Caribbean Coast
One of Costa Rica’s original ecolodges, Herbie and Annette offer four hillside cabins on two hectares above the murmuring Río Blanco. Devoid of cable TV and air-con, it’s a throwback to earlier days when ecotourism was all about unplugging (there is limited wi-fi).
Croaking frogs and flickering lightning bugs provide late-night entertainment; daytime diversions include the swimming hole and day trips to Tortuguero.
Dinner from mostly organic produce, vegetarian or meat-based, costs US$15.
24.61 MILES
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…
22.07 MILES
This polished storybook garden complex just east of Volcán Poás offers the most easily digestible cultural experience in the Central Valley and is the…
24.42 MILES
This museum houses the world’s largest collection of American jade (pronounced ‘ha-day’ in Spanish), with an ample exhibition space of five floors…
Museo de Oro Precolombino y Numismática
24.58 MILES
This three-in-one museum houses an extensive collection of Costa Rica's most priceless pieces of pre-Columbian gold and other artifacts, including…
24.76 MILES
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 del Toro & the Blue Falls
29.6 MILES
Find a beautiful 90m-tall waterfall that cascades into a volcanic crater (free for overnight guests) and two trail options through virgin forest (one 4…
24.4 MILES
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…
24.25 MILES
Northwest of Plaza España lies this pleasant, historical neighborhood, home to a cluster of 19th-century cafetalero (coffee grower) mansions. Recently…
1. Copetillo Birdwatching/Donde Cope
2.32 MILES
Guapileño artist-photographer Cope (co-pay) has converted this former tilapia farm into a paradise of hummingbirds, tanagers and other birds, with a…
2. Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo
7.26 MILES
Enter this underexplored national park and you will have an idea of what Costa Rica looked like prior to the 1950s, when 75% of the country’s surface area…
11.77 MILES
The frogs hop free in this lovely tropical garden, a perfect habitat for more than 28 species. On bilingual guided tours you’re likely to see old…
4. Parque Nacional Volcán Turrialba
14.31 MILES
A 2km radius around the rarely visited Volcán Turrialba (3328m) became a national park in 1955, protecting mountain rainforest and cloud forest. It was…
15.74 MILES
Down a rugged road and across the hanging bridge is home to more than 80 varieties of heliconias, tropical flowers, plants and trees. The two-hectare…
18.02 MILES
More than a decade ago, Leslie Howle and her husband, Jorge Murillo, started taking in sick and injured toucans. The couple eventually ended up with a…
7. Monumento Nacional Arqueológico Guayabo
18.96 MILES
This is the largest and most important archaeological site in the country. Although Guayabo isn't nearly as breathtaking as Mayan and Aztec archaeological…
22.07 MILES
This polished storybook garden complex just east of Volcán Poás offers the most easily digestible cultural experience in the Central Valley and is the…