I traveled to Costa Rica in May of 2014 and it still remains one of my favorite vacations. Costa Rica is currently in that sweet spot of tourism and development where it is developed enough to be safe and have plenty of established activities without being overrun with tourist like Cancun. You can read my full trip report about Costa Rica here.

1. Zip Lining
Costa Rica has some of the best zip lining I have experienced. So much of Costa Rica is underdeveloped and zip lining through the forest is easily available in many locations. Because of the wide open spaces the zip lines can be longer and there are more of them on a course. The one I visited had 14 zip lines and took about 2 hours to complete.
costa rica zip line

2. Gallo Pinto
Like most Latin American countries rice and beans are a dietary staple. Costa Rica is no exception and you’ll find their version, “Gallo Pinto” (loosely translated to spotted rooster), on just about every menu at every meal.
gallo pinto

3. Hot Springs
Costa Rica is a volcanic region and as a result it has many hot springs. Many hotels have hot springs on the premise, but for a truly luxurious experience head to one of the big spas for the full experience. I visited Baldi Hot Springs which has something like 25 pools of varying temperatures. Tip: Go at night when the air is cooler. Some of the hot springs have swim up bars and you can eat dinner at the resort – Make an evening out of it.
Baldi Hot Springs

4. White Water Rafting
There is great white water rafting in Costa Rica – much better than I’ve seen anywhere in the States. The rapids are great and there are plenty of established outfits who will show you a good time.
Rafting-Costa-Rica (2)

5. Eat fresh fruit
I had no idea fruit could taste so good until I visited Costa Rica! The climate is ripe for every tropical fruit you could image and most places serve the fruit freshly picked that day. The juices are also excellent and a daily must have.
costa rica fruit

6. Cheap All Inclusive Resorts
While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend spending your whole time in Costa Rica at an all inclusive resort you can certainly spend a couple of days there for a reasonable price. My complaint about these big resorts is that they look the same in every country and you don’t get much of the local experience. I split my trip up between a few days staying at a locally run resort close to the activities and a couple of days at the Riu Guanacaste laying on the beach enjoying the complimentary mojitos.
Riu Guanacaste Beach 2

This is only a small sampling of the many things available to do in Costa Rica. There is no shortage of both adventure activities as well as more relaxed activities for everyone to see and do in this country.