Top Costa Rica How to Get Around in 2026

Explore Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park by kayak and discover the tropical haven on this excursion. Join a small group and paddle through the calm waters to get a better look at the flora and fauna of the park. As you explore, your guide sheds light on the local ecosystem and conservation efforts.

Visit the impressive crater of Poas Volcano and go behind-the-scenes at a large commercial coffee farm on this full-day tour from San Jose. A guide shares fun facts about one of Costa Rica's most-visited volcanos and biggest exports on a field-to-cup tour of the coffee farm. Plus, private transportation and included lunch make this tour a breeze.

See a different side of Costa Rica’s nature-rich ecosystem on a night walk of the Monteverde Wildlife Refuge. You’ll hike at a relaxed pace to increase your chance of spotting nocturnal creatures such as tarantulas, sloths, scorpions, snakes, armadillos, and more—none of which you’d be likely to see if exploring in the daylight.

Go birdwatching in the Curi-Cancha Reserve in the Monteverde Cloud Forest on a half-day tour led by a naturalist guide and spot more than you would going alone. Look out for resplendent quetzals, silvery-fronted tapaculo, toucans, hummingbirds, and more—identify up to 60 species. Enjoy exploring the mountainous forest trails without the risk of getting lost. Monteverde-area transfers can be provided for an extra fee.

Join this small group tour that takes you on a guided adventure though canyons where you’ll hike, swim, and explore until you reach La Leona Waterfall, deep in the canyon. The tour starts with convenient pickup near Guanacaste in an air-conditioned vehicle. Relax until you reach the start of your adventure, and then enjoy the natural beauty.

Experience the unique sights and sounds of the cloud forest at night on a small-group night tour of Monteverde. Different animals come out at night, so this is a great accompaniment to a day tour. With a flashlight in hand, see what you can find after dark on a two-hour walk starting at 5:30PM through the forest.

What makes this activity truly unique is my deep ecological knowledge of the area, which will allow you to discover the most fascinating secrets of the jungle. My ability to find sloths and other animals, combined with my enthusiasm and the spirit of “Pura Vida”, will make every moment of your day in the jungle memorable and enriching. As an entrepreneurial woman, I bring a personal touch and dedication to offer an authentic and personalized experience. I am excited to share my passion for nature and my commitment to providing an exceptional adventure.

Visit a coffee farm located in Barva de Heredia and learn about Costa Rican coffee on this guided tour. Along the way, see how the beans are grown, processed, and roasted, and find out why Costa Rica’s climate and diverse landscape provide ideal growing conditions for gourmet coffee beans. At the end of the tour, enjoy a buffet lunch with local ingredients and visit the coffee bar.

Improve your chances of spotting wildlife in Manuel Antonio National Park on this small-group hike. Following your guide, explore the park as you look out for sloths, monkeys, iguanas, and more, whilst they provide commentary about their lives and behaviors in the rainforest. Enjoy a route that is flat and well-maintained, making this activity suitable for all fitness levels.

This park is one of the country’s most biodiverse and beautiful areas, where you can find stunning coral reefs, white sand beaches, lush rainforests, and more. You’ll be accompanied by an experienced guide who will share their passion and knowledge of the park’s history, culture, and wildlife. You’ll learn about the indigenous people who live in the area, the conservation efforts to protect the park, and the fascinating stories behind some of the park’s landmarks. You’ll also have the opportunity to see some of the park’s most amazing animals, such as toucans, sloths, howler monkeys, hummingbirds, frogs, butterflies, and more. After exploring the park’s trails and beaches, you’ll head to Bribri Waterfall, where you can relax and enjoy the scenery. You’ll swim in the crystal-clear water and taste some of the freshest fruits you’ve ever had. This tour is a perfect way to experience the best of Cahuita National Park and create memories that will last a lifetime!

Paddle past the giant twisted root systems that characterize mangrove forests on this kayak tour of the largest mangrove ecosystem in Central America at Damas Island. This biodiversity hotspot is home to tons of birds, reptiles, and aquatic animals that you can spot easily with the help of your guide. This tour includes round-trip transportation from your Manuel Antonio or Quepos lodging as well as lunch or dinner.

Verbringen Sie Zeit in den Gebieten Xochimilco. Sie machen eine Fahrt auf einem traditionellen vorspanischen Trajinera-Boot und besuchen Sehenswürdigkeiten der Gegend, wie das Frida Kahlo Museum und das Olympiastadion. Sie halten auch am Juweliergeschäft von Plateria Rafael, wo Sie einen lokalen Kunsthandwerker treffen und seine Waren ansehen können.

This is one of the most sought after tours in our country! You have to see the interaction of Jason Vargas, the first guide of the Tárcoles River, with all the crocodiles that we see on the tour, we have more than 20 years of experience in this wild activity and dozens of appearances on Discovery Channel, NatGeo , Animal Planet and the BBC in London, which guarantees excellent quality and a pleasant experience during your visit to Costa Rica!

Located in Mistico Park, Arenal Hanging Bridges is known as one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful environmental projects—a combination of trails and bridges through the rain forest near Arenal Volcano. On this tour you can travel through the park and across elevated bridges, see views of the volcano, and enjoy close-up encounters with native flora and fauna. Your guide, a wildlife specialist, provides helpful narrative along the way.

Enjoy half a day on the water, kayaking and snorkeling around Chora Island, with reassuring back-up from a guide and group. Departing from Samara Beach, you’ll paddle to the small offshore island. Swim and snorkel in the sea, admiring the underwater world while learning more about local marine biodiversity from your guide. This half-day tour means you can fit other activities into your day, too.

Wildlife enthusiasts love this tour of Arenal’s only frog sanctuary. Tour the wildlife sanctuary at night for chances to see rare and colorful tropical frogs in their natural habitat; a guide leads the way and helps you spot frogs and other creatures that only come out at night. Tours even include pickup and drop-off from La Fortuna so you don’t have to worry about driving at night.

The tour through the canals of Tortuguero National Park offers a magical and unique experience, in which you will be able to enjoy all the scenic beauty and enjoy at a landscape level the entire environment in which you will find yourself and be surrounded; starting from a beautiful lagoon in front of the Tortuguero National Park offices, until advancing along the Tortuguero River, to finally enter the smallest, hidden and most beautiful spaces of the canals. This walk of around two and a half hours, will be complemented, adorned and accompanied by the presence and sighting of different species of animals; the possibility of observing mammals, reptiles, birds and much more is completely guaranteed. Without a doubt, this is a tour that anyone who visits Tortuguero must take in order to feel that they really visited Tortuguero. It will be a pleasure to help and assist you.

When staying in Manuel Antonio, take time to visit the private nature reserve of Rainmaker Conservation Park. Get different perspectives on the tropical rainforest and its wonderful wildlife as you cross long hanging bridges through the forest canopy. You will also be able to cool off with a swim in natural waterfall pools. Choose from a few different departure times of this handy half-day tour.

Hike the trails of the Manuel Antonio National Park without the risk of getting lost when you visit with a guide. Your naturalist guide will look out for animals and birds hiding in the forest that you might miss if touring on your own. Spot sloths, monkeys, iguanas, and more and view them through your guide’s high-quality spotting scope. Both private and group tours are available.

Located in the 7 wonders of Costa Rica in the cloud forest, the Night Walk has become a very attractive request by people who travel to this country to observe the great biodiversity that provides. Going into a jungle at night will give you a chance to see the animals in a new environment. Many jungle creatures are only active at night and this is the only way to experience them. You will see mammals that never make appearances during day treks. Your guide will point out tarantulas and sleeping birds. The symphony of insects and frogs will be your soundtrack. The tour lasts approximately two hours. While wandering through the trees be sure to look out for the 200 species of bird that call this forest home. You may also come across armadillo, coati, agouti, kinkajou, ocelot, two-toed sloth, and three different species of monkey.

Travelers short on time will love the chance to spot sloths in the rainforest on a convenient 1-hour tour. Don’t waste time wandering around by yourself, struggling to spot the slow, quiet, camouflaged creatures. Your guide will point the animals out to you, and teach you all about them and the habitat in which they live. This is a must-do tour for wildlife enthusiasts.

Learn about Costa Rica’s most remarkable creatures on a 1.5-hour tour of a La Fortuna wildlife rescue center. Explore the center with a naturalist guide, get a glimpse at some of the center’s cutest inhabitants, and see how conservation efforts are saving vulnerable species from development and poaching.

Learn about coffee production at Costa Rica's largest coffee farm on this guided tour. At the Aquiares Estate, you’ll see the process from seed to cup after visiting the local community and hearing about coffee agronomy and its importance to Costa Rica. Then, learn about coffee roasting and cupping and get a taste.

Certified and most important a very passionate guide will be leading you through different spots in the area to show you as many birds as possible.