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Costa Rica

costa rica

Overseas Adventure Travel, the leader in personalized small group adventures, has been helping change lives through travel since 1978. Our 2 Costa Rica Small Group Adventures will take your small group into the heart of a destination to venture where the big tour groups can’t. No matter which adventure you choose, O.A.T. always offers:

  • The freedom to personalize your experience, with options to arrive early, add pre- or post-trip extensions, stopover in popular cities, and more.
  • Small group of no more than 16 travelers, allowing us to take you off the beaten path and immerse you in local culture.
  • Adventures tailored to the solo traveler, with FREE Single Supplements and 23,000 single spaces being offered in 2024.
  • Expert Trip Experience Leaders, residents of the region you visit who will share their insights and bring your destination to life.

Explore Costa Rica with O.A.T.—recently named Travel + Leisure's 2024 Destination of the Year—and discover the endless travel experiences waiting for you. Spending A Day in the Life of the village of Santa Esperanza for an unfiltered view of what life is like in rural Costa Rica. Searching for rare flora and fauna in the lush foliage of the Costa Rican rain forest. Walking through the canopy of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve across a network of hanging suspension bridges. Discover all of this and much more when you journey to Costa Rica with O.A.T.

Compare Our Adventures

Click 'Select to Compare' to see a side-by-side comparison of up to adventures below—including
activity level, pricing, traveler excellence rating, trip highlights, and more

Spend 12 days in Costa Rica on

Costa Rica: Wildlife & Tropical Landscapes

O.A.T. Adventure by Land

DAYS 13
FROM $3,295
PER DAY $254

Spend 13 days in Costa Rica on

Costa Rica: Pura Vida & Rainforest Discoveries

O.A.T. Adventure by Land

DAYS 14
FROM $3,595
PER DAY $257

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Find the Adventure That’s Right for You

Our Activity Level rating system ranks adventures on a scale of 1 to 5 to help you determine if a trip is right for you. See the descriptions below for more information about the physical requirements associated with each rating.

Activity Level 1:

1 2 3 4 5

Easy

Travelers should be able to climb 25 stairs consecutively, plus walk at least 1-2 miles over some uneven surfaces without difficulty. Walks typically last at least 1-2 hours at a time. Altitude can range from zero to 5,000 feet.

Activity Level 2:

1 2 3 4 5

Moderately Easy

Travelers should be able to climb 40 stairs consecutively, plus walk at least 2-3 miles over some uneven surfaces without difficulty. Walks typically last for at least 2-3 hours at a time. Altitude can range from zero to 5,000 feet.

Activity Level 3:

1 2 3 4 5

Moderate

Travelers should be able to climb 60 stairs consecutively, plus walk at least 3 miles over some steep slopes and loose or uneven surfaces without difficulty. Walks typically last for 3 or more hours at a time. Altitude can range from 5,000 to 7,000 feet.

Activity Level 4:

1 2 3 4 5

Moderately Strenuous

Travelers should be able to climb 80 stairs consecutively, plus walk at least 4 miles over some steep slopes and loose or uneven surfaces without difficulty. Walks typically last for 4 or more hours at a time. Altitude can range from 7,000 to 9,000 feet.

Activity Level 5:

1 2 3 4 5

Strenuous

Travelers should be able to climb 100 or more stairs consecutively, plus walk at least 8 miles over some steep slopes and loose or uneven surfaces without difficulty. Walks typically last for 4 or more hours at a time. Altitude can range from 10,000 feet or more.

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Costa Rica: Month-By-Month

There are pros and cons to visiting a destination during any time of the year. Find out what you can expect during your ideal travel time, from weather and climate, to holidays, festivals, and more.

Costa Rica in January-April

The months between January and April are considered Costa Rica’s dry season, but visitors can still count on the occasional tropical shower. Along the coastline, temperatures remain warm and humid while the Central Valley enjoys more comfortable, spring-like conditions. No matter where in the county you are, Costa Rica offers a warm respite for those wishing to escape the cold northern hemisphere winters.

The allure of a warm winter getaway does make this Costa Rica’s high season. You’ll encounter more crowds and should expect higher prices, especially in January and around Easter time, as visitors from abroad as well as domestic travelers arrive for celebrations.

The dry season also offers the best conditions for viewing wildlife and taking part in adventure activities like zip-lining and horseback riding. It’s also a great time for beach-goers and party-seekers—the nightlife in San Jose in particular is popular with locals and tourists alike.

Holidays & Events

  • Mid January: Santa Cruz Fiestas; held in honor of the Black Christ of Esquipulas, the celebrations include traditional music, folkloric dancing, and bullfighting.
  • April 11: Juan Santamaria Day; a public holiday commemorating Juan Santamaria—one of Costa Rica’s most famous national heroes—with parades and fireworks.
  • March/April: Semana Santa; a week-long celebration leading to Easter which includes parades, massive religious processions, and mini-festivals throughout the country.

Must See

For two weeks in mid-January, Costa Rica holds one of its most highly-anticipated events—the Palmares Fiestas. This popular festival is really a two-week party, and features a myriad of events, including horse parades, Costa Rican-style bullfighting, lantern processions, concerts, plenty of food and drink, and fireworks at night. 

Costa Rica in May-June

May marks the beginning of hurricane season in the Caribbean which runs through November. But rainstorms are usually limited to the afternoon and early evenings, so visitors can spend their early daytime exploring. Surfing is particularly good this time of year as the change in weather produces bigger ocean swells. And mornings offer travelers the best chance of viewing Arenal volcano cloud-free. 

Holidays & Events

  • Mid May: San Isidro Labor Day; celebrated only in towns bearing the name San Isidro, this holiday honors the Patron Saint of farmers with blessings of future crops and livestock. Revelry includes parades and fiestas. 

Costa Rica in July-August

Rainstorms begin to increase in frequency, but are typically limited to the afternoons and early evenings.  The cloud forests are a particularly beautiful sight to see, becoming lush during the rainy season. The Pacific coast of the region is generally drier and crowds are light, with travel rates reasonable. 

Holidays & Events

  • July 25: Guanacaste Day; street fiestas, folk dancing, traditional bullfighting, rodeos and horse shows celebrate the annexation of Guanacaste from Nicaragua in 1824.
  • August 2: Virgen de Los Angeles;  celebrating the patron saint of Costa Rica, La Negrita, masses and a religious procession from San Jose to La Basilica de Cartago fill the streets.

Must See

This is peak season for nesting turtles and you may be able get a glimpse of one of Costa Rica’s most beloved seaside visitors at Tortuguero National Park

Costa Rica in September-October

The rainy season is in full swing, with September as one of the wettest month of the year in the west. Rural roads may be impassible due to flooding and fallen trees. Meanwhile, the Caribbean coast on the east may experience less rain fall, with daytime temperatures in the 80s, though there is the risk of a hurricane moving through the region.

Holidays & Events

  • September 14: Independence Day; this celebration starts with parades, street parties, music, and dancing, culminating with the arrival of the  Freedom Troch in Cartago that is delivered via relay runners.

Costa Rica in November-December

The “green season” begins to wind down in November, with rains tapering off. While there may still be showers throughout the month, there is also a mix of sunny skies prevailing, too. December ushers in the start of dry season and leading up to the holidays, crowds are heavy and travel costs are high. With temperatures in the 70s to mid-80s, exploring outdoor highlights are enjoyable. 

Holidays & Events

  • The second Saturday of December: Festival de la Luz; illuminating the streets, this festival of lights takes over downtown San Jose with a parade including floats, masquerades, live music, and fireworks.

Must See

The Tope Nacional de Caballos horse parade in San Jose is the largest in the country. On December 26, thousands of riders show off their riding skills and don decorative costumes, celebrating the rich equine tradition with music and revelry in the street. 

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Costa Rica Interactive Map

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*Destinations shown on this map are approximations of exact locations

Manuel Antonio National Park

Located on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, Manuel Antonio National Park is a biodiverse mosaic of white sand beaches, tropical forests, mangrove swamps, and lagoons. Spanning 2.6 square miles, Costa Rica’s smallest national park hosts 109 mammal species and 184 bird species. Manuel Antonio also includes 12 islands that are frequented by marine life, such as dolphins and whales. Find where the ocean meets land—squish your toes in the sand at one of the park’s many playas, or beaches, and hike through the verdant rainforest where sloths mosey up trees, squirrel monkeys play in the treetops, and colorful crabs burrow into the forest floor.

Explore Manuel Antonio National Park with O.A.T. on:

Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve

Jaguars peak from behind lush vegetation … wattled bellbirds sing from the treetops … capuchin monkeys bounce from branch to branch … Monteverde Cloud Forest is a tropical wonderland that hosts 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, including six native cat species, 1200 species of reptiles and amphibians, 400 types of birds, and 100 mammal species.

In the 1950s, American Quakers moved to Costa Rica and settled in an area they named Monteverde. Decades later in 1972, George Powell, a geologist, and Wilford Guindon, a Quaker, put into action a plan to acquire this land and preserve its cloud forest. Today the reserve stretches across nearly 25,000 acres of land, which cuts through the continental divide. Hike, raft, zip line, or kayak through this tropical setting to get a true sense of the wonders of nature.

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Corcovado National Park

Located on the Osa Peninsula and stretching across 13 major ecosystems, over 260 miles of land, Corcovado National Park hosts half of all of Costa Rica’s distinct wildlife. This may be due to the forest's pristine quality. Corcovado is the last remaining old-growth rainforest on the Pacific coast of Central America, meaning the forest’s flora and fauna is in near pristine condition. Between the park's complex landscape of cloud forests, mangrove swamps, and coastal habitats are all six species of big cats, 40 frog species, 100 butterfly species, and 400 bird species. Corcovado also protects several endangered animals, including the Baird’s tapir—scientists have found that only around 600-800 individual tapirs remain in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.

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Tortuguero National Park

Costa Rica’s national parks are teeming with spectacular wildlife—from tropical birds to curious monkeys—and the nearly 50,000-acre Tortuguero National Park is no exception. The distinction between Tortuguero and other Costa Rican retreats is the diverse population of turtles for which the park is named. Tortuguero, or “region of turtles,” is home to the endangered green turtle species, as well as leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles—four of the world’s seven green turtle species.

From beaches to rainforests, Tortuguero stretches across eleven distinct biomes that give way to unmatched natural wonders, which can only be reached by boat or plane. Within Tortguero’s rainforest is a complex system of canals. The natural and man-made canals, which serve as the primary mode of transportation, have a dark tint created by plant tannin. Board a boat to get a peak of the park’s other wildlife species—including 57 amphibian species, 111 reptile species, and more than 300 species of birds—and snake through the lush jungle by way of black water canals.

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