Hiking in Costa Rica
Trails here cross active volcanoes, cloud forest, and Caribbean rainforest within an hour of each other. These are the walks with the best payoff per kilometre.
🌊 Waterfalls
Catarata La Fortuna
A dramatic 70-metre waterfall, tropical rainforest, wildlife, and swimming
La Fortuna
🌊 Waterfalls
Cataratas Llanos de Cortez
The most accessible major waterfall in Costa Rica — and the most generous
Bagaces
💎 Hidden Gems
Río Celeste Azul
Impossibly blue river deep in Tenorio Volcano
Bijagua, Alajuela
🥾 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
🥾 Hiking
Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco
Costa Rica's first protected area ends in a wild beach almost nobody reaches
Cabo Blanco
🥾 Hiking
Laguna Botos
A beautiful crater lake located inside Poás Volcano National Park
Poás Volcano NP
🔭 Viewpoints
Mirador del Volcán Arenal
One of the southern-facing viewpoints around Arenal Lake and the lava flow side of the volcano.
La Fortuna
🥾 Hiking
Cerros de Escazú
Cloud forest directly above San José — brujas legend, 18th-century hilltop church, mountain trails
Escazú
🥾 Hiking
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Where the cloud never quite leaves and every surface is covered in something living
Monteverde
🥾 Hiking
Cerro Caballito
Challenge yourself on this rewarding summit hike for spectacular 360° views across the Nicoya Peninsula and Pacific coastline.
Nicoya
🥾 Hiking
Hacienda La Chimba
A scenic hike through coffee plantations that leads to the iconic La Mano del Mantra viewpoint—a giant hand sculpture overlooking the Central Valley
Santa Ana
🥾 Hiking
Parque Nacional Chirripó
Iconic wilderness parks and home to Cerro Chirripó — the highest mountain in Costa Rica
Chirripó
🦜 Wildlife
Corcovado National Park
Largest remaining tract of Pacific lowland tropical rainforest in Central America
Osa
🦜 Wildlife
Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Marta
An underrated hidden nature destination in Cartago offering waterfalls, rainforest, wildlife, rivers, and hiking.
Jimenez
🥾 Hiking
Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo
One of Costa Rica’s largest and wildest protected rainforest areas
Cartago
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Dino Land
Journey back in time at where lifelike animatronic dinosaurs roam misty forest trails in the heart of Bajos del Toro.
Sarchi
🥾 Hiking
Volcán Barva
Explore mystical cloud forest, crater lakes, rich biodiversity, and peaceful hiking trails in one of Costa Rica's most pristine mountain ecosystems.
Barva
🥾 Hiking
Volcán Tenorio
Tenorio combines rainforest, geothermal activity, wildlife, waterfalls, and a river whose color seems almost unreal.
Alajuela
🌊 Waterfalls
El Tigre Monteverde Waterfall
An exciting waterfall adventure, where towering cascades, hanging bridges, and cloud forest trails lead through a spectacular river canyon.
Monteverde
🥾 Hiking
Volcán Miravalles
Famous for its extensive geothermal activity, hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, and renewable energy production
Bagaces
🥾 Hiking
Barra Honda National Park
Dry forest mesa with 42 caves beneath it — stalactites and fossil seashells 300 metres underground
Nicoya
🦜 Wildlife
Playa Sirena
One of the most remote and wildlife-rich beaches, widely considered the best place in the country to observe wildlife.
Osa
🥾 Hiking
San Gerardo de Rivas
The last village before the summit — Chirripó starts here at 3am
San Gerardo de Rivas
🌊 Waterfalls
Catarata Bijagual
Witness one of Costa Rica’s tallest waterfalls, where four spectacular cascades plunge through a lush mountain canyon.
Turrubares