Lonely Planet Costa Rica 14

by Jade Bremner, Ashley Harrell, Brian Kluepfel, Mara Vorhees

Overview

Lonely Planet's Costa Rica is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Find the perfect wave in Mal Pais and Santa Teresa, canoe through thick jungle in Parque Nacional Tortuguero, or hike around Volcan Arenal; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Costa Rica and begin your journey now!

 

Inside Lonely Planet's Costa Rica:

Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak

NEW pull-out, passport-size 'Just Landed' card with wi-fi, ATM and transport info - all you need for a smooth journey from airport to hotel

Improved planning tools for family travelers - where to go, how to save money, plus fun stuff just for kids

What's New feature taps into cultural trends and helps you find fresh ideas and cool new areas our writers have uncovered

NEW Accommodations feature gathers all the information you need to plan your accommodations

Color maps and images throughout

Highlightsand itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Essential infoat your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics

Covers San Jose, Central Valley, Highlands, Caribbean Coast, Northwestern Costa Rica, Arenal, Northern Lowlands, Peninsula de Nicoya, Central Pacific Coast, Southern Costa Rica, Peninsula de Osa, and more

 

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Costa Rica, our most comprehensive guide to Costa Rica, is perfect for discovering both popular and off-the-beaten-path experiences. 

 

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. 

 

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times

 

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveler's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787016835
Publisher:	Lonely Planet
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Series:	Travel Guide Series
Edition description:	14th ed.
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	118,141
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.


'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' New York Times


'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveler's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' Fairfax Media (Australia)

Table of Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Costa Rica 6

Costa Rica Map 8

Costa Rica's Top Experiences 10

Need to Know 24

First Time Costa Rica 26

What's New 28

Accommodations 30

Month by Month 32

Itineraries 35

Activities 42

Family Travel 50

Eat & Drink Like a Local 53

Regions at a Glance 58

On the Road

San José 63

Central Valley & Highlands 105

Alajuela & the Northern Valley 108

Alajuela 108

Parque Nacional Volcán Poás 113

Atenas 115

Grecia 116

Sarchi 116

Zarcero 118

Bajos del Toro 118

San Ramón 120

Heredis Area 122

Heredia 122

Barva 125

San Isidro de Heredia 126

Cartago Area 127

Cartago 127

Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú 129

Valle de Orosi 129

Turrialba Area 135

Turrialba 135

Monumento Nacional Arqueológico Guayabo 139

Caribbean Coast 141

The Atlantic Slope 144

Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo 145

Guápiles & Around 146

Siquirres 147

Puerto Limón 148

Moín 152

Northern Caribbean 153

Pansmina 153

Parque Nacional Tortuguero 155

Tortuguero Village 157

Barra del Colorado 166

Southern Caribbean 167

Reserva Biológica Hitoy-Cerere 167

Cahuita 167

Parque Nacional Cahuita 174

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca 176

Playa Codes, Playa Chiquita & Punta Uva 185

Manzanillo 189

Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo 190

Sixaola 193

Northwestern Costa Rica 195

Monteverde & Around 197

Monteverde & Santa Elena 197

Bosque Nuboso Monteverde 212

Inter Americana Norte 217

Montes de Oro 217

Volcán Tenorio Area 218

Volcán Miravalles Area 224

Parque Nacional Palo Verde 226

Liberia 227

Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja 232

Sector Santa Rosa 235

Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Bahia Junquillal 238

La Cruz 239

Bahia Salinas 240

Arenal & Northern Lowlands 245

Arenal & Around 248

La Fortuna 248

Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal 261

El Castillo 262

Laguna de Arenal 265

Tilarán 270

Northern Lowlands 271

Upala 271

Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Cano Negro 272

Los Chiles 274

San Rafael de Guatuso 275

Muelle de San Carlos 276

Ciudad Quesada (San Carlos) 277

Bosa Tapada Area 278

Sarapiquí Valley 279

San Miguel 279

La Virgen 280

Chilamate & Around 281

Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui 284

Estación Biológica La Selva 285

Horquetas & Around 286

Península De Nicoya 289

Northern Peninsula 292

Playas del Coco 292

Playa Hermosa 295

Playa Ocotal 297

Beaches South of Playa Ocotal 297

Playa Grande 301

On the Road

Playa Tamarindo 303

Playas Avellanas & Negra 310

Playa Junquillal 312

Santa Cruz 313

Central Peninsula 314

Nicoya 314

Parque Nacional Barra Honda 315

Nosara Area 318

Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional 323

Playa Sámara 325

Playa Carrillo 329

Islita Area 329

Playas San Miguel & Coyote 330

Southern Peninsula 332

Mal País & Santa Teresa 332

Cabuya 339

Montezuma 340

Playas Pochote & Tambor 346

Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Curú 346

Paquera 347

Islands Near Bahía Gigante 348

Playa Naranjo 349

Central Pacific Coast 351

Puntarenas to Playa Palo Seco 354

Puntarenas 354

Parque Nacional Carara 358

Tárcoles 360

Playa Herradura 362

Jacó 363

Playa Hermosa 370

Playa Esterillos 372

Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around 373

Quepos 373

Quepos to Manuel Antonio 378

Manuel Antonio Village 383

Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio 386

Quepos to Uvita 392

Matapalo 392

Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge 393

Dominical 393

Escaleras 399

Uvita 400

Parque Nacional Marino Ballena 404

Ojochal 405

Southern Costa Rica & Peninsula De Osa 409

The Road to Chirripó 412

San Gerardo de Dota 412

Cerro de La Muerte 415

San Isidro de El General 416

San Gerardo de Rivas 419

Parque Nacional Chirripó 421

The Road to La Amistad 424

Reserva Indigena Boruca 424

Palmar 426

Neily 427

Paso Canoas 427

San Vito 428

Parque Internacional La Amistad 429

To Corcovado via Bahía Drake 431

Sierpe 431

Bahía Drake 432

Ranctio Quemado 437

Bahía Drake to Corcovado 438

Parque Nacional Corcovado 440

To Corcovado via Puerto Jiménez 444

Carate 444

Cabo Matapalo 445

Puerto Jiménez 447

Dos Brazos 452

Reserva Forestal Golfo Dulce 453

Golfo Dulce 455

Golfito 455

Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas 457

Zancudo 458

Pavones 459

Parque Nacional Isla dei Coco 461

Understand

History 464

Landscapes & Ecology 473

Costa Rica Wildlife Guide 487

The Tico Way of Life 497

Survival Guide

Directory A-Z 506

Transportation 517

Language 526

Index 535

Map Legend 543

Special Features

Turtles of the Caribbean 160

Life in the Cloud Forest 214

Undiscovered Nicoya 317

Surfing the Peninsula 334

Reserves of the Central Pacific Coast 391