🇨🇷 Costa Rica travel: cost, safety & when to go

Rainforest, volcanoes, surfing and wildlife — the classic eco-adventure.

💰 Local prices ≈ 63% of the US (Nov 2026)

🛡️ Level 2 · Increased caution — Safety · per US State Dept (Nov 2026)

🌤️ Best time to visit Costa Rica

The best months to visit Costa Rica are December, January, February, March and April, judged on weather and seasonality.

Things to do in Costa Rica

🎒 Top things to do

• Volcanoes & hot springs (Arenal) — Arenal volcano anchors a region of natural hot springs, waterfalls and adventure activities.
• Beaches & surf (Tamarindo) — The Pacific Guanacaste coast around Tamarindo has warm water, sunset surf and lively beach towns.
• Rainforest & wildlife (Monteverde) — Monteverde's misty cloud forest, crossed by hanging bridges, teems with birds, sloths and monkeys.
• Zip-lining — Costa Rica pioneered the rainforest zip-line canopy tour, now a national adventure staple.

🗓️ What's in season

• Dry season (best overall) (Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr) — Dec-April is the dry season — the sunniest, most reliable overall window across most of the country.
• Turtle nesting (Tortuguero) (Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct) — Jul-Oct, green sea turtles nest by the thousand on the Caribbean beaches of Tortuguero.

Visa (US passport): Visa-free entry · 90 days. Checked June 2026; verify before booking — rules change.

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