Puntarenas...
  • Playa Carrillo

    Playa Carrillo

    ...
  • Santa Teresa

    Santa Teresa

    A small beach village in the Puntarenas Province, Santa Teresa’s beach is famous amongst surfers for its fast and powerful beach break and consistent waves...
  • Corcovado National Park

    Corcovado National Park

    Few places on Earth are as wild, as rich, and as spectacular as Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park...
  • Tenorio Volcano National Park

    Tenorio Volcano National Park

    If wild and wonderful are your jam, then Tenorio Volcano National Park is a must for your Costa Rica agenda...
  • Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park

    Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park

    Home to some of the most startling and unique scenery in Costa Rica, Rincón de la Vieja National Park and its eponymous volcano welcomes visitors to volcanic landscapes, complete with steaming fumaroles, boiling mud cauldrons, and natural hot springs...
  • Cahuita National Park

    Cahuita National Park

    Cahuita National Park is a dreamy destination, where coastal rainforest spills onto sand, and sand fades into the turquoise Caribbean...
  • Poás Volcano National Park

    Poás Volcano National Park

    Poás Volcano is the second-most visited national park in Costa Rica for one excellent reason: a gently active volcano (and its triplet craters)...
  • Palo Verde National Park

    ...
  • Carara National Park

    ...
  • Quetzales National Park

    ...
  • Marino Ballena National Park

    ...
  • Sarapiqui

    ...
  • Nosara

    ...

Places to go in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Tours

Arenal Volcano National Park, San Jose, Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero and Tropical Rainforests

Discover Costa Rica's "Little Amazon"

7 daysFrom $1,335
Costa Rica, Nicaragua

Costa Rica & Nicaragua Multi-Adventure

An active tour of Costa Rica and Nicaragua

10 daysFrom $1,679
Arenal Volcano National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, San Jose

Costa Rica Adventure Tour

Costa Rica tropical eco-adventure tour

9 daysFrom $2,150
Arenal Volcano National Park, San Jose, Tortuguero National Park

Caribbean to Pacific Family Adventure

12 days exploring Costa Rica

12 daysFrom $4,650
Guanacaste National Park, Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park

Guanacaste, Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and Beaches

8 days at Rincon de la Vieja and Tamarindo beach

8 daysFrom $3,500
San Jose, Tortuguero National Park, Corcovado National Park

Nature Highlights

10 days in the national parks of Tortuguero and Corcovado

10 daysFrom $2,565

Costa Rica Travel Companies

Central America, South America

Lost World Adventures

Custom tours to Latin America
Central America, South America, Antarctica

South American Vacations

Custom tours to Latin America since 2002
Costa Rica

Horizontes Nature Tours

Custom nature tours to Costa Rica
Central America, Africa, Central Asia

YellowWood Adventures

Sustainable travel for the modern-day explorer
South America, Africa, South Asia

The Adventure People

The Most Inspiring & Exciting Adventure Holidays On Earth.
Central America, South America

The Latin America Travel Company

Guided tours to Latin America

Why Horizon Guides?

Impartial guidebooks

Impartial travel guides

Our guides are written by the leading experts in their destinations. We never take payment for positive coverage so you can count on us for impartial travel advice.

Expert itineraries

Expert itineraries

Suggested itineraries and routes to help you scratch beneath the surface, avoid the tourist traps, and plan an authentic, responsible and enjoyable journey.

Specialist advice

Specialist advice

Get friendly, expert travel advice and custom itineraries from some of the world's best tour operators, with no spam, pressure or commitment to book.