Plan Your Costa Rica Vacation!

If you’ve never been to Costa Rica, get ready for one of the most memorable experiences of your life.  We often refer to landing at Juan Santamaria International Airport “landing in a postcard”.  And that's exactly what it is!  From the moment you touch down in the Central Valley near San Jose, or at Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia, you've entered a new world of diversity and beauty.

Now the real question:  what should be included in your Costa Rica Vacation?  The options seem almost endless:  Visit Costa Rica volcanoes (both active and dormant); try to spot the elusive and colorful Quetzal in the Monteverde Cloud Forest; enjoy surfing in Costa Rica at Witches Rock or Dominical; see giant sea turtles at Tortuguero; go whale watching at Whale Bay or Drake Bay; walk mile-long white sand beaches at Tamarindo or Manuel Antonio; glide through the rain forest canopy on an aerial tram or zip line; relax in the piping hot thermal waters of Tabacon Hot Springs; go sport fishing off Quepos, Golfito, Flamingo or Tamarindo; learn Spanish in a homestay or Spanish Language School; see how coffee is grown, harvested and roasted visiting an authentic coffee plantation; go horseback riding on the beach; relax in the quiet, bohemian beach towns of Cahuita, Mal Pais or the fast growing Dominical; see one of the last great natural wonders of the world being guided through the Osa Peninsula and the list goes on and on.

What do you like to do and
how much time do you have?

Obviously - what you do and where you go depend on personal taste and how much time you have.  The following is a list of some of the more popular Costa Rica tours that depart from the San Jose area:

Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Hot Springs - one of the most popular tours in Costa Rica.  You can hear the volcano rumbling and if the sky is clear, may get the opportunity to see the volcano spewing out lava and hot gases.  This same superheated mountain warms the natural pools at Tabacon Hot Springs where you can choose the water temperature you prefer by moving up or downstream from the source.  The drive to the volcano takes you near Poas volcano across the range that separates the Central Valley from San Carlos.  Along the way you will see coffee plantations and a large variety of flora.  If you have extra time, consider staying overnight at a hotel in the Arenal area with a direct view of the mountain.  Early in the morning is the best time to see Arenal erupting.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens - if you want to see all the best of Costa Rica in one place, the La Paz Waterfall Gardens is the place to be.  Awesome waterfalls spread along amazing nature trails, exhibits of butterflies, hummingbirds, frogs and more can be enjoyed.

Coffee Plantation Tours - a short Drive from San Jose you will find several real coffee plantations, each with their own distinctive tour showing how coffee is grown, harvested and roasted.  The most popular are the Cafe Britt Tour and Dota Coffee Plantation.

Sarchi Oxcarts - just past Grecia only about an hour from San Jose is the quaint little town of Sarchi, famous for all that is made of wood.  Artisans build and paint the traditional oxcarts, mostly for tourists now-a-days.  This tour is frequently combined with trips to Poas volcano.

Poas Volcano - the drive to Poas Volcano is one of this authors favorites. You'll see lush vegetation all along the way and as you approach the top of the mountain you will see huge ferns and large leaf plants, some with brownish yellow leaves burnt by the acid rain resulting from the sulfer gases emitted by the volcano.  Only about 30% of visitors get to see the crater of Volcan Poas due to cloud cover.  The best time to see it is early in the day before the afternoon clouds come rolling in.  Whether you see the crater or not - visiting Poas Volcano is worth it just for the scenic drive.

Irazu Volcano - towering over Cartago is majestic Irazu Volcano with its beautiful green slopes and incredible views of the valley.  All along the way are small coffee shops and restaurants, all boasting the best views.  You can take your pick - almost all have great views and the beautiful scenery is worth every minute of the drive.  Most of the drive up the mountain is farmland and you'll see locals selling potatoes, onions, strawberries and many more fruits and vegetables.  Be sure to stop and buy something.  The quality of the produce grown in Irazu's volcanic soil is beyond compare.

Orosi Valley and Lankester Gardens - when you come over the rise and start heading down into the Orosi Valley you will feel like you've just entered a storybook land.  Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful valleys in Costa Rica, Orosi's hillsides are carpeted with coffee trees and the Reventazon River winds through it's center.  Tapanti National Park is not far away and many tour agencies often combine a visit to the Park with this tour.  Lankester Gardens has hundreds of varieties of orchids and tropical plants from all over Costa Rica and is a must see if you are passing through the Cartago area.

The Butterfly Farm - after viewing a 25 minute video your guide will lead you into a huge natural enclosure where you can walk amongst a staggering variety of native butterfly species.

Rain Forest Aerial Tram - glide in comfort through the rainforest canopy in a gondola suspended from a cable.  A great alternative for those who can't (or won't) take the canopy zip lines.  A great way to get close to a part of nature rarely seen.

Tortuga Island Cruise - Two possible destinations:  Isla Tortuga or the private reserve of Punta Coral.  The Calypso Catamaran departs Puntarenas at 9:00am and returns to port at 5:00pm.  Once you leave port you will see porpoises, dolphins, sea turtles and aquatic birds.  They offer hotel pickup from San Jose.

More details about Costa Rica

The Central Valley

The Central Valley (Valle Central in Spanish) is where most of the population lives.  It is situated about 3000 ft (1000 mts) above sea level, which results in a very mild climate year round.  The three largest cities, San Jose, Alajuela and Heredia, are located in the center of this valley - each having it's own personality.  The residents of each area are very proud of their heritage.  For example:  a Herediano will always tell you the best place to live is Heredia - the same is true of an Alajuelense - Alajuela is the only place to live.  Being attached to one's home town goes right along with the local religion - football (Gringos call this soccer).  In San Jose you can recognize a "Saprissa" fan by their distinctive purple colored shirt, while in Alajuela the red and black is worn in support of "La Liga".  These two teams are fierce rivals, Heredia following a close third.

Things to do near San Jose

Many tourists with only a few days to enjoy the country stay in a hotel in the San Jose area and take day trips to nearby destinations.  Great options include:

Sarchi - famous for hand made wood crafts, especially for the small traditional oxcarts, which are hand painted in a distinctive style known only in Sarchi.  You will also find rocking chairs with leather backs, wooden chests and carved wooden rainforest animals to mention just a hint of what you wil see.  Many tour agencies offer a Poas Volcano and Sarchi tour package with a short stop at a coffee plantation.

Cafe Britt Tour - the Cafe Britt Tour headquarters is located in a suburb of Heredia.  They have a bus that will pick you up from any number of San Jose hotels.  You'll enjoy tasting coffee, learning the differences between different roasts and learning how coffee is harvested, dried, roasted and packaged  Basically you will experience how a real coffee plantation works.  If it is raining it is best to call before leaving to ensure the tour is still on.

Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Hot Springs - In our opinion you should stay the night in Arenal rather than try to do a round trip in a single day.  You have a better chance of seeing the volcano clear of cloud cover early in the morning.  If you try to do it all in one day, you may not get a chance to see the volcano (about 30% of visitors get a clear view when they come and go in the same day).  You will hear Arenal rumbling and at night you can see red lava flowing down the sides.  Most Costa Rica tour agents have numerous packages that may include a canopy tour or aerial tram view of the rainforest canopy.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens - a beautiful place to visit just a short drive outside San Jose.  If you only have one day to visit San Jose this would be the place to see  It has many of the most beautiful parts of Costa Rica all wrapped up into one place  The park is well designed, has easy to follow paths and is filled with lots of Cost Rica wildlife including hummingbirds, monkeys, dart frogs, snakes, macaws, toucans and many other tropical birds  At the back of the main entrance they have bird feeders attracting some of most colorful the birds you can imagine  They also have a terrific butterfly garden where a large collection of orchids are on display.  It's a short hike to the La Paz waterfall and related waterfalls in the Park  All are magnificent!  Be sure to bring your camera with a lot of film (or digital storage)  One of our Try Costa Rica staff members took over 200 photos during a recent visit.

Lankester Gardens - Just on the other side of Cartago are the beautiful Lankester Gardens.  Depending on the species and time of year you may see any one of 700 different species of orchids flowering.  In many cases you can get a combined tour of Lankester Gardens and the Orosi Valley - one of the most beautiful valleys in Costa Rica.

The Butterfly Farm - In La Guacima, a suburb east of Heredia in the southern part of Alajuela, there is a butterfly farm where you can view hundreds of different species of butterfly.  The guide will take you through their nursery and show you each stage of butterfly development.  In the viewing enclosure you will also see a lot of hummingbirds.  Great for kids!

Within San Jose proper you will find the usual array of restaurants, shopping, cinemas , Fast Food, fine dining and many more categories too numerous to mention here.  Our site includes a long list of Costa Rica hotels, listed by category, rating and location.

To get started in the right direction, we suggest you click on the “Best of Costa Rica” link, always available at the top of the right hand menu (or right here!).  You will find great advice about what to bring, when to come and which places we recommend you include in your vacation itinerary.  Also, look over the learning center links on the left side, arm yourself with local knowledge so you can move around the country as efficiently as a resident and be prepared for an experience you'll never forget!

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