Central America
Costa Rica
There is no shortage of natural beauty nor adventure in Central America's hottest tourist destination. You can whitewater raft, explore rainforests and cloud forests, canyon down waterfalls, zipline over jungle canopy, watch monkeys zip through the trees, and more. This small country really packs a punch.
Top Locations
La Fortuna: A perfect blend of relaxation and adventure with the gorgeous Arenal Volcano as a backdrop. Here you can soak in volcanic hot springs, swim underneath waterfalls, and walk on hanging bridges in the rainforest.
Monteverde: Costa Rica's adventure capital. You can zipline through the jungle canopy (on a zipline that's almost a mile long), visit a cloud forest, canyon down waterfalls, take a night walk, and more.
Manuel Antonio National Park: Jungle meets beach in this wonderful park. You can encounter monkeys and sloths in the morning and rest on white sandy beaches in the afternoon.
Corcovado National Park: National Geographic described this gem as the "most biologically intense place on Earth." You might encounter tapirs, sloths, jaguars, pumas, scarlet macaws, toucans, crocodiles, caimans, boa constrictors, and four different species of monkey, just to name a few of the park's inhabitants. Fair warning, it's a little remote and hard to get to, but likely worth the journey.
Tortuguero National Park: One of the best places in the world to see sea turtles nesting.
Cocos Island: An uninhabited island famous for its massive schools of hammerhead sharks.
Tamarindo: A lively surf town on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Fair warning, though, the locals call this place Tamagringo, with gringo meaning white person in Spanish, as it's crawling with tourists.