Costa Rica Complete Guide 2026: Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Tortuguero, Corcovado and the Pacific Coast
Browse more guides: Costa Rica travel | Americas destinations Costa Rica Complete Guide 2026: Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Tortuguero, Corcovado and the Pacific Coast TL;DR I have shaped this guide around six anchors. Arenal Volcano with La Fortuna hot springs handles the easy adventure days. Monteverde Cloud Forest delivers the canopy walks and Resplendent Quetzal sightings. Manuel Antonio packs four beaches and four monkey species into 16 square kilometres. Tortuguero hosts the largest green turtle nesting beach in the Atlantic. Corcovado on the Osa Peninsula remains the heaviest wildlife dose in the country, the place National Geographic once called the most biologically intense on the planet. Nicoya and Guanacaste handle surf and Blue Zone culture. I treat San José as a transit hub for Poás and Irazú and add a brief Caribbean stop in Puerto Viejo. Budget runs from about USD 75 a day on a tight pace to USD 350 a day in eco-lodges with private guides. Why Costa Rica in 2...