Adventure travel Costa Rica destinations: Arenal, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and more.
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After nine days of non-stop fun on a multi-sport adventure with Active South America in Costa Rica, floating belly-up in a secluded cove at Playa Coyote gave me a chance to savor the journey. A morning swim in placid waters beneath pastel pink heavens soothed muscles put to tests that included mountain biking, white water rafting, pony trekking, hiking in rain forests, kayaking across blue-green depths to a picnic on a palm-studded island, and a night patrol with turtle conservationists along a strand of deserted beach. These were just a few of the high points of this holiday designed for those who want to breathe deeply of the landscape. Read more...
Kevin Peterson (Ontario, Canada) Sep 2006 Jaguar
Where to Go: Costa Rica Must-See Destinations
For vacations Costa Rica really has it all: beach, rainforest, volcanoes and more.|
See the best of Costa Rica on our 11-day Quetzal: Costa Rica adventure (blue route on map) or our 11-day Iguana: Costa Rica travel tour (green route on map). Read more about Costa Rica in your FREE brochure, featuring tons of travel photos, more detailed maps and tips for planning your Costa Rica adventure. Guanacaste & the Northern Pacific beachesThis area covers the most popular beaches on the Pacific side south of the Nicaraguan border and is where to go for a typical beach vacation sipping drinks under an umbrella overlooking picture perfect white sand beaches and baking in the consistently hot, dry weather. This is one of the last pockets of tropical dry forest in Central America and it's where most of the big beach resorts and high-end international hotel chains are located, between the sprawling cattle ranches on the vast open plains. TamarindoA pretty typical beach town with access to spa treatments, yoga classes, adventure activities and sport fishing. You might avoid the Tamarindo area for the next couple of years until the building boom settles down.Northern region - Arenal volcano & Monteverde Cloud Forest This is the area located north of San José, between the Guanacaste province on the west and the Caribbean coast on the east. Dramatic and full of contrast, there's enough to do around here to keep you busy for three or four days minimum. Monteverde Cloud Forest ReserveMonteverde is the most famous cloud forest by far, and ironically also the most difficult to reach. The road up to Monteverde is comprised of potholes dotted with a few patches of dirt road. It takes four hours to drive the 106km between Arenal and Monteverde in a 4x4, and that's when it's dry. But that said, the Monteverde Cloud Forest is a very special place of almost all virgin forest shrouded in a heavy mist filled with the chorus of over 400 bird species.Arenal VolcanoArenal is the country's most active volcano, with tiny eruptions almost daily for over a decade. Allow yourself at least a couple of nights at Arenal if you want a reasonable chance of seeing lava flow though as the cone is often covered by clouds.Lake ArenalThis is one of the best windsurfing spots in the world - and with the Arenal Volcano looming overhead, it's certainly features the most dramatic backdrop!Cano Negro Wildlife RefugeKeep your eyes peeled because the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge is home to a relatively large population of endangered mammals including jaguars, tapirs and ocelots. Cano Negro is also a must see for bird watchers. A guided boat tour on the Rio Frio through this reserve is a popular way to get up close to the animals.Caribbean side / Atlantic coast / Limon Province - Tortuguero The eastern side of the country, stretching 200km between the borders of Nicaragua and Panama, is still one of the most remote parts of the country. Access to these parts is mainly by small plane or boat and therefore the culture here, especially on the Southern coast, is spicier somehow with Afro-Caribbean influences that are quite different to the rest of the country. TortugueroTortuguero is a huge 18,000 hectare swathe of dense low lying tropical rainforest in the northern Caribbean coast penetrated by a tangle of narrow canals. This area, Costa Rica's version of the Amazon, was not named "the region of turtles" for nothing. Tortuguero Beach is the most important nesting site of the endangered green turtles in the Western hemisphere and it's also home to several other turtle species.Southern Caribbean CoastIf you go south from the port of Limon, which marks the midpoint, you'll find remote little beach towns, such as Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo, where most of the action happens underwater on the coral reefs. But don't be fooled, this area tends to attract the most trouble in an otherwise very safe country.Central Valley & San José This is the smallest region but the most populated, with much of the population concentrated in or near the capital city of San Jose, equipped with all the comforts of modern existence. San JoséThe capital city of San José is where most people arrive and depart. Check out the colonial architecture, churches, theatres, museums and nightlife. It's also a comfortable base for day trips because many of the popular attractions are well within a 3 or 4-hour drive from the city.Central ValleyThis is the growing region with lots of coffee plantations, fincas (farms) and active volcanoes.Alajuela & HerediaThere are lesser known but equally impressive cloud forests around the Alajuela and Heredia region.Central Pacific - Quepos, Manuel Antonio & Jaco Beach The Central Pacific coast is easily accessible from San Jose and features some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, making this one of the most popular parts of the country. Jaco BeachJaco is a crazy surf town for the young, and young at heart, notorious for its night life.QueposA relaxed but sophisticated beach town on the edge of the very popular Manuel Antonio National Park. There are plenty of boutique hotels tucked into the hillside overlooking the jungle and the sea, but the best beaches are luckily protected within the national park for all to enjoy - there's not a high rise condo in sight from these parts.Manuel Antonio National ParkImagine a combination of rainforest that comes right down to a series of long curving white sand beaches. Manuel Antonio is not the biggest national park, but on most days you'll see sloths, monkeys and colourful macaws on the easy hike to the beach.Nicoya PeninsulaThis is the transition from the tropical dry forest typical of Guanacaste and the humid, evergreen rainforest further down. There are lots of hidden gems tucked away around here that haven't been discovered by the tourist buses yet.Southern Pacific Region - Osa Peninsula Located at the southwestern tip of the country, National Geographic magazine called this area "the most biologically intense place on earth". Even by Costa Rica standards, that sounds about right. This is still true today mainly because no one has managed to tame the jungle long enough to build a reliable road through these parts - let's hope they never do - so access is mainly via two jungle airstrips. There are 8 different habitats here from cloud forest to the largest lowland wet tropical forest remaining in all of Pacific Central America as well as the longest stretch of protected beachfront between Alaska and Chile. Corcovado National ParkMany endangered animals and plant species - including the jaguar - thrive in Corcovado National Park, one of the biggest pockets of natural habitat left. Corcovado is pretty serious remote country - you won't see any tour buses pulling up at this gate.Drake BayThere's great snorkelling and diving down here in the remote wilderness, but you'll need to pay to play. Drake Bay is only really accessible from a handful of high-end nature lodges. |
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Costa Rica travel tours mainly target the big beach resorts in the Guanacaste region, but there is so much more to Costa Rica than beaches. As with everything that has to do with directions in Costa Rica, dividing the country into regions is surprisingly complicated. The 7 political provinces have misleading names and don't reflect a practical way for visitors to organize their Costa Rica trip. The province of Puntarenas, for example, stretches all the way along the Pacific coast from the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula down to the bottom of the Osa Peninsula to Panama. So instead we'll have a look at the most popular regions to visit. 
