Costa Rica
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Arenal Volcano among clouds above forest-covered hills.

Costa Rica
Pura vida!

Volcanoes, cloud forests and two coasts to build your own route

Where to go in Costa Rica

13 areas, each with its places, their sources and their status. Filter by what you want to do and open the one you like.

13 destinations

Arenal Volcano with a cloud over its summit, framed by rainforest.

La Fortuna & Arenal

57 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Volcano and mountain
  • Living culture
  • City and food
A suspension bridge at Selvatura amid Monteverde’s cloud forest vegetation.

Monteverde

40 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Living culture
  • City and food
Aerial view of Punta Catedral and the rainforest-fringed beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park.

Manuel Antonio

39 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Sea, beach and reef
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Living culture
  • City and food
Aerial view of a curved beach below wooded hills in Guanacaste.

Guanacaste

40 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Sea, beach and reef
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Living culture
  • City and food
Aerial view of a forested coastline beside turquoise waters.

Puerto Viejo & Cahuita

37 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Sea, beach and reef
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Living culture
  • City and food
Waterway among treetops and mist-covered forest.

Tortuguero

28 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Sea, beach and reef
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Living culture
  • City and food
A large tree with exposed roots on a pebble beach on the Osa Peninsula.

Osa & Corcovado

34 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Sea, beach and reef
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Living culture
  • City and food
Aerial view of the Punta Uvita sandbar and its two bays.

Uvita & Ballena

31 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Sea, beach and reef
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Living culture
  • City and food
The summit and slopes of Rincón de la Vieja Volcano beneath sunlit clouds.

Rincón de la Vieja

20 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
  • Volcano and mountain
Lake at the bottom of a volcanic crater surrounded by rocky walls.

Poás & Irazú

36 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Volcano and mountain
  • Living culture
  • City and food
City lights in San José beneath a pink and purple sky.

San José

47 places to discover

  • Nature and jungle
  • Living culture
  • City and food

A route to start with

Choose how many days you have. Save the route to My trip and make it your own.

  1. Days 1–2La Fortuna & Arenalvolcano, waterfall and hot springs
  2. Days 3–4Monteverdecloud forest and bridges
  3. Days 5–7Manuel Antoniorainforest and beach
Open in My trip

La Fortuna & Arenal1Monteverde2Manuel Antonio3
The route is a suggestion: adjust transfers and bookings to the season. The map does not calculate travel times.

Before you go

The practical side of entering the country and getting around.

Entering the country

It depends on your passport and nationality.

See details on Sherpa

External service

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If your country is in Immigration’s first group (among others Spain, the European Union, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil), you need no visa: the immigration officer grants up to 180 days, never past your passport’s expiry date. Bring an onward or return ticket and proof of funds of at least US$100 per month of stay (Migración, Directrices Generales de Visas, 17 Nov 2025). Leaving by air carries a departure tax of US$27 under Law 8316; the ICT website gives US$29. It is usually included in the ticket (ICT). If you buy your ticket outside Costa Rica, the fare also includes US$15 for the ICT (Law 8694).

Entry requirements change: confirm them on the official immigration website before you fly. Costa Rica Immigration

Money

The currency is the colón (CRC). Whether tourist areas accept US dollars is unconfirmed.

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Whether tourist areas accept US dollars is unconfirmed, so keep some colones to hand. Cards work almost everywhere; carry some cash for rural routes.

Health and emergencies

The emergency number is 911.

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Get travel insurance with medical cover and pack sunscreen and insect repellent.

Getting around

You can get around by rental car, by shuttle between destinations or on short domestic flights.

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In the mountains and in the rain, trips take longer than the map says.

When to visit

Climate and seasons in Costa Rica

  1. May
  2. Jun
  3. Jul
  4. Aug
  5. Sep
  6. Oct
  7. Nov
  1. Dec
  2. Jan
  3. Feb
  4. Mar
  5. Apr

April and November are transition months (IMN; ICT). The Caribbean has no well-defined dry season: its driest months are usually February and March, and September and October (IMN).

More places for your route

A selection of places to add to your trip.

The destinations on the map

Pick a destination on the map to see its places.

Explore all places

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Each marker opens its destinationMap: © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap