Costa Rica mountains and hillside was amazing. view into valley was unbelievable. It was so much green for miles, and miles. cloud formation.

Central America

With cerulean seas and verdant forests, magnificent Maya ruins and smoking volcanoes, Central America is like a tropical fairy tale except all of it is real.

Best Places to Visit

Money and Costs

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Teatro Nacional

San José

On the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura resides the Teatro Nacional, San José’s most revered building. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned…
La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Central Valley & Highlands

This polished storybook garden complex just east of Volcán Poás offers the most easily digestible cultural experience in the Central Valley and is the…
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio

Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around

Featuring lush jungle, picture-perfect beaches and craggy headlands, this tiny park (1680 acres/680 hectares) absolutely brims with wildlife (and often…
Playa Negra

Cahuita

At the northwestern end of Cahuita, Playa Negra is a long, black-sand beach flying the bandera azul ecológica, a flag that indicates that the beach is…
Punta Uva

Southern Caribbean

Off a dirt road marked by Punta Uva Dive Center is a quiet, idyllic cove that could double for a scene in the film The Beach. When the water is calm, it…
Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo

Antigua

Founded by Dominican friars in 1542, Santo Domingo became the biggest and richest monastery in Antigua. Following three 18th-century earthquakes, the…
Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya

Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos

Described by the Spaniards as the gates of hell, the craters that comprise Volcán Masaya National Park are the most easily accessible active volcanoes in…
Hol Chan Marine Reserve

Ambergris Caye

At the southern tip of Ambergris, the 6.5-sq-mile Hol Chan Marine Reserve is probably Belize's most oft-visited diving and snorkeling site. It offers…