101 Things to Do in Costa Rica

Living in Costa Rica I frequently receive email from friends, friends of friends, and long lost relatives who are planning a trip and are looking for some advice. Below is a list of 101 things to do in Costa Rica. Some of the things are specific to a town, time of year, or tour company others are general tips for things to do while visiting this incredible country. If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, use the list as inspiration, research specific activities, or drop me a note for more details.

1. Assist marine biologists and staff members collect data, photos and video of the dolphins, whales, and sea turtles off the coast of Drake Bay
2. Attend a Concert to Raise money for the Rainforest
3. Be ahead of the cool drink curve in the U.S., drink Guaro Sours, “the New Mojito”.
4. Break an International Game Fish Association record
5. Bungee Jump into a 265 foot river gorge
6. Buy a handpainted ox cart at the Sarchi Oxcart Factory.
7. Catch Guapote in one of Costa Rica’s many mountain streams.
8. Celebrate the Mayan New Year with a fire ceremony.
9. Cross the Continental Divide
10. Dance the Cumbia until the sunrises
11. Discover pieces of Costa Rican culture with a visit to the Museo de Oro
12. Drink Sangria while watching the sunset over the Pacific.
13. Eat at a 5 Star Restaurant
14. Eat Ceviche and Patacones
15. Eat fresh mangoes, papaya, pineapples, and mandarinas
16. Eat Pintos y Gallos
17. Experience incredible Pacific Sunsets
18. Find the local Saturday Market
19. Find birds with a local guide.
20. Fish from a beach
21. Fish from a Kayak
22. Fish from a panga
23. Fish Inshore on bay boats
24. Fish Offshore on yachts
25. Float the Corobicí River viewing birds, monkeys, iguanas, and the Jesus Christ Lizard.
26. Get Married on the Beach
27. Go humpity bumpity on a banana boat
28. Golf
29. Hang out with the locals watching mule races, bull fighting, or a local rodeo
30. Have cosmetic surgery
31. Hear a symphony of Humpback whales meeting in Costa Rica from both the Southern and the Northern Hemisphere.
32. Help maintain trails, protect animals, endangered plants and flowers while volunteering in a National Park
33. Hike to the summit of Cerro Chirripo
34. Honor the Black Christ of Esquipulas during a February festival.
35. Jet Ski
36. Kite Surf
37. Learn about Costa Rica’s biological diversity and the importance of conserving it at INBioparque.
38. Learn about Costa Rican agriculture at Panaca
39. Learn Latin dances like the Salsa, Meringue and Cumbia
40. Learn Spanish
41. Listen to the roaring surf.
42. Listen to the sounds of the rainforest
43. Lounge on a black sand beach
44. Lounge on a pink sand beach
45. Lounge on a white sand beach
46. Make an appointment for cosmetic dentistry
47. Mountain Bike
48. Navigate through the mangroves on a nocturnal kayak tour.
49. Pan for Gold
50. Parasail
51. Plant trees as you volunteer to save the rainforest
52. Purchase Café Rica and chocolate covered coffee beans in the airport duty free shop.
53. Rappel through a waterfall
54. Relax in Lava heated hot springs
55. Ride a Gondola (Aerial Tram) through the rainforest.
56. Ride horses on the beach
57. Ride horses to a waterfall
58. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
59. Sail into the sunset.
60. Save money and have a great meal by ordering the Casado plate at the local Soda.
61. Schedule a tummy tuck, liposuction, or rhinoplasty
62. Scuba Dive in Isla de Cano
63. See 426 types of Orchids in one garden!
64. See a church made entirely of metal when you visit the a the Lady of Mercy church in Grecia.
65. See Crocodiles while crossing the Tarcoles bridge.
66. See frogs, insects, small mammals, and sleeping birds by moonlight (and flashlight beam) while walking through the rainforest across hanging bridges
67. See iguanas big and small
68. See 3 species of monkeys
69. See six species of toucans
70. Sip excellent coffee while the sunrises over the mountains
71. Sleep in a Safari Tent
72. Snorkel
73. Spear Fish
74. Spelunk in the “Land of the Lost” caverns.
75. Spend the night in a back country hut in the cloud forest.
76. Spend the night in a tree house in a hammock.
77. Surf
78. Surf at Night
79. Take a cooking class
80. Take a night tour of the cloud forest
81. Teach English
82. Tour a Chocolate Farm
83. Tour a Coffee Plantation
84. Tour Manuel Antonio Park with a nature guide.
85. Travel to destinations only reached by boat.
86. Unwind, slow down, breath lots of fresh air while you practice yoga in an open air studio.
87. View Lava Flows at Night
88. View the Caribbean
89. View the Pacific
90. View the Pacific and the Caribbean at the same time
91. Visit a butterfly garden
92. Visit a serpenatario
93. Visit an underwater park
94. Visit the “most biologically diverse place on earth”.
95. Visit the bat jungle
96. Volunteer to save turtles
97. Watch lava flow from an active volcano.
98. Whitewater raft
99. Windsurf on Lake Arenal
100. Zipline through the Rainforest Canopy
101. Experience Pura Vida!