City: Costa Rica
Top Things to do in Costa Rica
Top Hotels in Costa Rica
- 1. Shana By The Beach Manuel Antonio
- 2. Tulemar Resort
- 3. Nayara Gardens
- 4. Arenal Manoa Resort Hotel & Hot Springs
- 5. The Westin Reserva Conchal, an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa
- 6. Jardin del Eden Boutique Hotel
- 7. The Royal Corin Thermal Water Spa & Resort
- 8. The Springs Resort and Spa
- 9. Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa
- 10. Hotel Lomas del Volcan
What to do and see in Costa Rica, Costa Rica: The Best Things to do
Coordinates: 10°N 84°W / 10°N 84°W / 10; -84
Restaurants in Costa Rica
1. Tio Leo Coffee Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 165 reviews
A Cultural tour which explains the crops and folklore of Guanacaste. Tio Leo himself will show you the techniques that were used to harvest the coffee. In addition to that explanations on sugar cane and chocolate will be provided as part of the tour.
Reviewed By gregpoe
A wonderful tour. Very interesting. Guide gave a great history of coffee and the roasting process. We truly enjoyed walking through the coffee plants, cocoa plants, and other vegetation. Had our bags of coffee signed by the roaster. Highly recommended.
2. Royal Butterflies
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 110 reviews
Enjoy a relaxing experience whilst being surrounded by exotic butterflies with a lush backdrop of tropical plants. Learn about the amazing life cycle of the butterflies and walk along the river path whilst exploring the over 70 types of fruit trees being grown on the property. Cold drinks and souvenirs are available for purchase in the gift shop. Tour is $10 p/person. Free for kids under 6 years old.'
Reviewed By U3962DNjoell - Quebrada Amarilla, Costa Rica
I recently moved to Quebrada Amarilla. I am delighted to live close to the Royal Butterflies attraction. I just visited today for the first of what I expect to be many times and a place where I bring all visitors.. Dan and Donna showed me around. The setting is beyond beautiful. The attraction is on the same property as the most spectacular tree house I have ever seen. I have been recommending the tree house to all my friends. The tree house has beautiful views and is amazing from an architecture prospective even including a hidden room as well as all the amenities you would expect from a hotel room. The Royal Butterflies attraction is also surrounded by many other tall trees and close to a gentle river but well off the road and quietly away from the modest traffic. But back to the butterflies. The exhibit features extremely colorful and beautiful assortments of butterflies in a quiet and beautiful location. The setting was tranquil and I simply wanted to rest and absorb the fluttering creatures. I came out of the exhibit as if I had been in a deep relaxing meditation.
3. Teatro Nacional Costa Rica
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,540 reviews
Since 1897, this elegant theater has been a source of pride.
Reviewed By stjepkog - Gela, Italy
If You Have More then a Day - Visit the Teatro Nacional Costa Rica - It is a Beautiful Theater Built in the 19th Century - Take a Guided Tour.
4. Playa Manuel Antonio
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11,923 reviews
One of Costa Rica's most popular beaches, Playa Manuel Antonio frequently hosts parties and festivals, and it is an ideal destination for avid surfers.
Reviewed By jimt903 - Middletown, United States
Along the trail through the M A national park, observe the flora and fauna, listen t o the call of exotic (for North Americans anyway) birds and at trail's end rejoice in the awesome views of Playa Manuel Antonio. Take your swimsuits. Monkey's galore and sloths high in the trees but the beach on the cove is the gem. Spend the afternoon if you take a light meal or snacks. And take water. There are adequate bath facilities.
5. Tamarindo Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,498 reviews
Reviewed By K1210ABtinab - Thunder Bay, Canada
The beach is a lot of fun. Lot’s of restaurants, amazingly friendly people and great waves for surfing. We don’t surf but loved to watch. There are a lot of vendors but none are extremely pushy. Most are a lot of fun. Overall our beach experience has been amazing.
6. Curi Cancha Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,583 reviews
To protect of natural resources of the planet operating through an economically and environmentally sustainable business that preserves local forests and biodiversity, benefits people of the area, and provides the highest quality experience for the visitor. Walk along beautiful natural trails with an experienced guide and see different species of birds and mammals. Learn about the amazing diversity of the cloud forest.
Reviewed By Stuart-from-molesey
The guide was Carlos from the reserve and knew exactly where to find the birds and animals and was very knowledgeable on plants as well. Whilst not twitchers ourselves it was nice to see the Quetzal although I suspect that it was probably in its usual favourite tree. On one trail there was a fresh print of what was said to be a puma but rarely to be be seen. The humming bird feeder area was really great to stop and have a drink. We spent 2 hours with Carlos and a further 3 hours on our own. Great visit.
7. La Fortuna Waterfall
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9,261 reviews
The Fortuna River Waterfall is a natural area managed sustainably by Integral Development Association of La Fortuna (ADIFORT), a non-profit organization, having as its main objective to ensure the well-being and growth of La Fortuna community; projects that are possible to run thanks to funds raised by the visit of each tourist to this natural space. La Fortuna Waterfall is located in a biological reserve with an area of 210 acres of transition premontane tropical wet forest, part of the Arenal Volcano National Park and is located at 520 meters over the sea level, where there are sources of our mountains and the waters of La Fortuna River. To observe this splendid 70 meters high waterfall, visitors must pass a path of approximately 530 steps, which offers greater security to its passage and comfortable areas for rest and hydration through a forest with native trees of the area.
Reviewed By Diogomarcel - Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
the is a nice atraction in la fortuna, easy to get there and for sure a grear place to spend some time with nature, be ready for a long walk all the way to the falls , the conservation area is very nice and the park is well organized. high reccomended
8. Neo Fauna CR
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 214 reviews
Neofauna is a conservationist project focused on the reproduction, rescue and release of wild animals; this a private project financed by the sale of tours.
Reviewed By 928ilanah - Toronto, Canada
The place is a pretty little refuge in Jaco down a cute little street past a local school. The surroundings are lush and in March the shade was a blessing and there was a breeze! When we arrived there was someone there to greet us and to tell us what animals they had, how much it cost (25 USD per person) and where the money went to. As it was a conservation effort to save species we were fine with the amount! We set off with our guide who was kind and very knowledgeable. Our 3 year old daughter is normally quite shy but his demeanor quickly won her over. When we visited the different animals he told us why they were there and the treatments they were receiving. The butterfly area was gorgeous and beautiful- so many butterflies! Our guide went above and beyond to show us the animals and make us all so happy. I can't wait to go again! It was my daughter's favourite excursion in Costa Rica- including Manual Antonio!
9. Ponderosa Adventure Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 438 reviews
Ponderosa Adventure Park is a unique park for the whole family. It has six kind of tours: kayaking, canopy, horseback riding, waterfall and safari tour and pool area.
Reviewed By nataliejanej - Las Vegas, United States
If you like animals then this place is for you! Recently visited as a stop off between the airport and our hotel and we are so glad we did! You get to feed zebra, giraffe, ostrich, Indian cows and donkeys all on a safari style vehicle. Definitely buy two or more bags of carrots each at the shop in order to enjoy the experience as much as possible. They are only $2 each. We pre-booked online and then turned up and hopped into the safari tour straight away. Sit at the back of the truck for the best photos! The ride can get a little bumpy in parts of the park but all in all, a very comfortable ride. The animals are very friendly and the tour guides clearly know them by name and their personalities. It was good to see mains water pumped into troughs in the fields and food available (plus they eat carrots all day!) There is lots of space for the animals to roam too. The animals are not shy and will happily poke their heads into the truck to get their treats! It is such a great experience we left thrilled. We were in and out within 2 hours so it isn’t too much of a delay if you’re gonna en route to another location. I highly recommend this place for anyone who loves animals!
10. Jaco Beach
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,608 reviews
Reviewed By 442kristiana - Naples, United States
Pretty beach, black sand so it looks a bit like dirt but still very nice. Plenty of different Surf Schools, most charge around $10 per day to rent a surfboard, or $35 for a surf lesson. Two loungers and an umbrella are about $10 but you can negotiate depending on what else you are renting from them. If you get a surf lesson, most of the time they will give you the beach chairs and umbrella for free. Tico's Surf School was great, it's owned by their 4 times national surf champion and all the guys working there are very friendly. We negotiated the use of 2 surf boards every day for $20, and most of the time they let us use 2 boogie boards for free as long as we rent the surf boards. Boogie Boards were nice and a lot of fun too, but seemed like a ripoff if you had to pay $10 for each. (You can buy MOREY at Costco in the USA for $25-$30 almost the same quality). If you can, bring couple boogie boards with your from the USA, it can save you quite a bit of money for a week or two. You can always leave them behind when you go back, or sell them to another tourist there for $20 on the beach... :) Keep in mind High Tide is when you want to surf on this beach, which varies throughout the week and it comes different time of the day. In the beginning of our trip it seemed to be around 3pm or 5-6pm, but then it changed to 9-10am towards the end of our trip. During low tide you can still boogie board but surfing is tough if not impossible. Kids can still learn to surf on the whitewash so it's still fun. Parking is free around there, but try to park closer to the beach and don't leave valuables in your car - we saw someone lurking around our vehicle signaling another person, so ended up having to move it directly on the beach from where it was, a little walk on an adjacent street. When you get to the beach with your car, some of the surf school attendants may try to signal you to park and tell you that you can park for only $10 for the day, but don't fall for it, parking is free. Just say no I'll just park for free instead... ;) Be careful on the beach during low tide, even though it's very shallow and safe, it starts pulling in pretty hard and we saw someone almost drown, had it not been for the lifeguards that swam way past the surf to get him. Low Tide - the water recedes from the beach towards the ocean, so it pulls towards the deep ocean. High Tide - water invades the beach, so generally speaking it pushes you towards the shore. Waves were consistent everyday, with Magic SeaWeed app showing around 3-4 feet surf, but when you got in it was closer to 6'-7' every day, with some monster sets coming out of nowhere that were probably even higher. Again, between the smaller waves and the larger sets, there are plenty of waves for everyone to catch. Very easy conditions for surfing if you are a beginner. More experienced surfers go to Hermosa Beach, which is the next beach to the south. It's more desolate, and untouched, and it hosts all the surfing competitions. If you have a chance, drive down that way for lunch and try Las Olas Ahi Poke Hawaiian Style - best spent 700 colones in Costa Rica! Sit on the beach in the shade, drink and eat, and watch the surfers. If you aren't an experienced surfer, don't try surfing there, go back to Jaco :)
