The amount of incredible things to do in Costa Rica is truly endless. Whether you’re looking for an adventure filled vacation or a relaxing and rejuvenating retreat Costa Rica is a fabulous place for anyone and everyone to explore. Here you’ll find a curated list of some of my favorite things to do in Costa Rica!
I can’t wait for you to explore the pura vida lifestyle!
This post is all about things to do in Costa Rica!
1. stay at arenas del mar
Arenas Del Mar is a hotel in the Manuel Antonio National Park. They’re focused on conservation and preservation of the natural world. The attention to detail, kind staff, amazing food, and serene ambience was all exceptional.
You’ll be greeted by smiling faces and a delicious welcome drink. From there you’ll find your spacious and comfortable accommodation via golf cart. You can explore their 11 acre property on nature walks, hikes and of course on their private beach. The hotel only takes up 25% of their property and the rest is unspoiled natural beauty.
This is definitely a bit of a splurge, but we feel that it’s definitely worth it due to the private beach, the amenities, the food and the activities that are available to guests.
If you’re looking to book, click here to visit their website!
2. Ethically release baby turtles
Of all the activities we experienced while in Costa Rica this was my favorite!
Milo, the founder of Tortugas de Isla Damas, pays so much attention to the health and safety of these turtles. No one is allowed to touch the baby turtles. This is crucial in protecting these little babies. They also release the babies far up the beach which allows them to properly imprint, so they know where to come back to.
According to their stats since 2014 they’ve rescued 115,000 eggs and released 109,000 turtles into the ocean. It’s completely free to experience, but donations are incredibly appreciated!
To find the baby turtle release you need to find the “Baby Sea Turtle Release” on Google Maps. Milo has a Facebook page where he updates the status of the babies and the mother turtles.
3. Visit manuel antonio national park
Manuel Antonio National Park is a must when looking for things to do in Costa Rica. The tips I would give to travelers would be:
- Book a time slot as early in the day as possible (to see animals more easily, avoid crowds and beat the heat)
- Definitely have a guide because having binoculars and/or a scope is a must and they find animals MUCH easier than travelers
- Bring a swimsuit to change into and swim at the beaches located within the park
The park is full of beautiful walking trails, stunning trees and plants, sloths, monkeys, butterflies, frogs and so much more. It’s a fantastic way to get immersed in the natural world in Costa Rica.
To reserve your time slot and tickets, click here!
4. go to a chocolate making class
What a fabulous thing to do in Costa Rica. Learning how chocolate is made from the pod of the cacao to your own chocolates in less than 2 hours is absolutely wonderful. This entire class was everything you could want from a cooking class and more.
We got to tour their organic farm with countless different delicious fruits, vegetables and spices. We learned how to make cacao tea and spiced hot chocolate, how to grind cocoa beans and how to make milk, dark and white chocolate.
To learn more about this class and to book it for yourself, click here!
5. go ziplining near the Arenal volcano
This is such a beautiful and fun way to see the vistas of Costa Rica. I would recommend this activity to anyone who is comfortable with heights. It shows beautiful views above the treetops with the Arenal volcano and big beautiful lake in the backdrop.
I think that pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone while traveling is important and this was a fun way to do that! Let yourself go, feel free and just fly!
To book this zipline experience, click here!
6. stay at nayara tented camps
The Nayara Tented Camps are truly a phenomenal resort to visit. The hotel rooms are designed like luxury tents with your own pool, hammock and relaxing area. They have a gorgeous pool deck with amazing chairs and great restaurants.
Like everywhere we’ve been during this journey, everyone has been so helpful, friendly, kind and eager to show you and tell you about their country. This is also a bit of a splurge so I would recommend this as a special honeymoon spot, or more of a luxury accommodation for your upcoming travels.
To book this hotel, click the link!
7. go on a late night frog walk
When traveling to Costa Rica, I knew that I wanted to see the red-eyed tree frogs. I found out that they are nocturnal, so the only time of day when you can see their famously red eyes is after dark!
I highly recommend going on a guided tour because they’re able to find the frogs so much easier than an untrained eye. This was such a cool experience and is perfect for adults and kids.
To book this experience click the link here!
8. mistico park hanging bridges hike
Around the Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna area of Costa Rica are the beautiful hanging bridges in Mistico Park. Hiking at a higher vantage point is such a unique and amazing experience. Seeing the forest floor below you, the trunks around you and the canopy above you is fantastic.
The hike itself is not too challenging. It’s about 2 miles long and you’ll pass over 6-16 different bridges depending on the route you take. You can either do a guided hike or a self-guided hike and, like I said about the frog hike, it’s much easier to spot wildlife with a guide!
9. white water rafting and canyoneering
If you like adventures, adrenaline and don’t mind getting wet – this activity is for you! A full, 8-hour, day packed with canyoning, ziplining, rappelling, and white water rafting.
The guides were so funny, kinda and friendly and we had such an incredible time. You could tell that the guides were having fun and really wanted all of the guests to have a fantastic time too.
I’ve been white water rafting multiple times and this was easily my favorite experience. It was fast, bumpy, splashy, and I never felt unsafe or scared that I’d pop out. The water was also refreshing and our guide let us take a swim in the river during a lull in the rapids.
Disclaimer: I wouldn’t recommend this to people who aren’t relatively physically fit. Balance is also super important as the rocks are quite slippery and some of the hikes in the canyoneering portion of the trip are treacherous.
To book your adventure click the link here!
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