Is Costa Rica Worth Visiting? 15 Reasons To Go & Why Not To Go

I loved everything about our trip to Costa Rica. My group of three spent four full days in La Fortuna. We were able to do activities that were slower paced, like a coffee tour and things that were full of adventure, like ziplining through the treetops.

Costa Rica is an easy place to visit. It’s location from the United States means you will have little to no jet lag. The country is relatively safe and affordable. If you stick to touristy areas, you will have little language barriers.

Is Costa Rica worth visiting? Yes, it is great for a variety of travelers!

Is Costa Rica Worth Visiting?

Yes! Costa Rica is worth visiting! I visited Costa Rica in October (i.e., the “rainy season”) with my husband and then 11-year-old daughter. We made La Fortuna our home base.

Costa Rica has something for people seeking adventure, relaxation, or both! You can see amazing wildlife, experience the hot springs, and tour coffee and cacao farms.

From the United States, Costa Rica is easy to get to with budget airlines flying there. Because of its location to the United States, jet lag will be minimal to nonexistent. If you stay in tourist destinations you will have little language barriers.

The country offers something for budget to luxury travelers.

15 Reasons Why Costa Rica Is Worth Visiting

I loved our trip to Costa Rica. We spent four full days in La Fortuna. The trip was a perfect mix of outdoor adventures and relaxation. I absolutely loved seeing such unique wildlife!

1. Amazing Wildlife

Many people hope to see a sloth in Costa Rica, and you may, but there are so many other kinds of wildlife to see, too! We saw dozens of coati, sloths, pit vipers, howler monkeys, tarantulas, and many kinds of birds on our trip to Costa Rica.

There are many opportunities to see wildlife from organized hikes and river floats, to seeing wildlife around your hotel.

🦥Get your tickets for a La Fortuna Wildlife Safari Float Tour by clicking here!

2. No Jet Lag!

Costa Rica is in the Central Time Zone and does not follow Daylight Savings. From mid-March through October, Costa Rica’s time is the same as Mountain Standard Time. The rest of the year, the time is the same as Central Standard Time.

For travelers from the United States, Canada, and other nearby countries, there is not much time difference making it easy to acclimate. There is no need to build in time to recover from jet lag or adjust.

3. Aerial Views of the Rainforest

Costa Rica has many options to view the rainforest from the treetops. We took a tour that included a hike with handing bridges and then a tram ride before ziplining down the mountain.

The views were spectacular! Though I learned that ziplining is not for me, my family loved it (included my then 11-year-old).

🌴Book your hanging bridges, tram, and zipline by clicking here!

4. Relax in the Hot Springs

There are several hot springs in Costa Rica. You are able to access most by purchasing a day pass at a resort that has been built up around the hot springs. If you opt for a resort, you can enjoy the hot springs and other spa activities for a relaxation.

🎫Reserve your hot springs entry by clicking here!

5. Convenient Travel

I live in the midwestern part of the United States. I am an over an hours drive to the nearest airport in Indianapolis and about a three hour drive to Chicago’s airports. Costa Rica is relatively easy to get to compared to other locations in Central America.

There are flights on multiple airlines to San Jose and Liberia from Indianapolis — though they are not available every day. We were able to fly Southwest airlines from Indianapolis to San Jose with one stop.

🛫Book your flight to Costa Rica by clicking here!

6. Little Language Barrier

The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish. There are many other languages spoken in Costa Rica including indigenous languages and foreign languages, like English.

We flew into San Jose and drove to La Fortuna on our trip. We only had two instances with a language barrier. Once, on a stop somewhere between San Jose and La Fortuna at a McDonald’s, but we all managed. The second time was at a restaurant in La Fortuna. As soon as we asked a question in English, our server found an English-speaking server to help us.

We encountered people with limited English and people who were pretty fluent. Overall, the language barrier was minimal, but this may vary if you venture outside of tourist destinations.

🎓Click here to reserve a Spanish language class in Costa Rica!

7. Your Trip Can be Short or Long

We spent six days on our trip, which included two travel days. Between our flight and drive from San Jose to La Fortuna, we were not able to do much else on our travel days. We had four full days in La Fortuna, which was enough time to see and do a lot, but also included plenty of downtime.

There are also flights from the United States to Liberia. Liberia is near the Pacific Coast. Therefore, you might save some driving time if you fly into Liberia and plan to stay in that part of Costa Rica.

Overall, I recommend spending at least three days in Costa Rica, but you could stay longer and travel to other regions of the country, too.

🚐Find the perfect Costa Rican day tours by clicking here!

8. Yummy Food: Chocolate, Coffee, Empanadas, and More!

There is so much delicious food in Costa Rica! You can try yuca (or cassava), empanadas, coffee, and chocolate.

There are cooking classes, but I recommend doing a coffee and chocolate tour. I learned so much! We got to make chocolate, hot chocolate, and see how coffee and chocolate are produced.

🍫Reserve your tickets for a coffee and chocolate tour by clicking here!

9. Safety

The U.S. Department of the State has Costa Rica at a level 2 travel advisory — exercised increased caution. They note that petty crime in tourist areas is the biggest threat to tourists, though other crime does occur. For context, France and Germany are both at level 2, too.

The government of Canada has a bit more detail regarding safety precautions for specific destinations in Costa Rica.

Overall, I felt safe in Costa Rica and took normal precautions. (For tips on staying safe in Mexico, click here.)

🚑Consider purchasing travel medical insurance by clicking here!

10. Outdoor Activities

There are so many outdoor activities in Costa Rica! You can take a gentle river float or a more adventurous white water rafting trip. You can take a hike through the jungle or zipline down a mountain.

The point is that you can enjoy the outdoors at whever speed you want in Costa Rica!

🎫Get your tickets for La Fortuna Wildlife Safari Float Tour by clicking here!

11. Costa Rica Has Something for Everyone

Costa Rica has something for everyone who enjoys warm weather. You can go on a zip line tour through the jungle, relax in hot springs, learn about the culture, and more.

Our trip included hikes in the jungle, seeing interesting wildlife, floating down the river, swimming in hot springs, and going on a coffee and cacao tour. My daughter was 11 at the time and enjoyed everything we did.

12. A Tropical Paradise

Costa Rica has a tropical climate. Overall, the weather varies depending on whether you are in the region near the Pacific Ocean or the Caribbean Sea.

Temperatures range from 65 to 90 degrees depending on where you are in the country. The coasts are warmer than inland and the highlands are the coolest.

I visited La Fortuna which is in the Northern Plains. The Northern Plains get a lot of rain. We also visited during the rainy season (October), but were never rained out. The rain was fairly predictable each evening.

🌂Get an umbrella to protect you from the rain and sun by clicking here!

13. Ecotourism

Costa Rica is a trailblazer in ecotourism. Ecotourism involves focusing on nature, but also educating tourists about the natural environment and promoting sustainable tourism. To learn more about ecotourism, click here.

14. Lodging in the Rainforest

There are many options for lodging that is secluded in the rainforest. We stayed in a hotel in La Fortuna, but even there, we had some peacefulness and sounds of nature. On my next trip, however, I want to stay in the jungle.

🌴Book a highly rated stay at Nayara Tented Camp in La Fortuna by clicking here!

15. Volcanoes

It is a 30 minute drive from La Fortuna to Arenal Volcano National Park, though you will see spectacular views of the volcano on your drive to the park.

Arenal Volcano is dormant, but erepted from 1968 to 2010. There are many options for hikes at the volcano, including in the rainforest and along the Arenal 1968 lava flow trail.

🌋Book a guided hike for Arenal Volcano by clicking here!

Why Costa Rica Is Not Worth Visiting

We traveled during the rainy season in October. It did rain every day, but in our experience, it was predictable. The rain came in the late afternoon or early evening. It usually didn’t last too long, and it never impacted our plans. Just pack your umbrella so that you can continue enjoying your visit.

You will likely need to drive, hire a driver, or pay for transportation to get from the airport to your destination. We flew into San Jose and stayed in La Fortuna. The drive took about three hours.

Some websites say that Costa Rican roads are rough and they may be in some parts of the country, but we found the drive to be fine. You are driving in a different country so it is not going to be exactly like what you are used to.

How Many Days in Costa Rica Is Enough?

We had a six day trip: four full days in La Fortuna and a day on each side to travel from Indianapolis to San Jose to La Fortuna. If you visit one location like we did, then you need a minimum of 3 days plus time for travel. We likely would have gone to another destination in Costa Rica if we had 5-6 days instead of 4.

One of the great things that makes Costa Rica worth visiting is that because it is convenient to get to, you won’t feel short-changed if you don’t spend a week or more here.

I recommend having at least 3 full days in Costa Rica plus time for travel. If you can squeeze a couple more days into your trip, you won’t be disappointed, but you can still have a great experience with fewer days.

🦥Book your 7 night, 8 day tour to Costa Rica by clicking here!

FAQs

Costa Rica is worth visiting. I did not find it too touristy or expensive. It’s the kind of place that can be luxurious, but you can also travel on a budget.

Is Costa Rica very touristy?

Many places that tourists visit will usually have some touristy elements. I’ve only visited La Fortuna. There were souvenir shops, but I traveled with an 11-year-old who wants typical souvenirs.

The advantage of going someplace potentially “touristy” is that we had little language barriers and tourist infrastructure existed (plenty of hotels, restaurants, and things to do).

Is Costa Rica a luxury vacation?

Costa Rica can be a luxury vacation and you can find plenty of luxury resorts in different Costa Rican destinations. However, Costa Rica doesn’t have to break the bank.

How expensive is Costa Rica for a week?

Costa Rica is more expensive than other Central American destinations but less expensive than Europe. You can spend a lot of money on tours and luxury resorts, but you can also have an affordable trip.

The choice is yours if you want a luxury or a budget vacation in Costa Rica.

Final Thoughts

Costa Rica has something for everyone. I went with my husband and 11-year-old daughter. We got to see amazing wildlife, have high flying adventures, and learn about the biodiversity and culture of Costa Rica.

The country is especially ideal if you are new to international travel. If you speak English, the language barriers are minimal in tourist spots. From the United States, you will have little jet lag and budget airlines fly here.

Costa Rica is worth visiting for a couple of days or longer!

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