AVORA
🌅

Cinematic

Frames worth keeping

Costa Rica was made for a camera. Not because it's arranged for tourists — but because the light here has a quality that seems to know when you're watching. Volcanic peaks catch cloud at 4,000 metres. The Pacific goes still at dusk. A waterfall catches the afternoon light from exactly the angle you didn't plan. These are the places where the visual register is consistently, almost unreasonably, high.

Best in dry season (Dec–Apr)PhotographersSunset loversLandscape enthusiastsCouples

When to visit

The dry season (December through April) brings the clearest skies and the most reliable golden hour. But the green season offers something different — moody, layered light that clear skies never match.

More places this striking

La Paz Waterfall Gardens

🌊 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

Valle del Río Orosi

🚗 Scenic Drives

Valle del Río Orosi

A 37-kilometre valley loop through coffee terraces, colonial churches, and four ecosystems

Orosi

Playa Hermosa (Jaco)

🏊 Swimming

Playa Hermosa (Jaco)

One of the most famous surf beaches and beautiful stretches of coastline on the Central Pacific

Jacó

Nacientes Palmichal

🏊 Swimming

Nacientes Palmichal

Crystal springs and natural swimming pools

Acosta

Café Finca Los Sueños

☕ Scenic Cafés

Café Finca Los Sueños

Espresso on a working coffee farm with valley views

Naranjo

Playa Santa Teresa

🌅 Sunset Spots

Playa Santa Teresa

Bohemian surf village with the finest sunsets on the Nicoya Peninsula

Cobano

Termales del Bosque

👨‍👩‍👧 Family Friendly

Termales del Bosque

Thermal pools in old-growth forest, best after the sun goes down

Ciudad Quesada

Parque Eólico Valle Central

🔭 Viewpoints

Parque Eólico Valle Central

A ridge of spinning turbines above San José where the city finally makes sense at your feet

Santa Ana

Uvita

🦜 Wildlife

Uvita

The whale-tail sandbar at low tide — humpback nursery from August to October

Uvita

Zarcero

💎 Hidden Gems

Zarcero

The highland town where the town square is a topiary garden — and has been since 1964

Zarcero

El Salto Rio Rope Swing

🏊 Swimming

El Salto Rio Rope Swing

Swing, jump, and swim at a local favorite where a rope swing launches adventurers into crystal-clear turquoise waters beneath cascading waterfalls.

San Carlos

Cerro Chato

🥾 Hiking

Cerro Chato

A collapsed volcano crater now holding a cold green lake, climbed through Arenal's shadow

La Fortuna

If you liked this, try