At Natural World Safaris, we love Costa Rica for its perfect blend of adventure, relaxation, and wildlife encounters. As one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Costa Rica's tourism industry has flourished, making it a spectacular place to visit.
The name Costa Rica means "rich coast," which is no understatement. Despite its small size, it claims an incredible 6 percent of the world’s biodiversity, making it a haven for wildlife encounters. With live volcanoes, incredible beaches, wondrous waterfalls, captivating cloud forests, and more, Costa Rica offers a natural world extravaganza.
Blessed with bundles of character, the ‘Ticos’ (locals) live by their maxim of pura vida (pure life)! With so much to do in this enthralling Latin American country, it’s hard not to live life to the fullest. Here are some of our highlights:
Located on the northern Caribbean coast, Tortuguero National Park is accessed and explored by boat. This tropical rainforest provides habitat for an abundance of wildlife and protects a 22-mile stretch of beach where hundreds of endangered turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Visitors are likely to see monkeys, sloths, tapirs, and a variety of birds.
Found in the central highlands, Monteverde Cloud Forest was one of the first natural reserves and has become a model of environmental sustainability and eco-tourism. It's a great place to spot mammals like monkeys and tapirs, and if you’re lucky, one of the six endangered cat species in Costa Rica. Bird enthusiasts will love the over 400 species, including the magnificent Quetzal. For adventure seekers, zip lines, walkways, hiking, and horse-riding are readily available.
Wildlife watching in one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet. Explore tropical Tortuguero; home to tapirs, jaguars, monkeys, sloths and more. Witness and hike around the majestic, nearly perfectly conical, Arenal Volcano. Venture through the cloud forest and coffee plantations of Monteverde. Explore the wonders of the Osa Peninsula and relax overlooking the Golfo Dulce.
From 13000 per person
A thrilling eco-adventure through the jungles & beaches of Costa Rica spotting an abundance of wildlife and doing exhilarating activities such as ziplining and white water rafting.
From 11000 per person
Taking in the wildlife highlights of Tortuguero and Manuel Antonio National Parks and the Osa Peninsula. Costa Rica is synonymous with rainforests and tropical beauty, and on this trip we take you to the renowned ‘land of the turtles’ Tortuguero National Park, whose canals, rivers, beaches and lakes are a working laboratory of rain forest, freshwater, and marine biology. Experience the contrasting Pacific region in Manuel Antonio and Corcovado National Parks, with marine reserves, pristine beaches, snorkeling amongst rays and turtles in an ancient Indian burial ground and excellent primate-spotting, before completing your adventure with a day of beautiful waterfalls and coffee estates.
From 8500 per person
Explore tangled primary rainforest in the Osa Peninsula and encounter Capuchins, tree frogs and sloths in Corcovado. Unwind away from the crowds and explore the best of the natural world.
From 15500 per person
Imagine a perfectly conical volcano with a column of smoke rising from its peak, piercing through a deep green tropical rainforest. Picture yourself soaking in natural hot springs with a cocktail in hand, watching a natural firework show as Arenal Volcano spits out hot lava rocks that tumble down its slopes. Do we need to say more?
Probably the best place in Costa Rica to combine sun, sea, and sand with a love of nature. Manuel Antonio’s palm-fringed beaches merge with a dense tropical rainforest teeming with life. The national park is one of only two spots in the country where you can see all four monkey species; it is also great for sloth-spotting. Lodgings perched on hilltops provide stunning views of both the Pacific Ocean and the rainforest.
The Osa Peninsula feels like a lost world. Described by National Geographic as “one of the most biologically intense places on earth,” it remains remote and covered predominantly by primary rainforest. Scarlet macaws and toucans fly overhead, the calls of howler monkeys reverberate through the forest, and charismatic eco-lodges marry the rainforest to delightful beaches.
Located on the northern Pacific coast, Guanacaste boasts beautiful beaches and several national parks, making it one of the most visited regions in Costa Rica. Trek to the summit of Rincon de la Vieja Volcano or discover tropical dry forests that once extended from Mexico along the Pacific coast. The beaches range from darker volcanic sands to white and golden sands lapped by clear azure waters rich in marine life. With an average temperature of over 27°C, it’s hard to leave Guanacaste out of your holiday plans.
Separated from the mainland by the Gulf of Nicoya, the Nicoya Peninsula is famed for its beaches. With an endless stretch of coastline, spectacular beaches, and incredible coastal scenery, it’s a popular destination for honeymooners seeking a romantic retreat. Accommodations here offer some of the best barefoot luxury options in Costa Rica, perfect for kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying the surroundings.
When the skies are clear and lava is in full flow, the magnificent Arenal Volcano provides one of Central America’s most exhilarating natural sights and wonders – a combination of blinding light and logic-defying rumbling that erupts in a spectacular show for onlookers. Since 2010, Arenal, the world’s most active volcano for the last 43 years, has been in a resting period; however it still remains a stunning sight. Beyond Arenal’s lava fields, the surrounding rainforest national park is a lush, prime spot for walking and hiking. Set within the 29,960-acre Arenal Volcano National Park, the volcano itself is 1633 metres above sea level and was formed some 7,000 years ago by the adjacent and now extinct Chato Volcano. The town of La Fortuna is the gateway to the national park and is situated just 4 kilometres from the volcano itself. Soak and relax in volcanic hot springs, listen out for gas eruptions and, as darkness descends, watch Arenal come to life from the comfort of your lodge.
Read more...
Lying in the northeast of Costa Rica along the Caribbean coastline, the Tortuguero National Park is a stunningly located park that protects a 22-mile stretch of beach, providing one of the largest and most important nesting grounds for the endangered green turtle. During the nesting season, between July and October, entrants to the park will have the privilege of coinciding their visit with these gentle creatures who make their way up the beach at night to lay their eggs, and with our guided nocturnal trips it is possible to see them at incredibly close range, making it in many wildlife enthusiasts eyes a must as part of their Costa Rica itinerary. This is one of the best places to see turtle hatchlings, and you can also see wildlife such as sloths, monkeys and toucans.
Read more...
Forming part of the central highlands, an expanse of undulating countryside that spreads as far east as Volcan Arenal to the lowlands of Guanacaste in the west, the luscious and fertile hill country of this region makes it one of Costa Rica’s most enticing for walking, hiking and exploring its natural world highlights. The corridor of settlements that comprises Monteverde and Santa Elena is surrounded by a swathe of famous cloud forests, which generally sit at an altitude of around 1500 metres above sea level and protect a variety of flora and fauna within the spectacular two reserves of the region.
Read more...
Manuel Antonio National Park is a small biological reserve set on a peninsula atop an enchanting expanse of tropical rainforest, with spectacular views out to far-reaching white-sand beaches of the Central Pacific Coast.
Just a three-hour journey from the capital, San Jose, and one of only two spots in the country where you can see all four monkey species, it is also a great place for sloth-spotting. The smallest of Costa Rica’s nature reserves but by no means the least rewarding, Manuel Antonio offers visitors a tantalising and unusual mix of incredible beaches lapped by crystal-clear waters, varied wildlife, and one of the best spots for relaxation in natural splendour.
Described by National Geographic Magazine as ‘one of the most biologically intense places on earth,’ the Osa Peninsula is a unique and remote area in the southwest of Costa Rica. Home to the Corcovado National Park, this region is perfect for those seeking an off-the-beaten-track experience away from more popular tourist areas. The Osa Peninsula boasts vast biodiversity and is a natural wonderland with much of its parkland protected since 1975. It is even possible, though elusive, to sight pumas and jaguars.
Read more...
Bordering Nicaragua in the northwest of Costa Rica, Guanacaste is a province whose name stems from the indigenous word ‘quahnacaztlan,’ meaning Guanacaste Tree, also the national tree of Costa Rica. The region is marked by spectacular beaches, a host of national parks, a string of volcanoes, wild rivers, and diverse forests, including the last remaining bands of protected tropical dry forests that used to stretch to Mexico.
Read more...