Costa Rica holidays

Planning a trip to Costa Rica

Bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, this compact yet diverse country offers a variety of experiences whether you visit in the lush green season or the busy dry months. If you want to spot a humpback whale breach in July or marvel at tiny turtles racing to the ocean in October, we’ll make sure you’re in the right place at the right time.

Getting around is easy too. Choose an independent self-drive adventure with your own rental car, stopping as and when you like to explore jungle trails, beaches and local villages, opt for private transfers, or make new friends on a small-group guided tour.

Costa Rica is ideal for family holidays too or perhaps an adult-only beach escape is your thing. Whatever your preference, we’ve got you covered!

Our carefully crafted holidays in Costa Rica let you experience the very best this central American country has to offer. We’ll do what we do best and tailor your trip just for you sharing first-hand experience and four decades of travel expertise.

Wildlife and National Parks

You needn’t venture far in Costa Rica for an encounter with something feathered, furry, or scaly. The place is dreamland for wildlife spotting. From sloths to howler monkeys, tiny tree-frogs to whales, keep your eyes peeled for a feast of fauna. Birds dazzle in their colour and form. Resplendent quetzals competing with jewel-like hummingbirds and gregarious toucans for the most awesome sight you’ll see each day.

Around 30% of the country is protected land, with more than 30 national parks providing a home to over 500,000 species (of which a staggering 60% are insects!).

Popular places include Tortuguero National Park, best known for its nesting sea turtles. Manuel Antonio is the place to go for sloth-spotting, while on the Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park is a safe haven for scarlet macaws. In Monteverde cloud forest come face to face with capuchin monkeys and so much more. Each of these reserves offer a huge variety of wildlife.

While some spectacles are seasonal, most of Costa Rica’s wildlife can be seen – and heard – year round.

When to visit Costa Rica

You can head to Costa Rica at any time of year, but when is best depends on what you most want to see and do. The driest, warmest weather is from December to April making it the most popular time visit. This is also the time for spotting humpback whales from Uvita, with August offering an alternative for keen whale watchers.

Green season between May and November is quieter. In the height of the green season in October, many lodges on the Osa Peninsula are closed, yet this is also the ideal time to visit the Caribbean coast and witness thousands of young turtle hatchlings making their way to the sea on the beaches of Tortuguero National Park.

The average temperature is constant year-round, from 20-26°C in coastal regions, but it is noticeably cooler in the high-altitude cloud forests.

Things to do in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the world’s greatest outdoor playgrounds – imagine zip lining over treetops or horse riding in the shadow of volcanoes. Searching for wildlife on a jungle trek or tubing down remote rivers.

Birders will be twitching at the prospect of 900 species to tick off. Active adventurers take your pick of kayaking through mangroves, snorkelling or diving over pristine coral reefs, or catching the waves at renowned surf spots. And then there’s the hiking. From beach strolls to cloud forest trails and up to volcano viewpoints, there’s something for all fitness levels.

Make sure to savour the flavours of Central America sampling local chocolate, visiting a coffee plantation, or learning to cook traditional dishes with the locals. Don’t come home without trying the ubiquitous gallo pinto!

Take a pace down a notch at one of Costa Rica’s many geothermal hot springs or indulge in a luxuriating spa treatment. How about a yoga class in the heart of the jungle?

Eco-tourism in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has long championed eco-tourism and leads the way when it comes to protecting its nature for future generations. Since 1997 the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) scheme has been provided a benchmark for activity companies and accommodation providers to offer the best sustainable tourism practices. As well as supporting local communities and conserving natural resources, the scheme highlights the need for profitability in the tourism industry to fund new conservation initiatives.

Sustainability practices can be seen in action at many of our favourite jungle lodges from using pigs as food waste disposal units to solar panels and organic produce. You can even get your hands dirty by planting a tree in the rainforest – every contribution helps, no matter how small.