Country guide
Costa Rica travel guide
Costa Rica shows up in 1 curated route on TripsCircle, with 3 destinations and 28 hand-picked places along the way. Its route is filed under adventure. It runs 8 days end to end.
- Destinations
- 3
- Places
- 28
- Curated routes
- 1
- Trip lengths
- 8 days
- Routes favor
- Dec – Apr
Where our routes go in Costa Rica
Tap a dot to open that destination's guide.
3 destinations in Costa Rica
Ordered by how many of our curated routes stop there, then by how many places we have picked.
Best of Costa Rica
Our curated picks by theme, drawn from the places our route editors chose for their routes.
- Best restaurants6 picksManuel Antonio Falafel Bar · Ronny's Place · Restaurante Don Rufino
- Top things to do8 picksMístico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park · Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa · Rainforest Chocolate Tour
- Best outdoor spots11 picksArenal Volcano National Park · Manuel Antonio National Park · Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
Places worth planning around
A short sampler from the 28 places in Costa Rica, starting with those featured on the most of our routes.
OutdoorsArenal Volcano National Park
Trails over 1968 lava flows with views of the volcano's cone.
EatManuel Antonio Falafel Bar
Fresh falafel, shawarma and hummus plates on the main road; a cheap, fast lunch between the park and the beach.
OutdoorsMonteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
Cloud-forest reserve with quetzal habitat.
OutdoorsLa Fortuna Waterfall
70-meter waterfall reached by about 500 steps.
OutdoorsManuel Antonio National Park
Small park of rainforest trails and beaches.
DoMístico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park
Rainforest trail with suspension bridges at canopy height.
Curated routes through Costa Rica
One curated route stops here. Open it for the day-by-day plan.
Best time to visit Costa Rica
Our route here recommends Dec – Apr.
Climate averages (NASA POWER, 2001–2025) for 3 of our destinations here: April is the warmest month, with average highs near 86°F (30°C), and November the coolest at about 77°F (25°C). October is the wettest, around 11.9 in (303 mm) of rain, and February the driest at about 0.8 in (20 mm).
NASA POWER is a gridded model (roughly 50 km cells), so coastal and mountain spots read as regional averages.
Weather by destination
Getting around Costa Rica
Legs between consecutive stops on our routes. Distances are straight-line estimates, not driving distances.
- La Fortuna → Monteverdeabout 26 km (16 mi) straight-line
- Monteverde → Manuel Antonioabout 125 km (78 mi) straight-line
Planning a trip to Costa Rica
How many days do you need for a trip to Costa Rica?
Our curated route here is planned as a 8-day trip. Shorter visits work if you focus on one or two destinations.
What are the best places to visit in Costa Rica?
Going by how often our route team includes them, the most-featured destinations in Costa Rica are La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio and Monteverde. La Fortuna alone has 10 hand-picked places in our guides.
When is the best time to visit Costa Rica?
Our route here recommends Dec – Apr. NASA POWER averages put the warmest weather in April and the most rain in October.
Where can I find the best restaurants in Costa Rica?
See our curated picks: best restaurants in Costa Rica, chosen from 6 places in our curated routes. We also have lists for things to do and outdoor spots.
Nearby countries
Take your crew to Costa Rica
Start from one of our Costa Rica routes in TripsCircle, then shape it together: shared itinerary, polls for the big decisions, split expenses and packing lists.