Top Costa Rica Culture

Get a behind-the-scenes look at Costa Rica’s famous coffee industry with this tour to a coffee farm from San Jose. Learn first-hand how beans are grown, harvested, and roasted for the perfect cup of coffee. Plus, visit the towns of Sarchi and Gracia to visit popular monuments and learn how they keep handicraft traditions alive.

Turn exploring San Jose into an ultra-rich cultural experience with this guided “bites and sights” tour. You’ll start at the city’s best markets—Central and Borbon markets—tasting empanadas, fresh fruits, coffees, and more, plus learning all about local goods and handicrafts. You’ll also get a guided exploration of the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, diving even deeper into the city’s gilded history.

San José can sometimes feel overwhelming to first-time visitors. Take the mystery out of your visit by exploring with a local on a private walking tour. This personalized tour allows you to discover the exterior of monuments, including museums, while learning about the city’s history and culture. If you wish to include a museum visit, your guide can adapt the itinerary—just let us know in advance. Your guide contacts you beforehand to understand your interests, ensuring a meaningful experience. Ideal for families, solo travelers, or couples, this tour reveals hidden gems and authentic local life.

Explore San Jose on this guided half-day sightseeing tour. Great for first-time visitors to the city, the tour includes stops at historic and cultural sites such as the Costa Rican Art Museum in La Sabana, the city center, the National Theater, the University of Costa Rica, and the arts and crafts market. Plus, enjoy lunch at a local Costa Rican restaurant.

Learn about coffee production and visit an active volcano on this combo half-day tour from San Jose. At the Doka Estate Coffee Plantation, enjoy breakfast and a tour of the estate to learn about the cultivation, harvesting, and roasting of coffee beans for savoring samples. Afterwards, visit Poas Volcano National Park too admire its main crater and fumaroles.

Explore the Costa Rican capital’s rich history, landmark buildings, and modern culture on a combo bus and walking tour of San Jose. Get a great introduction to city highlights like the National Theater and Art Museum, and stop to walk through bustling markets and public plazas to feel the pulse of this modern Central American metropolis. Get an extra boost of Costa Rican culture by listening to traditional folkloric music onboard the bus.

Cruise along one of Costa Rica’s most scenic coastlines on a sailing and snorkeling tour of Manuel Antonio. Relax on deck and sip unlimited drinks from an open bar as you get a new perspective on the unspoiled nature preserve and try to spot dolphins, turtles, and migrating whales. Stop to swim and snorkel among tropical fish in the clear waters off Biesanz Beach, and then reward your efforts with a gourmet lunch prepared right on board.

Experience all the best of what Costa Rica's Caribbean side has to offer during this 6-in-1 tour from Puerto Limón. Part history, part wildlife, part city, part nature, you'll have a chance to delve into the Afro-Caribbean culture that defines the region and enjoy the tropical landscape in which it's set.

Discover Ortega and the National Reserve Cipanci on this guided boat tour along the Tempisque River. Home to a wide variety of birds including the Scarlet Macaws and the Jabiru (the largest storks in the world), the wildlife refuge is an important nesting site. Following the tour, enjoy a traditionally made lunch with local cultivated ingredients.

Adventure-seeking travelers will love the opportunity to hike and zipline through the Costa Rican rainforest. After a safety training you’ll hike through the forest to an area with seven ziplines strung between the treetops. Enjoy zooming along these, looking out for wildlife on the way. Some of the ziplines go right past some beautiful waterfalls, for the best views.

Make the most of your time in Costa Rica’s Cordillera Central on an action-packed day trip to three highlights of the region: Poas Volcano, Café Doka, and La Paz Waterfalls. Avoid the hassle of self-driving to these attractions that are hard to reach by public transportation. All admissions are included, as well as breakfast and lunch, so you just sit back and enjoy the well-planned day out from San Jose.

Costa Rica is famed for its lush coffee plantations and rugged volcanoes—but seeing one of each in the same day requires serious planning, and often your own rental car. Ideal for travelers who like leaving the complicated logistics to someone else, this small-group excursion takes in a behind-the-scenes tour at Hacienda Daka and a visit to Poas Volcano National Park, home to an active crater.

Experience the best of La Fortuna on a full-day combo tour that blends nature, adventure, and relaxation—the perfect way to check plenty off in one go. Begin with a visit to the stunning La Fortuna Waterfall. Journey down a 500-step jungle trail for a refreshing swim in the fall's crystal-clear pool (weather permitting). Continue to Arenal Volcano for a guided hike through lush trails in the Ecological Park, and gain insight into the region’s unique geology. Finally, tuck into a typical Costa Rican lunch and unwind in the soothing waters of El Choyin hot springs. This all-in-one tour promises incredible landscapes, local flavors, and natural wonders.

Set sail and take in views of the Costa Rican coastline on this sunset tour. On board a catamaran, you’ll have the chance to spot local sealife such as whales, dolphins, turtles, rays, and seabirds. The tour also includes time to swim and snorkel or simply relax on the boat, plus a hearty lunch of BBQ chicken, black beans, and fresh fruit, and an open bar featuring premium drinks. On the sail back to Playas del Coco, you’ll catch sight of the sunset from the water.

Explore three of Costa Rica's most incredible national parks in just three days with this tour. You'll spend time hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park, traversing the canals and rivers at Tortuguero National Park, and hanging out at the beaches in Manuel Antonio National Park. For added convenience and comfort, all accommodation, transportation, and meals are included.

If you’re having trouble deciding between riding an ATV, ziplining, and rappelling, you don’t need to with this handy combo tour. Adventure-seeking travelers will love the opportunity to combine three exciting activities in one half-day tour. Drive a rugged ATV along jungle trails, rappel down El Encanto Waterfall, and zoom along thousands of feet of ziplines. Be impressed by the views of nature the whole way.

Enjoy the convenience of a small-group transfer from Liberia Airport to your hotel in Guanacaste. Whatever time your flight arrives, save yourself the hassle of navigating public transport or haggling with taxi drivers. Your driver will meet you just outside the airport and will be holding a sign with your name on it. Relax in comfort on the way to Guanacaste.

Enjoy an action-packed adventure in the shadows of the iconic Arenal Volcano with this great-value 2-in-1 combo tour. First, take to the treetops for a thrilling bird’s eye view of the rain forest as you walk the Arenal Hanging Bridges, then get your camera ready for a visit to the beautiful La Fortuna Waterfall. After cooling off with a swim beneath the falls, tuck into a typical Costa Rican lunch (included) before heading back to the city.

Enjoy a combination of outdoor activities in Costa Rica during this zipline, ATV, and waterfalls tour. You'll have the chance to explore the rainforest scenery above and below as you zoom across the treetops and travel down muddy paths and along rivers. This adventure takes place about 10 minutes from Jaco Beach and Los Suenos Resort.

This tour is the opportunity to understand the dynamics of the forest through birds, learning to identify them by their flight, singing, behavior and physical characteristics. This interaction with nature enriches the experience, making it more entertaining, formative and meaningful for the traveler. Each observation brings a deeper connection to the ecosystem, transforming the journey into an authentic and memorable memory.

This sampler adventure tour from San Jose fits the best of Costa Rica's rivers and rainforests into one action-packed day. En route, go croc-spotting at a famous overlook on the Tarcoles River. Then head to the jungle adventure park where you can choose two activities from a list of thrilling options, including ziplining, surfing lessons, an ATV adventure through the rainforest, or a chocolate experience.

Experience the best of Costa Rica's wildlife, cuisine, and natural beauty, without the logistical hassle, on this full-day shore excursion from Puntarenas. Look for white-faced monkeys, crocodiles, and birds on a boat cruise down the Tarcoles River. Learn the history of Puntarenas port, taste fresh tropical fruit, enjoy a buffet-style lunch at a local restaurant, and shop for authentic Costa Rican coffee.

Arenal Volcano National Park’s massive size and unique natural setting can make it an easy place to get lost in, if you don’t already know the area. This Arenal Volcano National Park Hiking Tour from La Fortuna allows you to explore one of the park’s beautiful trails with a guide who can navigate the steep slopes and volcanic landscape well. Plus, take in views of Lake Arenal, while your guide talks about the volcano’s history and forest formation processes.

Experience the thrill of hiking near an active volcano on a full-day trip from Guanacaste. Get an up-close view of Costa Rica's Arenal Volcano and the surrounding tropical landscape from a network of hanging bridges at Mistico Park. Rejuvenate after with a dip in volcanic hot springs and enjoy stellar views of the volcano. Round-trip hotel transport from Guanacaste, breakfast, and a Costa Rican lunch are included.