Must-see attractions in Costa Rica

  • SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA-MARCH 3, 2015:  The National Theater in Costa Rica first opened to the public in 1897.  It remains a top tourist destination today.; Shutterstock ID 265490903; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Teatro Nacional

    San José

    On the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura resides the Teatro Nacional, San José’s most revered building. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned…

  • Iguana in Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica

    Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio

    Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around

    Featuring lush jungle, picture-perfect beaches and craggy headlands, this tiny park (1680 acres/680 hectares) absolutely brims with wildlife (and often…

  • Sunset on beach with Ocean, Costa Rica

    Playa Negra

    Cahuita

    At the northwestern end of Cahuita, Playa Negra is a long, black-sand beach flying the bandera azul ecológica, a flag that indicates that the beach is…

  • Eagle Ray swimming in the waters of Coco Island in Costa Rica; Shutterstock ID 127196843; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Parque Nacional Isla del Coco

    Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa

    Around 500km southwest of the Costa Rica mainland, Isla del Coco is a natural wonder that teems with wildlife, including the largest schools of hammerhead…

  • Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal

    Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal

    From 1968 until 2010, Volcán Arenal was an ever-active and awe-striking natural wonder, producing menacing ash columns, massive explosions and streams of…

  • Costa Rica, Las Cruces, Wilson Botanical Garden, bromeliad bud, close-up

    Wilson Botanical Garden

    Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa

    The world-class Wilson Botanical Garden is internationally known for its collection of more than 2000 native Costa Rican species. Species threatened with…

  • 500px Photo ID: 76842259 - Museo Del Jade, San Jose, Costa Rica

    Museo del Jade

    San José

    This museum houses the world’s largest collection of American jade (pronounced ‘ha-day’ in Spanish), with an ample exhibition space of five floors…

  • A drone shot of the National park Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
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    Punta Catedral

    Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around

    Geography fun fact: this isthmus, which is the centerpiece of the park, is called a tombolo and was formed by the accumulation of sand between the…

  • Frog Pendant. Costa Rica, Chiriqul. 11th-16th century. Cast Gold. Frogs are frequently depicted in the gold work of Costa Rica and Panama,. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images)

    Museo de Oro Precolombino y Numismática

    San José

    This three-in-one museum houses an extensive collection of Costa Rica's most priceless pieces of pre-Columbian gold and other artifacts, including…

  • Playa Espadilla Sur & Punta Catedral in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

    Playa Espadilla Sur

    Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around

    A half-hour hike from the park entrance, the exposed Playa Espadilla Sur is to the north of Punta Catedral and gorgeous with pinch-me scenes of white sand…

  • Reserva Santa Elena

    Monteverde & Around

    The exquisitely misty 310-hectare Reserva Santa Elena offers a completely different cloud forest experience from Monteverde. Cutting through the veiled…

  • Montezuma Waterfalls

    Montezuma

    A 40-minute river hike leads to a waterfall with a delicious swimming hole. Further along, a second set of falls offers a good 12m leap into deep water…

  • Cascada Verde

    Uvita

    Around 2.5km inland and uphill (toward Cascada Verde hostel), this waterfall plunges into an inviting deep pool, perfect for a refreshing dip. Visitors…

  • Mercado Central

    San José

    Though josefinos mainly do their shopping at chain supermarkets, San José’s crowded indoor markets retain an old-world, authentic feel. This main market,…

  • Catarata Manantial de Agua Viva

    Central Pacific Coast

    This 200m-high waterfall is claimed to be the highest in the country. From the entrance, it’s a steep 3km (45-minute) hike down into the valley (an hour…

  • Sitio Arqueológico Finca 6

    Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa

    This site, 4km north of Sierpe, offers the best opportunity to view the mysterious pre-Columbian spheres created by the Diquís civilization between 300…

  • Tiskita Jungle Lodge

    Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa

    Set on a verdant hillside between Pavones and Punta Banco, Tiskita Jungle Lodge consists of 100 hectares of virgin forest and a huge orchard, which…

  • Parque Nacional Chirripó

    Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa

    While much of the Cordillera de Talamanca is difficult to access, Costa Rica’s highest peak, Cerro Chirripó (3820m), is the focus of popular two-day…

  • Playa Santa Teresa

    Mal País & Santa Teresa

    Playa Santa Teresa is a long, stunning beach that's famous for its fast and powerful beach break. The waves are pretty consistent and can be surfed at…

  • Black-bellied whistling ducks at Palo Verde National Park.

    Parque Nacional Palo Verde

    Northwestern Costa Rica

    At the head of the Golfo de Nicoya, the 198 sq km Parque Nacional Palo Verde is a wetland sanctuary in Costa Rica’s driest province. The park’s shallow,…

  • Spanish colonial era tower with battlements and multiple bullet holes, National Museum of Costa Rica.

    Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

    San José

    Entered via a beautiful glassed-in atrium housing an exotic butterfly garden, this museum provides a quick survey of Costa Rican history. Exhibits of pre…

  • Parque Nacional Tortuguero

    Caribbean Coast

    This misty, green coastal park sits on a broad floodplain parted by a jigsaw of canals. Referred to as the ‘mini-Amazon,’ Parque Nacional Tortuguero is a…

  • Rustic wooden bridge on the trails of the Curu Wildlife Reserve in Costa Rica.

    Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Curú

    Península de Nicoya

    Situated at the eastern end of the peninsula, this tiny 84-hectare wildlife refuge holds a great variety of landscapes, including dry tropical forest,…

  • Olive ridley sea turtle on the sand in Ostional Nacional Wildlife Refuge.

    Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional

    Península de Nicoya

    This 85 sq km coastal refuge extends from Punta India in the north to Playa Guiones in the south, and includes the beaches of Nosara and Ostional. It was…

  • Parque Nacional Barra Honda Caverns

    Península de Nicoya

    This 23 sq km national park protects a system of 42 caverns. The only cave with regular public access is the 41m-deep La Terciopelo, which features…

  • Barrio Amon

    Barrio Amón

    San José

    Northwest of Plaza España lies this pleasant, historical neighborhood, home to a cluster of 19th-century cafetalero (coffee grower) mansions. Recently…

  • An askew shade tree on the south end of Playa Manuel Antonio in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.

    Playa Manuel Antonio

    Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around

    With its turquoise waters, this lovely forest-backed beach fronts a deep bay, sheltered by the Punta Catedral on the west side and a promontory on the…

  • Las Pumas

    Northwestern Costa Rica

    This wild-animal shelter was started in the 1960s by the late Lilly Hagnauer, a Swiss environmentalist. It’s one of the largest shelters of its kind in…

  • Playa Cocolito

    Montezuma

    Here's your chance to see a waterfall crashing down a cliff, straight onto the rocks and into the ocean. El Chorro Waterfall is the pièce de résistance of…

  • Macaw Recovery Network

    Península de Nicoya

    A local NGO that is dedicated to the conservation of Costa Rica's two species of macaw: the great green macaw and the scarlet macaw. The group…

  • Crocodile Bridge

    Central Pacific Coast

    If you’re driving from Puntarenas or San José, pull over by the Río Tárcoles bridge, also known as Crocodile Bridge running over the Tárcoles River where…

  • Playa Grande

    Montezuma

    About 6km north of town, Playa Grande is the best surf beach in the area. It's a 3km-plus stretch of waves and sand, which never gets too crowded as it…

  • Museo de los Niños & Galería Nacional

    San José

    If you're wondering how to get your young kids interested in art and science, this unusual museum – actually two museums in one – is an excellent place to…

  • Playa Gemelas

    Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around

    Clasped by volcanic rock and jungle, Playa Gemelas is smaller than the other beaches, but no less spectacular: this place could be a desert island beach…

  • Playa Montezuma

    Montezuma

    The best beach close to town is just to the north, where the sand is powdery and sheltered from big swells. This is your glorious sun-soaked crash pad…

  • Playa Hermosa

    Mal País & Santa Teresa

    Somewhere north of town, Playa Santa Teresa ends and Playa Hermosa starts. This gorgeous beach deserves its hermosa (beautiful) moniker and then some. It…

  • Playa Rincon de San Josecito

    Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa

    Just past Playa San Josecito is the less famous but more impressive beach, Playa Rincon de San Josecito. It's a vast stretch of sand – 1km or more –…

  • Aiko-logi

    Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

    Nestled into the Cordillera de Talamanca, 15km outside Puerto Viejo, this private 135-hectare reserve is centered on a former finca (farm), on land…

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