
You can centre yourself on a yoga mat or a surfboard, go on a hike through bat-infested tunnels, or climb a misty volcano. Your only restriction is your return date.


Costa Rica might be the ideal trip, according to marketing experts. The “rich coast” has earned its reputation and is at the forefront of numerous trends, including sustainable tourism, farm-to-table dining, and surfing. Green energy sources like wind and hydropower balance out infrastructure development. One of the most biodiverse nations in the world, it has half a million species, from insects to the enormous anteaters who consume them, and one-fourth of its wild lands are legally protected.

From the squeal-inducing exhilaration of a canopy zipline to a sun-drenched afternoon at the beach, Costa Rica offers a dizzying range of outdoor adventures in every shape and size. These include rainforest walks, brisk high-altitude paths, rushing white-water rapids, and world-class surfing. Rainforest and cloud forest life can be seen in national parks, simmering volcanoes provide otherworldly views, and dependable surf spots are appropriate for both beginners and specialists. Unable to decide? Don’t worry; considering the size of the nation, you may arrange a brief tour that takes in everything.

In Costa Rica, there is so much wildlife that it almost seems cartoonish: keel-billed toucans ogle you from the branches, and scarlet macaws raucously advertise their departure times. A sharp eye can spot a sloth perched on a limb or the caiman’s eyes peeping out of a mangrove swamp. A perceptive ear can hear the howling of a howler monkey or the rustling of leaves that indicate a group of white-faced capuchins. As if in a conservationist’s dream, blue morpho butterflies flit among trees covered in orchids, while tropical fish, sharks, rays, dolphins, and whales flourish offshore.