Rincon de la Vieja: The Lesser Known Santa Maria Sector

A popular day trip to see volcanoes and tropical forest from Guanacaste is Rincon de la Vieja National Park. The most visited entrance of this park by far is Las …

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Hiking the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

At the end of the road, south of Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, you’ll find the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Mixed Wildlife Refuge. This protected land is the ideal place …

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Tortuguero Canals by Boat

Many years ago, we paddled through Tortuguero National Park’s waterway canals in a tipsy canoe. Gliding through the wetlands, we snuck up on birds, river turtles, and caimans. On our …

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Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve: Uncrowded Nature

Last Updated: May 9, 2024 Monteverde has several nature reserves where you can hike through lush cloud forest. There’s the popular Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the Curi Cancha Reserve, and …

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Cerro Tortuguero: Hike and Viewpoint

If you are visiting Tortuguero in the northeastern corner of Costa Rica, you will notice that the landscape is very flat and wet. Tortuguero, after all, is in the middle …

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El Jilguero Ecotourism Project: Hiking and Fumaroles

If you’re headed to the Lake Arenal area and want to do an off-the-beaten path hike, El Jilguero Ecotourism Project may be the perfect fit. This little-known ecotourism project is …

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Madre Verde Nature Reserve in Palmares

Costa Rica’s protected forests are the heart of its environmental splendor. But the country’s network of national parks don’t do it alone. Dozens of private reserves combine to safeguard an …

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The Wildlife of Manuel Antonio National Park

Costa Rica holds about 25% of its land in protected areas. There are 32 national parks and many more private reserves. These vast stretches of jungle, mountain, mangrove, and other …

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The Truth About Visiting Poas Volcano

Last Updated: August 18, 2022 Poas Volcano is one of Costa Rica’s most iconic volcanoes. At almost a mile (1.5 kilometers) wide and 900 feet (300 meters) deep, this crater …

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Curu National Wildlife Refuge – Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Curu

Sitting casually along the roadside on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is the Curu National Wildlife Refuge. Marked by a few simple signs, most travelers race past this reserve on their …

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Mirador El Silencio: Wild Jungle and Arenal Volcano Views

Last Updated: April 29, 2024 When hiking Arenal Volcano, you have a lot of different trail options. All go around the base of the impressive volcano, giving you different vantage …

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Sloths, Birds, and More: The Bogarin Trail in La Fortuna

Last Updated: June 5, 2024 If you are visiting La Fortuna to explore the jungle and see wildlife, hiking is a great way to do it. But you don’t necessarily …

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Irazu Volcano: Easy Access, Crater Views, and Extreme Climate

Costa Rica is known for its many volcanoes, which come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like the famed Arenal Volcano, are cone-shaped and best explored by hiking around the …

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Tapanti National Park: Wild Rivers and Wet Forest

Last Updated: April 18, 2023 Each of Costa Rica’s national parks has something different to offer. And while some feature wildlife up close or show you the power of a …

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Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve: Rugged Hiking on the Nicoya Peninsula

Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve (Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco), located just south of Montezuma, is a special place. It was Costa Rica’s first nature reserve, created back in 1963. In …

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Cahuita National Park: Wildlife Just A Step Away

Last Updated: February 9, 2024 Costa Rica is known for its impressive diversity of wildlife. To see species like sloths and monkeys, you can book excursions into the country’s most …

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Palo Verde National Park: A Wildlife Tour Through Guanacaste’s Wetlands

Last Updated: May 28, 2024 Costa Rica has an amazing diversity of wildlife, though sometimes it can be hard to find. This is especially true in the Guanacaste region. Many …

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The Famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Last Updated: May 8, 2024 Monteverde has several reserves to take in the area’s abundant nature, but probably the most popular is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Reserva Biologica Bosque …

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Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve: An Oasis of Green in Guanacaste

As people who love hiking, we are always on the lookout for the next great trek. When considering the possibilities in Guanacaste, the Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve piqued our interest. …

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Curi-Cancha Reserve: Avoiding the Crowds in Monteverde

Last Updated: May 2, 2024 Even though Monteverde is a remote destination, hundreds of thousands of tourists still visit each year. In fact, during the height of the dry season, …

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Santa Rosa National Park: Hiking and History in Guanacaste

Last Updated: October 25, 2024 Drive north from the busy beach towns of Guanacaste and you will find a quiet countryside of fields and shrubby forest. Within this lazy landscape …

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Samara Trails: Exploring the Tropical Dry Forest

Last Updated: August 8, 2024 The town of Samara in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste region is probably best known for being a chilled-out beach destination. But in the hills above the …

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Best National Parks in Costa Rica

  One of the things that makes Costa Rica unique is the amount of protected land it holds. Beginning in the 1960s, Costa Rica started putting parcels of land aside …

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Corcovado’s El Tigre: Hiking and Activities from Puerto Jimenez

On our most recent trip to Puerto Jimenez on Costa Rica’s remote Osa Peninsula, we found ourselves with very few options for day trips, especially hiking. The Herrera Botanical Gardens …

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The Whale Tail at Uvita’s Marino Ballena National Park

Last Updated: October 15, 2021 Nature works in mysterious ways. And one really interesting oddity of nature is the so called whale tail that juts into the Pacific Ocean on …

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Arenal 1968 Trail: Hiking Historic Lava Fields

Last Updated: March 13, 2023 Early one morning in July 1968, an unassuming green mountain in northern Costa Rica suddenly awoke and became the legendary Arenal Volcano. If you are …

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Spotting Costa Rica’s Most Spectacular Wildlife at Sirena Ranger Station

Last Updated: May 5, 2023 One of the things that Costa Rica is best known for is its spectacular wildlife. Just about everywhere around the country you can see a …

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Tortuguero National Park: A Wildlife Hot Spot

Costa Rica has nearly 30 national parks, but if you’re a wildlife enthusiast, there’s one that stands out against all the rest. Tortuguero National Park, located in the northeastern-most part …

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Birding in Carara National Park

Last Updated: June 8, 2024 Only a short drive from one of Costa Rica’s most popular and developed beach towns is an oasis of nature. Carara National Park, just north …

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Rincon de la Vieja National Park: Volcanic Vents and Tropical Forest

Last Updated: December 17, 2020 Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Province in the northwestern part of the country is a popular spot for surfers and beachgoers alike. But many visitors to this …

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Braulio Carrillo National Park: Wild Jungle Near San Jose

Just a short drive from the hustle and bustle of San Jose is a vast expanse of pristine primary and secondary rainforest teeming with wildlife. Braulio Carrillo National Park is …

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Cerro Chato Volcano Hike

Most people who visit La Fortuna, Costa Rica go to see Arenal Volcano, the famed cone-shaped giant that put this sleepy agricultural town on the map. But there’s another intriguing …

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Guayabo National Monument: An Ancient Pre-Columbian City

Set on the jungle-rich slopes of the Turrialba Volcano is one of Costa Rica’s most important archaeological sites, the Guayabo National Monument. Thought to have been first inhabited more than …

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Racing the Clouds at Poas Volcano

Even before moving to Costa Rica, we had wanted to visit Poas volcano. Considered to be the largest active crater in the world at almost a mile (1.5 kilometers) wide …

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Diria National Park: Hiking Near Guanacaste’s Gold Coast

Costa Rica’s Guanacaste region no doubt hosts some great beach destinations. But for those looking to do some hiking, the terrain, which consists of rolling farm fields and patchwork forests, …

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Costa Rica’s Other Cloud Forest: Los Quetzales National Park

Last Updated: October 11, 2024 While Monteverde gets most of the attention as Costa Rica’s cloud forest destination, there is another less visited option. Los Quetzales National Park (Parque Nacional …

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Hacienda Baru Wildlife Refuge

Last Updated: August 13, 2024 If you’re visiting Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast and looking for an off-the-beaten path hike, be sure to visit Hacienda Baru. Within easy reach from …

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Corcovado National Park

Last Updated: May 5, 2023 Known as the largest lowland rainforest remaining on Central America’s Pacific coast, Corcovado National Park is a must-see for the nature enthusiast. The untouched wilderness …

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Hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park

Last Updated: July 5, 2024 Looming over the town of La Fortuna, Arenal Volcano is one of Costa Rica’s five active volcanoes. Originally thought to be dormant, this volcano unexpectedly …

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Manuel Antonio National Park: Hiking, Wildlife, and Beautiful Beaches

Last Updated: November 21, 2024 If you’re looking for picturesque beaches, wild jungle, and up-close encounters with wildlife, Manuel Antonio National Park is for you. Our first visit to Manuel …

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