Costa Rica · best-of list
8 Top Things to Do in Costa Rica
All 8 things to do our route editors picked in Costa Rica, across 3 destinations, gathered in one list. Each one is a stop on a route you can open and copy into a trip.
Our curated picks
8 things to do in Costa Rica, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
La Fortuna 3 picks
Místico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park
La Fortuna · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Rainforest trail with suspension bridges at canopy height.
Tip: A guided tour helps you spot sloths and birds.
Photo: Juan A Pérez Gil de Zúñiga · Google
Rainforest Chocolate Tour
La Fortuna · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Bean-to-bar chocolate tour with tastings.
Photo: Rainforest Chocolate Tour · Google
Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
La Fortuna · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Volcano-fed hot springs running through landscaped rainforest.
Tip: Day passes include dinner or lunch; book ahead.
Photo: Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa · Google
Monteverde 3 picks
Don Juan Coffee Tour
Monteverde · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Coffee, chocolate and sugarcane farm tour.
Photo: Don Juan Tours Monteverde · Google
Kinkajou Night Walk
Monteverde · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Guided night walk.
Photo: Erik van Beek · Google
Selvatura Park
Monteverde · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Canopy zipline and hanging bridges.
Photo: Jeremy Gatten · CC BY-SA 2.0
Manuel Antonio 2 picks
Marina Pez Vela
Manuel Antonio · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Quepos marina with restaurants.
Photo: Diana Chaverri · Google
Planet Dolphin catamaran
Manuel Antonio · On our Costa Rica Pura Vida route
Sunset catamaran tour.
Photo: Planet Dolphin Catamaran Manuel Antonio · Google
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in Costa Rica?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 8 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Costa Rica has the most things to do on this list?
La Fortuna and Monteverde lead with 3 each; the other picks are spread across 1 more destination.
More lists for Costa Rica
Top things to do nearby
Destinations on this list
- La Fortuna 3 on this list
- Monteverde 3 on this list
- Manuel Antonio 2 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.