Discover
Wildlife Watching in Costa Rica
Costa Rica holds roughly 5% of the world's biodiversity in a country smaller than Lake Michigan. These are the places with the highest density of reliable wildlife encounters — sightings that locals expect, not hope for.
🌊 Waterfalls
Catarata La Fortuna
A dramatic 70-metre waterfall, tropical rainforest, wildlife, and swimming
La Fortuna
🏊 Swimming
Isla del Caño Biological Reserve
The finest reef on the Pacific coast of Central America, twelve kilometres offshore
Drake Bay
🥾 Hiking
Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco
Costa Rica's first protected area ends in a wild beach almost nobody reaches
Cabo Blanco
🥾 Hiking
Sendero Las Pailas, Rincón de la Vieja
Active mud pots, fumaroles, and howler monkeys in a single morning hike
Rincón de la Vieja NP
🏊 Swimming
Parque Nacional Cahuita
One of Costa Rica’s most beautiful Caribbean national parks
Cahuita
🌊 Waterfalls
Cataratas Llanos de Cortez
The most accessible major waterfall in Costa Rica — and the most generous
Bagaces
🌊 Waterfalls
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
One of Costa Rica’s most famous eco-attractions, located in the cloud forest between Poás Volcano and Sarapiquí
Heredia Province
🦜 Wildlife
Canales de Tortuguero
Boat through rainforest canals watching caimans, sloths, and river otters
Tortuguero
💎 Hidden Gems
Bahía Drake
One of the wildest and most biodiverse destinations
Drake Bay
🥾 Hiking
Sendero Valle del Silencio
A dawn hike into Costa Rica's most remote cloud forest — quetzal territory
Talamanca
🥾 Hiking
Savegre Valley Trail
Network of cloud-forest hiking trails around San Gerardo de Dota and the upper Río Savegre
San Gerardo de Dota
🏕️ Camping
Estación Sirena, Corcovado
The most biologically intense place on Earth — no services, no shade, no compromise
Osa Peninsula
🦜 Wildlife
Playa Grande
Leatherback turtles nest here in darkness — the beach is theirs first
Playa Grande
🔭 Viewpoints
Cerro de la Muerte
One of the most dramatic and iconic highland regions
Cerro de la Muerte
🏊 Swimming
Playa Cahuita
One of the most beautiful and culturally rich beaches. It combines white-sand beaches, coral reefs, rainforest wildlife, and Afro-Caribbean culture
Talamanca
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Laguna Don Manuel
A tranquil mountain retreat where a pristine volcanic lagoon is surrounded by misty cloud forests, scenic trails, and fresh highland air.
Dota