What «must to do» activities can you do when you visit Costa Rica?

Come to Costa Rica to discover magnificent landscapes, endless outdoor activities, and creatures great and small. This tiny Central American country offers adventure, from water sports to mountain hikes, rainforest wildlife watching, and cloud-forest birding.
And when you’re ready to take a break from the rugged activities, there are treehouses to sleep in, meals to indulge in, and cities to explore. Let’s talk about a few essential things to do in Costa Rica.

Surf the waves.

Surfers in the know plan their entire vacation around the wild and beautiful waves on the Costa Rica coastlines. If you aren’t in the know (yet), this is a fantastic place to find out what it’s all about, thanks to inviting warm waters, long and luscious waves, and non-stop good vibes.
The most popular surf destinations include Tamarindo, Nosara, and Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula; Jacó, Dominical, and Pavones on the central and south Pacific; and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on the Caribbean side. Note that any given destination has a few different surf spots, some of which are better for beginners and others that offer more challenging waves. They all enjoy a bit of a party scene, though Nosara and Santa Teresa are more laid back.
Tip: Find the most giant waves on the Pacific coast from May to October (though the dry season is better for beginners). The waves are most prominent on the Caribbean side from November to May.

Connect with the animals.

For would-be wildlife watchers, there’s no better place to commune with the creatures than the trails around Sirena station in Parque Nacional Corcovado, the area National Geographic called «the most biologically intense place on the planet.»
Here, visitors have a good chance of seeing animals (some endangered) that are rare in other parts of the country, including peccaries, tapirs, crocodiles, tiny squirrel monkeys, and more. Note that the best wildlife watching happens at dawn and dusk, necessitating an overnight stay in the park. More accessible to reach and rich with life, Río Celeste and Sarapiquí regions have many eco-lodges and private reserves that are also fantastic for wildlife watching.

Observe nesting sea turtles covertly.

Every few years, female sea turtles perform an ancient ritual, returning to their natal beach to lay their eggs beneath the moonlight before returning to the welcoming waters of the sea. Elsewhere on the same beach, baby turtle hatchlings dig out of their nests and scurry to the sea. It’s an incredible and intimate episode to witness.
Tip: The timing varies, depending on the location and turtle species. However, you can see this spectacle of nature in Tortuguero in the north Caribbean and at Playa Grande and Playa Ostional on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Have an adventure by exploring an active volcano.
The northern and central Costa Rica mountains are lined up in a row of hissing, steaming, sputtering volcanoes, some of which are open for exploration. Wander among boiling mud pots and steaming fumaroles of Volcán Rincón de la Vieja; hike the lava flows and soak in volcanic-heated pools at Volcán Arenal; peer into the steaming crater at Poás and leave footprints in the lava fields of Irazú. Each experience is a little different, but all will leave you amazed at the earth’s unbridled power.

Take a look at some stunning birds.

Even if you’re not an avid birder, it’s easy to geek out about the avian life in Costa Rica. Of course, there are myriad multicolored beauties that you’ll see flitting about pretty much everywhere. There are a few showstoppers – rare in other parts of the world but relatively easy to see in Costa Rica (if you know where to look).
Most famously, the scarlet macaw has made an incredible comeback along the Pacific coast, with sightings practically guaranteed in Parque Nacional Carara and on the Osa Peninsula. The aptly named resplendent quetzal makes seasonal appearances in the cloud forests of Monteverde and the Dota region. The great green macaw – still critically endangered – is sometimes spotted in Sarapiquí and Boca Tapada. Getting a glimpse of these gorgeous creatures in the wild is a fantastic and inspiring experience that might turn you into a bona fide birder.

Take advantage of the mysteries of the night.

Take charge and uncover what happens after dark. The adventure awaits, so seize it now. Some 70% of animals are most active at night. Take a «night hike» with a nature guide to discover who they are and what they’re doing in the dark. Night tours are popular in the main rainforest destinations in Costa Rica, including La Fortuna, Sarapiquí, Río Celeste, and Manuel Antonio. You’re bound to see plenty of bugs and bats, frogs and snakes. But you might also glimpse a nocturnal mammal, such as a kinkajou or a tree possum.

Take charge and cruise a jungle lagoon or river.

One of the most rewarding ways to see wildlife in Costa Rica is to take a cruise through the jungly canals of Tortuguero or the wild wetlands of Caño Negro as well as the Tarcoles River in the Central Pacific. From the comfort of your boat, you’re likely to see several species of monkeys, two- and three-toed sloths, green iguanas, striped basilisks, caimans, and crocs, not to mention incredible birdlife.

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