Costa Rica
Costa Rica is one of the world’s most celebrated wildlife destinations, renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity and commitment to conservation. Despite covering less than 0.03% of the Earth’s land surface, the country is home to nearly 5% of the planet’s known species, making it one of the most biologically rich places on Earth. Its diverse landscapes include tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, wetlands, volcanoes, and pristine coastlines along both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Costa Rica is particularly famous for its birdlife. The Resplendent Quetzal, one of the most sought-after birds in the world, attracts birdwatchers and photographers to the country’s cloud forests. Other iconic species include the Scarlet Macaw, Keel-billed Toucan, Three-wattled Bellbird, and a dazzling variety of hummingbirds.
The country is equally renowned for its mammals. Visitors travel from around the globe to observe Sloths, Spider Monkeys, White-faced Capuchins, Howler Monkeys, Tapirs, and, with luck, the elusive Jaguar. Costa Rica’s protected areas provide some of the best opportunities in the Americas to experience tropical wildlife in accessible and well-preserved habitats.
With over a quarter of its territory protected through national parks and reserves, Costa Rica has become a global model for ecotourism and conservation.
Combining incredible biodiversity, accessible wildlife viewing, spectacular landscapes, and year-round nature experiences, Costa Rica stands among the world’s premier destinations for wildlife travel, birdwatching, and nature photography.
La Laguna del Lagarto Lodge
Santa Rita, Costa Rica
+1 birds
Come and experience an “Off The Beaten Track” Tropical Rainforest Adventure. If you're looking for a true tropical, unspoiled jungle environment, where you can explore the…
VIEW ECO LODGELa Quinta Sarapiqui Lodge
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
+1 birds
La Quinta Lodge is a family-owned rainforest lodge in Sarapiquí, Costa Rica, offering authentic hospitality in a peaceful natural setting. Surrounded by restored tropical rainforest and…
VIEW ECO LODGEArenal Volcano National Park
Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica
+551 birds+21 mammals
Straddling the border between Alajuela and Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica, this national park rises dramatically around one of Central America's most active volcanic systems. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBarbilla National Park
Chirripó, Costa Rica
+226 birds
Where the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica's eastern cordillera plunges into perpetual moisture, Barbilla National Park rises as one of Central America's most water-rich ecosystems. Fed…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBarra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge
Tortuguero, Costa Rica
+462 birds+36 mammals
Where the Caribbean's restless waters meet the Limón Province coastline, Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Sanctuary unfolds across a landscape of extraordinary ecological complexity. This equatorial…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYBraulio Carrillo National Park
Las Horquetas, Costa Rica
+547 birds+18 mammals
Where the Caribbean slope descends from the central volcanic cordillera toward the humid lowlands of Heredia, Braulio Carrillo National Park preserves one of Costa Rica's most…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCahuita National Park
Talamanca, Costa Rica
+359 birds+15 mammals
Where the Caribbean shoreline dissolves into mangrove creeks and coral gardens, Cahuita's mosaic of habitats unfolds across the Limón coast. The park's signature feature—a living coral…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCaño Negro National Wildlife Refuge
Caño Negro District, Costa Rica
+486 birds+16 mammals
Where the San Juan River's seasonal floodplain opens into expansive wetlands, Caño Negro Wildlife Sanctuary sprawls across one of Central America's most productive freshwater ecosystems. This…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYCarara National Park
Tárcoles, Costa Rica
+397 birds+19 mammals
Where the Pacific coastal plain meets transitional forest, Carara National Park straddles one of Central America's most dynamic ecological boundaries. The park's landscape encompasses lowland deciduous…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKChirripó National Park
Rivas, Costa Rica
+274 birds+6 mammals
Where the volcanic spine of Costa Rica's Central Cordillera reaches its apex, Chirripó National Park encompasses a landscape that shifts dramatically with elevation, from montane cloud…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCorcovado National Park
Puerto Jiménez, Costa Rica
+444 birds+48 mammals
Where the Osa Peninsula juts into the Pacific, rainforest descends almost to the tide line, and Corcovado National Park protects one of Central America's most intact…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCurú National Wildlife Refuge
Paquera, Costa Rica
+249 birds+8 mammals
Where the Pacific coast of Puntarenas dissolves into dry deciduous forest and mangrove fringe, Curú Wildlife Sanctuary holds one of Costa Rica's most ecologically vital yet…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYGandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge
Manzanillo, Costa Rica
+394 birds+18 mammals
Where the Caribbean coastal plain surrenders to water-logged forest and mangrove tangles, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Sanctuary shelters one of Costa Rica's most biodiverse lowland wetland ecosystems. The…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYGuanacaste National Park
Santa Elena, Costa Rica
+461 birds+17 mammals
Where the Pacific slopes of northwestern Costa Rica rise toward the Continental Divide, dry tropical forest gives way to cloud-laden peaks and misty ridges—a landscape that…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLa Amistad International Park
Crorina, Costa Rica
+532 birds+20 mammals
Where the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica's Talamanca Mountains rise steeply inland from Limón, the boundary between two nations dissolves into an unbroken expanse of rainforest.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLos Quetzales National Park
Copey, Costa Rica
+232 birds+3 mammals
Cloud forest sweeps across the upper slopes of the Central Valley watershed, where elevation and persistent moisture forge an ecosystem unlike any other in Costa Rica.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKManuel Antonio National Park
Quepos, Costa Rica
+426 birds+22 mammals
Where tropical rainforest descends steeply to a rocky Pacific coastline, Manuel Antonio National Park distills Central American biodiversity into one of Costa Rica's most compressed and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMarino Ballena National Park
Bahía Ballena, Costa Rica
+336 birds+8 mammals
Where mangrove forests meet coral-fringed shorelines along Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast, Marino Ballena National Park encompasses a marine and terrestrial mosaic that ranks among Central…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMarino Las Baulas National Park
Santa Cruz, Costa Rica
+246 birds+9 mammals
Where the Pacific meets a mosaic of dry forest and mangrove estuary, this coastal national park protects one of Central America's most dynamic wildlife theatres. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKOstional National Wildlife Refuge
Ostional, Costa Rica
+18 birds
Where the Pacific meets the dry forest of northwestern Costa Rica, Ostional National Wildlife Sanctuary protects one of Central America's most dynamic coastal ecosystems. This slender…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYPalo Verde National Park
Bagaces, Costa Rica
+318 birds+24 mammals
Dry forest spreads across Palo Verde's low-lying terrain in northwestern Guanacaste, where seasonal rivers and lagoons etch through deciduous woodland that sheds its canopy each winter.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPiedras Blancas National Park
Golfito, Costa Rica
+386 birds+24 mammals
Where the Golfo Dulce meets the southwestern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Piedras Blancas National Park protects a dramatic transition zone where lowland rainforest descends toward…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRincón de la Vieja National Park
Liberia, Costa Rica
+451 birds+30 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise abruptly from the Guanacaste lowlands, Rincón de la Vieja National Park sprawls across a landscape shaped by geothermal drama and seasonal extremes.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSanta Rosa National Park
Santa Elena, Costa Rica
+359 birds+30 mammals
Where Pacific-facing slopes descend from volcanic uplands toward the Guanacaste lowlands, Santa Rosa National Park unfolds across a mosaic of tropical dry forest, gallery woodland, and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTapantí Macizo de la Muerte National Park
Orosi, Costa Rica
+503 birds+18 mammals
Where montane cloud forest rises steeply from the Orosi Valley, Tapantí Macizo de la Muerte National Park enfolds a landscape of perpetual moisture and emerald complexity.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTortuguero National Park
Roxana, Costa Rica
+420 birds+23 mammals
Canals and lagoons thread through a labyrinth of lowland rainforest where the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica meets the wetland frontier. This is terrain shaped by…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVolcán Poás National Park
Toro Amarillo, Costa Rica
+237 birds+4 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise sharply from the Central Valley floor, Volcán Poás National Park protects one of Costa Rica's most active and accessible volcanic systems. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVolcán Tenorio National Park
Guatuso, Costa Rica
+480 birds+12 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise through Costa Rica's northwestern borderlands, Volcán Tenorio National Park sprawls across terrain shaped by ancient lava flows and mineral-rich springs. The park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNo community observations in this country yet — visit a hotspot and start an observation list.