Costa Rica Holidays
With lush rainforest and magical cloud forests, white-sandy beaches, warm hot springs and smoking volcanoes, your holiday in Costa Rica is bound to delight you!
Costa Rica has some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. With coastlines along both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, its beaches are diverse and uniquely beautiful. From the golden stretches of sand backed by dense jungle and chattering monkeys at Punta Uva to the volcanic black sand and nesting sea turtles at Ostional Beach, there is a perfect beach awaiting just you. If you like indulging in water sports then we recommend that you stick to the South Pacific coastline, particularly to Playa Dominical and Tamarindo, for some exceptional surfing spots.
The miles of spectacular beaches are fringed by Costa Rica’s lush rainforest, misty cloud forest and towering mountains and volcanoes. Do ensure your tailor made holiday in Costa Rica includes a visit to the imposing and incredibly majestic Arenal Volcano. Incredibly, this volcano was spewing large amounts of lava, gas and ash on a daily basis right up until 2010. You can take a scenic hike to admire this sleeping giant’s impressive silhouette, or admire the view from one of the blissfully relaxing natural warm baths at Arenal Hot Springs.
Adventure holidays in Costa Rica
To explore Costa Rica’s most untouched and unspoiled rainforest, head to the Osa Peninsula in the south. Here you’ll find the Corcovado National Park, which is known as the world’s most pristine and biodiverse rainforest. If you are lucky, you might come face to face with a sloth or be able to admire the colourful bill of a toucan. You will likely hear the unusual and energetic call of howler monkeys. This ecologically intense region of Costa Rica is a wonderland of wildlife delights.
Cloaked mysteriously in cool mist, Monteverde Cloud Forest is another ideal stop during your Costa Rica holiday. Whether you soar over the canopy on ziplines, traverse the tree tops on hanging bridges, or explore the rich wildlife on horseback, you will never be bored here. Nature lovers will delight in the 400 tropical bird species, as well as the tapirs, monkeys, jaguars and pumas that live here. Trail through the jungle accompanied by the natural soundtrack of exotic birdsong and monkeys as they hop from vine to tree. Interesting wildlife sightings in Monteverde Cloud Forest are guaranteed.
Costa Rica is now easier to get to thanks to direct flights with British Airways. Call us today and our Destination Specialist will help tailor your dream holiday.
Destination Highlights
Great sample itineraries
Our destination experts can create a bespoke holiday in Costa Rica, tailored to include your dream tours, visits and must-sees. For ideas and inspiration to get you started, browse our sample itineraries.
Highlights of Costa Rica
Guide Price £2,599 pp
Get under the skin of this fascinating country on our nine day adventure which takes in Costa Rica's diverse flora and fauna and stunning scenery, including the Tortuguero canals, active volcanoes of Arenal and the mysterious cloud forest of Monteverde...
Wildlife holidays
Costa Rican Adventure tour
Guide Price £3,299 pp
Go back to nature with this amazing tour that will enchant you for the spectacular scenery and exotic wildlife. The ultimate adventure-filled experience. Be prepared for hiking among misty cloud forests, volcanic peaks, dramatic waterfalls and turtle-nesting beaches. A virtually...
Escorted tours
Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest tour
Guide Price £499 pp
Costa Rica's rainforests and volcanoes are a remarkable sight. Arenal is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and a fascinating spectacle with red-hot rocks tumbling down its steep slopes and ash columns rising above the vast crater. Nearby, the...
Wildlife holidays
Costa Rica Tour and Beach Multi Centre
Guide Price £3,299 pp
Costa Rica is a nature lover's paradise - the most ecologically diverse country on the planet - it is home to the largest number of endemic wildlife species in the world. From two and three fingered sloths to the toucans...
Adventure holidays
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Costa Rica is all about eco-adventure. Its impossibly beautiful waterfalls, crater lakes and cloud forests are like no other place on Earth. This rugged country holds five per cent of the world’s biodiversity and you’ll discover rare animal species such as the slow-moving sloth and the fascinating quetzals, a bird which the ancient Mayans considered sacred.
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![Volcan Arenal]( "Volcan Arenal")
Arenal Volcano and Lake
Standing 5,358 feet tall above the stunning Lake Arenal, it’s possible this active volcano could render you speechless. Hiking or riding on horseback are fantastic ways to explore this cloud-piercing peak and you can’t miss the Tabacón Hot Springs.
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![Zip lining in Costa Rica]( "Zip lining in Costa Rica")
National parks and rainforest
We highly recommend you take a zip-wire adventure through the Monteverde Cloud Forest – there’s no feeling quite like it. When you spot turtles nesting in Tortuguero National Park, the ‘Venice of Costa Rica’, you’ll be in awe of the wildlife.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is hot and sunny all year round, with average temperatures of 24°C - 31°C. The best weather - and the best time to visit Costa Rica - is during the dry season, which runs from December to April. The rainy season lasts from May to November, peaking in August through to October.
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Barbara
Destination Specialist
“Make sure you take a night safari, as you will get to see creatures rarely seen during daylight hours, such as tarantulas, bats, green vipers, scorpions and the famous sloth! Our expert guides know exactly where to find them with their super-strong torches.”
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Nick
Senior Destination Manager
“Although, not for the fainthearted, the zip-lines of Costa Rica (of which there are many) are well worth trying. Great fun if you’re an adventure seeker, the zipline propels you through the air, high above the forest canopy at super-fast speeds.”
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George
Destination Specialist
“Explore Poás Volcanic National Park and discover the largest active crater in the world with its boiling acidic lake nestled in its centre. Stand awestruck at the sight of the summit’s rain-fed sulfuric lake as it bubbles and puffs smoke. On a clear day you are often able to see both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts from the summit!”
Costa Rica offers a huge selection of fun events throughout the year and you can plan your holiday to ensure you experience them. Here are a few of our favourites:
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International Arts festival
This 10-day festival in March brings international actors, dancers and artists to Costa Rica’s capital, San José. You can enjoy watching a variety of dance, theatre and musical arts performances in various locations across the capital.
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Las Fiestas Palmares
Las Fiestas Palmares is a two-week festival in January and is the biggest cowboy party in the country. If you want to watch stunt riders perform tricks on horseback then this is your festival. More than one million people join this street festival in the small city of Palmares. Observe horse parades and rodeos, and enjoy the carnivals, live music and infinite supplies of beer. The highlight event is at the opening of the festival when the ‘Tope’ or horse parade kicks things off. Riders from across the county take part in their fancy cowboy hats and boots, and show off their beautiful horses in a grand parade.
Costa Rica’s food plays to the strength of its fresh tropical fruit and vegetables that are grown on the volcanic fertile soil. Most of the dishes are mild in flavour, and black beans and rice are a main staple in most of the meals.
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Gallo Pinto
Gallo pinto is a breakfast dish primarily made of rice and black beans. Gallo pinto literally translates as ‘speckled rooster’, which refers to the rice: when the rice is mixed with the black beans it changes colour, appearing speckled. It is often mixed with red bell peppers, onions, coriander, and salsa lizano to add extra flavour.
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Sopa Negra
Sopa negra is a traditional soup prepared with black beans, peppers, coriander, onions, tomatoes, spices, and hard boiled eggs. This combination of ingredients may seem unusual, but together they blend to create a delicious and filling soup.
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Always be prepared for rainfall in Costa Rica, however you’re likely to enjoy the driest weather here from December to April on the Pacific coast and March to September on the Caribbean coast with highs of 25°C. During May, June and November, it becomes very green and humidity can reach 90%.
