Tours and Attractions

Costa Rica: an unforgettable destiny

Gently people, tropical weather, beautiful mountains, scenic active volcanoes, hundreds of exotic species of plants and a great and enormous variety of wildlife make of Costa Rica a different and unforgettable destiny for visitors to come for vacations, work, business, study or to live here.

Improving the economy without affecting the environment has been a serious work for different Costa Rican governments. In fact, “Ecotourism” has becomes in a strong new activity for Costa Rican economy since a few years ago.

Tours for you

Because of its characteristics, Costa Rica offers hundreds of possibilities to travel into the country. What are you looking for?, a place to rest, a beach to enjoy sun and blue water, a scenic mountain, a rainforest to has a closer contact with wildlife, a furious river to rafting or maybe a quiet place to watch birds, whatever you want Costa Rica has it for you and your family and friends.Costa Rica has a unique biodiversity, including more than a thousand types of orchids and more than two hundred species of reptiles, mostly snakes.  In Costa Rican forests visitors can find many beautiful exotic plants, wild animals like pumas, jaguars, deers, monkeys, coyotes, crocodiles, snakes and a great variety of tropical birds.

Arenal Volcano

A nice trip through the rain forest exploring around the Arenal Volcano National Park, will take one or two hours, while you get information about volcano’s history and some activities from a specialized guide. This is the best way to look at the volcano lava flowing from a safe point and the best panoramic view of the volcano. It will be unforgettable.

Poás Volcano

The Poás Volcano is one of the most visited Costa Rican national parks, because of it has one of the world's biggest geysers, 1.5 km. Ascending the volcano visitors will see some coffee plantations and flower farms. The amazing natural views have converted this destination in one of the most important attraction of Alajuela´s province. From here tourist could visit some beautiful nearly towns as Sarchí where you could buy arts and crafts and know Costa Rican popular oxcarts, hand built and decorated.

“Rincón de la Vieja” National Park

Looking for adventures?. The “Rincón de la Vieja” is waiting for you on the north pacific region. Face to face with nature; reptiles, mamals, a lot of beautiful birds, termal waters, natural pools and hot springs, are a exciting part of what you will find in this amazing park.If you want, you can choose activities for groups like the Canyon Canopy tour, Rìo Negro Tubing or bird watching. Of course you also can go to the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in a short-time horseback riding tour.

Tortuguero

The Tortuguero Canals are a vast system of natural and man-made waterways used both for basic transportation and jungle exploration along Costa Rica's northern Caribbean coast. The journey through the canals is simply fascinating. Visitors will see monkeys, iguanas and a lot of colorful birds. Tortuguero National Park protects large tracts of untouched wilderness and an important sea turtle nesting beach.

Corcovado

This is an important protected area. National Geographic Society has called Corcovado "the most biologically intense place on earth." This national park is home to many of Costa Rica's endangered species and is the last Pacific lowland rain forest of sustainable size in Central America. The remote Drake Bay area, near the park, offers a plethora of ocean and jungle activities, including trips to the nearby Caño Island Biological Reserve.

Manuel Antonio National Park

This 1,600 acres park, located at pacific region, is one of the smallest protected areas,  however it is one of the most beautiful of the country. The exotic variety of wildlife and the incredible natural beauty are enough attractive for tourists to visit it.“Giants of wood” (enormous trees) line the beaches and provide shelter for some animal species. Visitors can see racoons, porcupines, butterflies, birds and squirrel monkeys, among others. Besides, tourists will enjoy the impressive ocean views, they are simply unforgettable. In Manuel Antonio beaches visitors can practice many activities to enjoy as snorkeling, surf and swimming.

A horse back ride

Generally this kind of tour takes 2 or 3 hours, because the riding normally will be at a slow pace with some moderate trotting and galloping to let you enjoy views, and to get a conversation with your friends or family during the ride. You could visit mountains, rivers, waterfalls or volcanoes into Costa Rican national parks and other sites.  If you prefer you could visit natural lakes or climb some rolling hills. There are many possibilities, try the one you like more.

Horse back ridden to Waterfall

Into the Arenal Volcano National Park there is a great tour for fun and relax. It could take a little more than an hour of horseback ridding thru a tropical forest where you might be able to see the eastern flank of the panoramic views of the Northern Plains. After a short hike you will get the bottom of the waterfall where you can swim, take photos or just enjoy the view and relax.

Biking tour

Enjoy some areas and panoramic views in an unforgettable and fun ride.  This kind of expeditions will take you around two or three hours. You could enjoy excellent views of some different volcanoes and Lakes like the Arenal. Visitors can admire flora and fauna of the surrounding rainforest. Tours normally offer appropriate levels for beginners, intermediates and experts riders. Don´t be worried about your biking experience, these are adventures for everybody.

Venado Caves

If you like deep emotions and exciting adventures, you must try walking inside the ancient caves of “Venado”, where you can observe stalactites and stalagmites with very amazing shapes that have gave them particulars names as "La Papaya" or the "Lions head". The caves have been formed thru thousands of years by the action of water from a river. Therefore you will walk in mud and water all time inside them, while thousands of bats make you company.

Floating Trip

Face to face, you and nature, enjoying and relaxing for more than 2 hour floating over quiet waters, listening the peaceful sounds around you. In Costa Rica you can have something like that and more. You can find this kind of tours in many rivers of the country like Reventazón, Pacuare, Parismina and many others. Try it, and enjoy the large variety of wild animals and the amazing flora. If you want to see sloths, monkeys, crocodiles, birds, frogs or deer, you have to take a trip like this.

White Water Rafting

Speed over turbulent waters. This is a really tour for real adventurers. You also will have moments to frolic on the river, spot the flash of the blue morpho butterfly and see a great variety of birds and wild animals into Costa Rican rainforest. Try white water rafting on the Class II-III at Sarapiquí River, located 1.5 hour ride from La Fortuna de San Carlos. Enjoy an unforgettable exciting adventure day in one of the most spectacular rivers of Costa Rica, surrounded by nature everywhere. There are also available rafting tours for “Reventazón” and “Pacuare” rivers.

Sport Fishing

Costa Rican blue waters are the perfect place to have a real fishing adventure. The variety of species includes marlin, sails, dorado, wahoo, tuna and tarpon, among others Many of them can be found all year.  If you like challenges, you must try to fish in Costa Rican waters, especially on sunrise or sunset if you prefer. Many tours are available for visitors who look for extreme experiences.

Isla Tortuga

There are some options to take a one day tour to the most beautiful island on the Gulf of Nicoya, Pacific coast. Surely you will enjoy the sun, the beach, warm and clear water and tropical fruit, all in one day.There are normally some optional activities: canopy adventure, kayaks, paddle boats, air mattresses, snorkeling or just sun bathing...! Generally this tour takes one day from 6:00 - 6:45 a.m. to 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Kayaking

Water Sports? You can practice kayaking on sea and many Costa Rican rivers. The Nicoya Península, Golfo Dulce and beaches like Manuel Antonio, Hermosa and many more, are ideal places to enjoy kayaking emotions. All of these places have perfect conditions to practice it. But you do not have to limit your options to some rivers because you also can feel the adventure on your kayak in some lakes like the “Arenal”. For you to enjoy, Costa Rica offers a great variety of posibilitéis, just try them.

Diving

For diving lovers Costa Rican coasts have amazing places to explore marine beauty.  Divers can feel the emotion to be in ancient underwater caves, to observe sharks or to admire all kind of fish species. Normally divers prefer two special places to practice this lovely sport because of the underwater richness they have: The “Isla del Coco” (Coco's Island) and The “Isla del Caño” (Caño´s Island). Both of them are famous for scuba divers worlwide.

Watching birds

No matter if you are a novice or an experimented bird watcher, Costa Rica is a real paradise for you. Areas around Volcanoes as the Rincón de la Vieja, Poás or Irazú or near rivers and Lakes as the Arenal are fantastic for bird watchers. Before dawn and dark is the best time to go out the fields to search the birds. You are most likely to see toucans, parrots, oropéndolas, colorful tanagers and parakeets, among many others.

Canopy Tour

If you like extreme experiences, this kind of tours are for you. Try the jungle canopy along steel cables from treetop to treetop. Professional guides, high security cables, safety ropes and seat harness, assure a safe and exciting trip. In Costa Rica visitors will find different places to live this kind of emotions.

Hanging Bridges

This amazing travel will let you to have a great experience into the rainforest. This tour is a perfect way to know more of Costa Rican natural environment through the direct contact with nature during the ride. The trails have an adapted design for the transit of all kind of people. The 3 km of the long walk, will let the visitor to admire the great diversity of flora and fauna of the rainforest and also watch a great variety of birds and plants, among other species that tourists will be able to observe during their trip. The Arenal Hanging Bridges of the "Waterfall Trail" let to the adventurers a unique opportunity of enjoying the beautiful and impressive waterfall in the middle of the forest.

Sky Tram

Try this high technology cableway that goes through the surrounds of the Arenal Volcano, with great views of the Arenal lake and surroundings. The tour starts with a 30 minutes ride on the Sky Tram cableway, where you can have a different perspective of the flora and fauna join by a Costa Rican expert guide. The Sky tram ends in a wide observation platform on the highest point of the Arenal reserve, where you can seat down on comfortable chairs to enjoy the view. You may stay as long as you wish on the platform admiring the volcano, the lake and the rain forest.

Aerial Tram

This exciting adventure waits for you in a 450 hectares private reserve located less than an hour away from San José. The virgin forest area borders the Braulio Carrillo National Park, one of the most biologically diverse parks in the country. This travel offers a great opportunity to enjoy rain forest and its enormous variety of flora. Panoramic views are impressive and a guided walk makes the trip an unforgettable time.

City of San José

If you like history and architecture, you must go to San José. Visiting some districts of the main capital as “Carmen”, “Catedral” or “Merced” you will have the opportunity to admire old buildings declared national monuments as the Post and Telegraph building, the National Theater or the Children´s Museum. There are also many ancient houses (some of them become hotels or restaurants during last years).San José offers many options of high quality for dining or drinking, where you can try local cuisine or fast food. Also tourists will find options for nightlife as bars, night clubs, cinemas, discos and theaters.