Costa Rica is the ideal travel destination for tourists looking for natural attractions to explore. Costa Rica is a land of beaches, mountains, forests, and volcanoes, and each can be explored to your heart’s content.
While the natural settings are amazing, Costa Rica is also flush with incredible architecture. This too is worth exploring when you can pull yourself away from the beaches, natural parks, and rainforests. With so much to see and do on a trip to Costa Rica, here are the must-see attractions you shouldn’t miss.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Eco-tourism is thriving in Costa Rica and Manuel Antonio National Park is at the heart of it. The biodiversity of the park is incredibly rich and it is possible to spend nearly an entire vacation in or around it. Situated near the town of Manuel Antonio, you will find the park with its lush beaches and vibrant wildlife. Keen birdwatchers can spot a diverse range of endemic and migratory birds in the park. After spending time in the tranquil park, there is nothing better than enjoying the excitement of Manuel Antonio right next door.
Irazu Volcano National Park
Fancy exploring a real volcano? The Irazu Volcano National Park surrounds the base of Irazu Volcano, which is the tallest active volcano in the country. Irazu Volcano stands at 3,342 meters tall while the parklands cover more than 2,300 hectares. Trails lead up to the crater of the volcano, allowing you to hike and explore some of the most beautiful forests in central America. Once you summit the volcano, you can see both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea on sunny days.
Tamarindo
Tamarindo makes for a great base to explore the rest of Costa Rica or for a relaxing vacation without leaving the resort town. Tamarindo is a former sleepy fishing village, but over the years, it has been transformed into a destination for travelers seeking beaches, surfing, and other watersports. Surfers from all over head to Tamarindo Beach in November and December due to the incredible waves that break off the coast. Other activities around Tamarindo include horse riding, ziplines, and leatherback turtle watching.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
The Cloud Forests is an incredibly unique experience for visitors to Costa Rica. The bridges at the top of canopy allows you to walk amongst the trees in the low-lying clouds. The Cloud Forests also possess ziplines allowing adrenaline junkies to zip from tree to tree. The Monteverde Cloud Forest is home to a variety of birds and mammals, which makes animal spotting a popular activity.
Arenal Volcano
The Arenal Volcano was previously Costa Rica’s most active volcano. It is now in a resting phase and possible for visitors to explore the incredible volcano via hiking and biking. The area around it is full of lakes and rivers to fish, swim, and float on. Arenal is one of the most scenic regions in Costa Rica and all tourists should visit it on a trip to Costa Rica.
National Theater
While Costa Rica is ripe with natural wonders, the city of San Jose has some extraordinary sites to see. The National Theater was built in the 1890s and has long been called the city’s most iconic building. The exterior is made in the classical European Renaissance style. The building was constructed after the coffee empresarios of Costa Rica imposed a tax on coffee exports. The money raised from the tax built the theater and today it is a national treasure.
