Costa Rica Travel News- When everyone goes to the same beach or national park at the same time, it feels like being in the city all over again. Except that people are wearing hiking or swim clothes. But you don’t have to be one with the crowd, so we’ve compiled a list of places you’d rather be when feeling the need to be alone with just a few friends, family, or strangers.
Beaches
Bahia Salinas
Let’s start the list with this amazing beach found in the far northwestern corner of Guanacaste. Just a few miles from Nicaragua, Bahia Salinas is best known for surfing, kayaking, and windsurfing, especially between November and March.
Brasilito Beach
This beach may not be as luxurious and romantic as the other well-known beaches, but it will wow you with the relaxing environment, ideal for a good stroll in the morning, fishing swimming, and snorkeling. Not far from this beach is Marino Las Baulas National Park, where visitors can spot sea turtles during mating and nesting.
Dominical
If you’re in it for some real surfing adventure, minus the whole crowd of bikini bodies, Dominical is the paradise of your choice. The waves come all year round. This destination also offers fishing, zip lines, and horseback riding.
Golfo de Santa Elena
Snorkeling and scuba diving in Golfo de Santa Elena is one of the best things you’ll ever do when in Costa Rica. Not many tourists know that this gulf has Central America’s richest marine life. Golfo de Santa Elena also has nearby mangroves, home to some of the world’s exotic creatures, is also good for fishing and hiking.
Playa Bejuco
Playa Bejuco is still surrounded by underdeveloped areas such as farms and ponds. It is slowly becoming popular, but still considered a remote place in Costa Rica. Bejuco is a small community and has old traditions. The beach may not be as beautiful and well-developed as other beaches, but its palm trees will give you the feeling of seclusion and serenity.
Parks, Wildlife, and Rainforests
Boca Tapada
First one to greet you when you come to Boca Tapada is the endangered Great Green Macaw. The biodiversity in this northern Costa Rica is huge. Boca Tapada is home to the Maquenque Eco Reserve that preserves the nesting site of the Great Green Macaw.
Corcovado National Park
National Geographic labeled this park as “the most biologically intense place on Earth.” With 13 ecosystems within 103,290 acres, the Corcovado National Park is the only remaining rainforest in the Pacific region. This park also has a cloud forest, a jungle, and swamps. Visitors may be abe to find scarlet macaws, jaguars, tapirs, and squirrel monkeys. Going to this remote place will be very challenging, so plan your trip wisely.
La Amistad National Park
The La Amistad National Park is a protected zone in Central America, is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage, and extends from CR to Panama. This park has the largest wildlife in Central America. Believe it or not, there are many indigenous tribes living in this park and is part of the protected area of 401,000 hectares.
Isla Bolanos
A boat ride away from Bahia Salinas is a quiet island called Isla Bolanos, home to some of the rarest bird species like the brown pelican and the American oyster catcher.
Palo Verde National Park
Palo Verde National Park has the best of both worlds; a huge wetland (Rio Tempisque and Mirador La Roca) and an enormous dry part (Guanacaste). It has a wide variety of bird species and mammals from Savannah. This national park is best for hiking and camping.
San Gerardo de Dota
San Gerardo is haven to bird-lovers. Hummingbords, woodpeckers, tanagers, quetzals, and about 200 more bird species thrive in the forests of San Gerardo de Dota. Tourists can lodge in villas and mountain cabins that give a stunning view of green hills and fruit plantations. San Gerardo de Dota’s Rio Savegre is also a destination for trout fishing.
Santa Rosa National Park
There are more than 250 bird species in this park, considering it is one of the oldest national parks in CR, and the largest tropical dry forest in Central America. Apart from going on a tour to see wild species of mammals and reptiles, this place is also great for surfing. Santa Rosa National Park also serves as museum for the preservesd historical artifacts from the Battle of Santa Rosa in 1856.
Volcanoes
Tenorio and Miravalles Volcano
This park is best known for Rio Celeste, a river with an amazing blue color, a reaction from the combination of sulfur and calcium carbonate. Located in the Miravalles Protected Zone, the Tenorio Volcano is a beauty on its own. At 6,287 feet tall, this dormant volcano has a dense rainforest, a cloud forest, thermal hot springs, and geysers. Miravalles Volcano, on the other hand, is a dormant peak also located in Miravalles Protected Zone. The Miravalles Volcano, at 6,653 feet, is the tallest peak in Guanacaste. Both volcanoes offer horseback riding, rafting, and hiking.
When you come to CR, think twice about the when, the where, and the why. Ideally, the list is for the tourists who are expecting to relax and enjoy some quiet time. You won’t enjoy these places if you’re into meeting people and socializing at night, as there are very few people who come in these places.
