Are you looking for the most impressive national parks in Costa Rica? You are in the right place. I have been to Costa Rica twice and explored the country in depth, and in this post I will share the national parks that you absolutely need to add to your Costa Rica itinerary.
Costa Rica is packed with natural beauty. The Central America country leads the way among other countries in the region when it comes to environmental protection, and a large percentage of its territory is a national park and a protected area, with refuges for wildlife and biological reserves.
There are 28 National Parks in Costa Rica, each an incredible place to grasp the biodiversity of the country both when it comes to flora and to wildlife. Sloths, monkeys, toucans, jaguars, turtles, and macaws are some of the most fascinating animals that call Costa Rica home.
Your trip to Costa Rica won’t be complete without a visit to at least two or three of the Costa Rica national parks. Entry to most Costa Rica National Parks is costly, but it’s truly worth investing in the price of the ticket for the incredible experience of exploring the pristine land.
The environment in these national parks can change dramatically, and with that the wildlife. Some parks are great for hiking, whereas others are best explored by boat.
If you can’t decide which national park in Costa Rica to visit, I am here to help: here I will be I sharing my favorite national parks in Costa Rica. All of them have something unique to offer.
The Best Costa Rica National Parks
Tortuguero National Park
Tortuguero National Park is set on the Caribbean coast, in the far north-eastern corner of Costa Rica. Due to its remote location (the trip from San José can take half a day), it showcases a completely different face of Costa Rica.
It truly is unlike any other national park in the country.
Tortuguero National Park is composed of extensive networks of freshwater channels, endless patches of wetlands, lagoons, mangrove forests, swamps, dense rainforests, long, rugged beaches and hills.
Here you can see a variety of animals such as alligators, sea and river turtles, iguanas, sloths, toucans and many other birds or smaller amphibians – there’s a great variety of frogs that can be spotted. Jaguars live in the area of Tortuguero too, but they are very difficult to spot.
Of course the park and area take their names from the turtles (tortuga, in Spanish) that come to lay their eggs on its shore. Green turtles nest along the beach between July and October: visit any time in the season and you will have a chance of seeing turtles laying their eggs, or the tiny turtles hatching and getting into the ocean.
Most activities in Tortuguero National Park include going on wildlife-spotting tours with a local guide. Those will take you deep into mangrove forests through narrow creeks of the canals.
There are also night tours into the jungle, to see it come alive at night. You will have a chance to spot tarantulas, the unmissable red-eyed tree frogs, bats, nocturnal birds and night monkeys, and if you’re lucky – kinkajous!
What’s more, Tortuguero National Park is also a great place for cultural encounters. Tortuguero Village is a charming little town, which will be your base for your adventures. This is the only town inside the park, and around 800 people live there throughout the year. The village offers a small glimpse into the local way of life.
Even the journey to get to Tortuguero is fascinating.
To get there, you will have to embark on a 1-hour long boat journey (though the trip could be longer depending on the water levels) through the canals of Rio La Suerte (Lucky River). On the way, you will have plenty of wildlife encounters! Swinging monkeys, caimans basking in the sun along the banks of the river and singing birds are around every corner.
To take the edge of planning this complicated journey, I recommend this guided tour that includes transportation from San José, accommodation in Tortuguero and all activities once you arrive there. You will obviously have a guide with you.
You will find more information on everything that Tortuguero National Park has to offer on my post A Useful Guide To Visiting Tortuguero, Costa Rica.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Over to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, near Quepos, lies one of Costa Rica’s most breathtaking national parks. Manuel Antonio National Park is the most visited national park in the country. It attracts hundreds of people every day, and it is easy to see why.
Manuel Antonio Park captivates everyone with its outstanding natural beauty; it combines lush rainforest, dreamy beaches, and diverse marine habitats, and the many walking trails make it really easy to visit.
An array of wildlife calls Manuel Antonio their home.
You will find capuchin and howler monkeys swinging from tree to tree all over the park and running on the ground, so you will have the chance to see them very close. Manuel Antonio is also where you can spot squirrel monkeys – one of the rarest and hardest to spot monkeys. They are really tiny and cute! Sadly, the squirrel monkeys are also currently endangered.
Nearby, you will find three-toed sloths chilling in the trees. Remember to always look up !
You will also spot iguanas climbing up the trees or hiding in the nearby bush, among different types of frogs and even snakes.
Above, you might be able to spot macaws, toucans, hummingbirds and over 340 more species of different birds.
Apart from the incredible wildlife, Manuel Antonio is also renowned for its stunning beaches that feature white, soft sand, interrupted by plenty of swaying palm trees and turquoise waters – make sure to bring your swimsuit so that you can go for a swim at the end of your visit!
To visit Manuel Antonio National Park, you can base yourself in the small coastal town that has the same name. As this is the most visited national park in the country, you really need to get your tickets ahead of your visit.
You don’t need a guide to explore – the trails are easy to follow (and there are accessible trails for disabled visitors too), and there are so many people around that inevitably you all end up looking in the same direction to spot animals.
Should you want a guide, I recommend Berny of Nature Walks Costa Rica: he is the guide I hired when I visited and has real in-depth knowledge of the local environment and wildlife.
If you are basing yourself in Quepos, you could join this tour of Manuel Antonio that included hotel pick up and drop off too.
To discover everything this national park has to offer, head over to my post A Useful Guide To Manuel Antonio National Park.
Marino Ballena National Park
Over to the north, Marino Ballena National Park is a very unique national park in Costa Rica. It is also the country’s first marine national park.
It is renowned for the Whale’s Tail sandbar that reveals itself (well, if you look at it from the sky!) and where you can walk to during the low tide. If you want to visit, it is super important you familiarize yourself with the tide times, as the sandbar is not visible during high tides. In fact, you can’t even get there at all during high tide!
But what’s Marino Ballena’s Whale’s Tail exactly? It simply is a line of two beaches joined together to create a formation that resembles the shape of a whale’s tail!
Visit during the low tide and you will be able to walk to the tip of the sandbar. With the ocean on both sides of you, reach the end and turn back to see the rest of the tail backdropped by the beautiful Pacific coastline of Costa Rica.
The whole walk takes about 20-30 minutes from the main entrance to the park.
What makes Marino Ballena National Park more spectacular, is that this place attracts whales almost all throughout the year – from July to October and then again from December to April! This makes Marino Ballena Park one of the best Costa Rica national parks to spot magnificent whales.
I recommend this whale-watching tour around Marino Ballena National Park that lasts 3 hours and departs directly from the beach in the park, so it’s very easy to join if you are staying in Uvita.
The surrounding mountains are the best spots for a bird’s eye view of the tail. The best glimpses can be spotted on the way to a small village in the mountains called San Josecito.
Around the coast is a beautiful coral reef that houses exciting marine animals such as rays, fish and possibly sea turtles. The beach at Marino Ballena is also a great spot for surfing.
Other than the sandbar whale’s tail, snorkeling and whale watching opportunities, the park also has an amazing forest and with that, trails where you can spot parrots, woodpeckers, toucans, lots of monkeys and of course sloths!
Marino Ballena National Park is one of the most easily accessible national parks in Costa Rica, and you can visit independently. It’s located in the lovely small coastal town of Uvita, and you will find the main sector (Sector Uvita) and its gate by the beach (there are a total of four sectors).
If you are keen on a guided tour, you could consider this guided walking tour of Marino Ballena National Park which lasts 3 hours. The expert local guide will help you identify the many species that live in the park and that you may simply be unable to spot (they have trained eyes!) and help you appreciate the place!
My post A Complete Guide To Marino Ballena National Park is a must-read for more information about this national park. You should also read my post What To See And Do In Uvita for more ideas on activities in the area.
Snorkeling expeditions to Caño Island Biological Reserve also depart from the beach in the main sector.
Corcovado National Park
On the Osa Peninsula, in the southwestern corner of Costa Rica, lies Corcovado National Park. Encompassing both marine and terrestrial worlds, it has lush cloud forests hidden in the mountains, mangroves, swamps and unspoiled beaches.
It is so incredibly biodiverse that it is considered one of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth! I spent 3 full days in Corcovado National Park on my most recent trip to the country, and I honestly could have stayed longer – it really is one of my favorite national parks in Costa Rica.
Corcovado National Park is home to Baird’s tapir – the largest land mammal in Central America, the famous capuchin, howler and spider monkeys, macaws, toucans, over 40 species of frogs, the mesmerizing morpho butterflies, just to name a few!
This park is also home to pumas, and it is one of the last few places in Central America where jaguars roam around. I wasn’t so lucky to spot one during my visit, but I follow one of the local Corcovado guides on social media and he regularly shares photos and videos of his jaguar encounters.
Over in the marine environment, you might be able to spot dolphins, humpback whales (from July to November), plenty of turtles and even sharks!
Just off the shores, lies Caño Island Biological Reserve. It is well known for its coral reef and opportunities for snorkel and scuba diving. The reef there is so dazzling and vivid, it attracts many schools of fish, turtles and sharks making this little island one of the best spots to observe marine life in Costa Rica.
Of all the national parks in Costa Rica, Corcovado is the most expensive one to visit – simply because it is so remote and difficult to get there. But it’s really worth the money!
The options to visit this park include guided day trips from either Drake Bay or Puerto Jimenez, and multi-day expeditions such as this one that will have you stay at one of the rangers’ stations in the park. Either way, this park can’t be visited independently.
I visited with a fantastic local company called Osa Wild. I hiked to Corcovado National Park from Carare (about one hour drive from Puerto Jimenez) – its a 21 km / 13 miles very challenging walk due to the heat and humidity. I spent 2 full days in area around the Sirena Station, walking the many trails in search of wildlife.
My post Everything You Must Know Before Visiting Corcovado National Park will help you plan your trip to this stunning place.
Arenal Volcano National Park
Situated in the northern parts of the country, Arenal Volcano is one of the best national parks in Costa Rica to visit. It’s named after the majestic Arenal Volcano, an active 1,633 meters (5,436 feet) stratovolcano that towers over the small town of La Fortuna and Arenal Lake.
An almost perfectly coned volcano, Arenal is the most important landmark of the national park.
Up until 1968, no one knew that Arenal was actually a volcano, and the locals referred to it as ‘Cerro Arenal’ (Arenal Mountain).
It wasn’t until the violent eruption on July 29th, 1968, that people realized the mountain was in fact a volcano! The violent eruptions lasted for days and killed 87 people and buried 3 nearby villages destroying all crops and killing livestock.
Up until 2010, the volcano remained very active, where lava, hot rocks and smoke with ash would be spewing out all the time. Today, Arenal’s peak is covered in gray ash and sometimes you can spot smoke coming out of its three craters.
At the foothills of the volcano are endless fields of hardened lava, and beyond that, thick jungle and rainforests, waterfalls, hot springs (all around La Fortuna are plenty of hot springs that travelers and locals alike love), the largest lake in Costa Rica and smaller lakes.
Those habitats are home to an array of incredible wildlife: capuchin, howler and spider monkeys, coatis, iguanas, toucans, sloths and plenty of frogs and other small amphibians.
Arenal 1968 Trail will take you through thick rainforest and lava fields before getting super close to the volcano and seeing it in all its glory right in front of you at the viewpoint!
For an easier experience, you can simply walk the trail in El Silencio, which is just outside the national park and easy to access from La Fortuna. The views of the volcano from there are unparalleled.
Arenal National Park is one of the most accessible Costa Rica National Parks, if you have a car it’s just a 30-minute drive from La Fortuna.
If you don’t have a car, I recommend this Waterfall, Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs Tour – it’s a full day tour that includes transportation and lunch and will take you to the 1968 lava fields. The national park entry fees are included in the price.
Tenorio Volcano National Park
Tenorio Volcano National Park is named after the dormant Tenorio Volcano that dominates the landscape of the park. While the volcano is technically not active anymore, there are still signs of past high volcanic activity that include fumaroles, hot springs, and bubbling lakes.
All around Tenorio Volcano are primary cloud forests and rainforests with rivers, waterfalls, and a wide array of wildlife. And whilst it is not permitted to hike up to the summit of the volcano, other trails inside the park allow you to explore its beautiful scenery.
Tenorio Volcano National Park is best known for being the home of the world-famous Rio Celeste Waterfall – a waterfall that drops into a natural pool of a heavenly blue color and that attracts hundreds of visitors every day.
The cascading water surrounded by lush greenery and beyond that, the incredible views backdropped by cloudy forest, make this park one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in Costa Rica.
Whilst Rio Celeste Waterfall is certainly the highlight, there are more things worth exploring in Tenorio Volcano National Park. The trails that go beyond the waterfall will take you to El Tenidero, the exact point where the color of the river transforms from a gray-ish color to a bright blue color; you can also see “los borbollones” – a small section of the river that literally boils.
There are plenty of hot springs in the area too. Those, unlike the ones in Arenal Volcano National Park, are not yet commercialized, so they offer a lot more peace and tranquillity if you visit.
Tenorio Volcano National Park in Costa Rica is also one of the best places for animal-spotting. The animals inside the park include a wide variety of birds, including toucans and if you’re really lucky – quetzals! You can also find howler and spider monkeys, tapirs and sloths.
On the ground, you will find giant toads, red-eyed leaf and blue jeans frogs and lots of other tiny amphibians.
For this national park, it’s really recommended that you get your tickets ahead of your visit as the number of daily visitors is capped and it’s an extremely popular place.
The best place to base yourself is Sueño Real Hotel in Katira, which is just about 25 minutes drive from the park. They offer shuttle services and will drop you off at the park if you need.
You can also visit Tenorio Volcano National Park from La Fortuna.
If you don’t have a car, I recommend this full-day guided tour of Rio Celeste Waterfall from La Fortuna which includes lunch, transportation, admission fees and a guide for the duration of the tour.
Braulio Carrillo National Park
Braulio Carrillo National Park is situated in the central parts of Costa Rica, northeast of the capital city of San Jose. Compared to the other Costa Rica national parks mentioned in this post, this one remains quite a hidden gem.
Yet, it is one of the largest national parks in the country, that encompasses seven different habitats.
It runs through the Central America Mountain Range, so expect a lot of mountains, volcanoes, lush rainforests, waterfalls, and rivers that can be explored through hiking trails. What’s more, Braulio Carrillo National Park is the birthplace of many of the rivers that run through Costa Rica’s Central Valley and beyond.
The park’s most important feature is the Brava Volcano, which is also the highest peak of the park, measuring 2,906 meters (9,534 feet).
This area gets a lot of rain, creating cloud forests at its higher altitudes and humid jungles at the bottom. This kind of environment creates an amazing hiking experience. There are three trails that you can take to explore the park, they are small, easy and you could do all three in half a day.
But the most popular thing to do at the park is to take the aerial tram that runs through the dense rainforests and over the treetops, giving you incredible views of the surroundings. During the ride, a local guide will share lots of information about the environment and the wildlife you can see in the area.
Speaking of wildlife, there is a Sloth Center and Butterfly, Orchids and Hummingbird Gardens nearby too!
Since Braulio Carrillo Park is situated on the way from the capital to the Caribbean Coast, it is actually easy to visit on the way from San José to Tortuguero or other places on the Caribbean Coast.
If you are not driving, there are day trips departing from the capital, such as this highly-rated guided tour that also includes the possibility of hiking the park’s trails and visiting the butterfly, orchid and hummingbird gardens.
Poás Volcano National Park
Another great national park in Costa Rica to visit from San Jose, is the Poás Volcano National Park. It is very easily accessible and doesn’t require too much hiking – in fact there are trails for disabled visitors too.
This national park is home to the Poás Volcano, an active stratovolcano that reaches 2,708 meters (8,884.5 feet) and is located in the middle of the Central America Mountain Range.
The volcano features a large crater that nestles a bright blue lake called Laguna Caliente (Hot Lagoon). It is one of the most acidic lakes in the world! It is so highly acidic that sometimes it shows fumarolic activity and oozes steam and gases, which covers the crater in a mist.
All around the crater, you will find quemadores – outlets of steam and gas coming out from under the earth.
You can admire the crater from the viewpoints over the Hot Lagoon, backdropped by other volcanoes and mountains of Costa Rica’s Central Valley.
Apart from the main crater and the Hot Lagoon, nearby stands Botos Crater and the Botos Lagoon. It is over 7,500 years old but unlike the Hot Lagoon, this one is a cold and refreshing crater lake.
Unfortunately the weather up at Poás Volcano is often cloudy. This means you might not always have the best views of the lakes. When I visited, we had a pleasant sunny day and got extremely lucky, but the guide told us that the day before they had to wait for quite some time to catch a glimpse of the Hot Lagoon!
You can visit Poás Volcano National Park independently if you have a car – it’s roughly a 2 hours drive from San José. Just make sure to get tickets in advance as it’s a popular place for day trips from the capital for both locals and tourists.
If you don’t have a car, I recommend this tour to Poas Volcano which also stops at Starbucks’ Coffee Plantation in Alsacia. It’s the tour I took and I had a great experience – I had a fantastic local guide that knew a lot about the local environment and animals. We even stopped to see sloths along the way. Lunch is not included in the tour, but the guide will offer stop at a local restaurant to try local specialties.
Costa Rica National Parks FAQs
How many national parks does Costa Rica have?
There are 28 national parks in Costa Rica, and many more protected areas and biological reserves.
How much territory do Costa Rica national parks take?
National parks in Costa Rica make up for about 25% of the total national territory.
What’s the largest national park in Costa Rica?
The largest national park in Costa Rica is Corcovado National Park, in the Osa Peninsula. La Amistad – which is UNESCO enlisted – is actually larger, but it also spreads over the territory of Panama.
What’s the official website of Costa Rica national parks?
SINAC is the official website of all the conservation areas, biological reserves and national parks in Costa Rica. That’s the website you need to use to purchase admission tickets to any of the national parks you wish to visit – you will have to register your name and email address.
If you are taking guided tours of the park, make sure to enquire whether the tour includes tickets or not.
Can you visit Costa Rica national parks independently?
Most national parks in Costa Rica can be visited independently. For example, Manuel Antonio National Park is very easy to access and explore, and with so many daily visitors you can easily spot wildlife by just observing what other people are doing.
Other parks are harder to explore independently because the vegetation is so thick and the trails so much into the forest that spotting wildlife can be hard.
Corcovado National Park can’t be explored independently: you will need to join a guided tour to visit.
Further Readings
These other posts will help you plan your trip to Costa Rica:
- What You Need To Know Before Driving In Costa Rica
- How To Rent A Car In Costa Rica
- 25 Expert Tips For Visiting Costa Rica
- The Ultimate Guide To Nauyaca Waterfalls
- The Most Scenic Waterfalls In Costa Rica
- The Best Things To Do In Puerto Viejo
- What To Do In La Fortuna
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