Best Things To Do in Guanacaste Costa Rica

Guanacaste Costa Rica is one of the top destinations for tourist in the country. It offers a little bit of everything for everyone! If you are looking for nature hikes, wildlife sightseeing, beautiful beach towns and even adventurous experiences, you are guaranteed to find them in Guanacaste Costa Rica!

As far as activities in Guanacaste, here are our Top 10 Best Things to do in Guanacaste Costa Rica:

 Go explore nature:

A great way to explore nature is to explore the national parks:

1. 1. Parque Nacional Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa National Park is 45 minutes away from Liberia City. It offers a museum of natural history called La Casona. They also offer guided walking trail tours. This park is famous for their variety of birds, small mammals and pristine surfing beaches. Santa Rosa national park also plays an important role in big cat conservation as it forms part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor for jaguars and pumas.

2. Rincón de la Vieja National Park

As well as being a national park, Rincón de la Vieja National Park is also home to the volcano of its same name: Rincon de la Vieja. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday to the public and offers a variety of adventures. There are several hiking trails to get to the inactive crater, as well as fumaroles and hot springs. It is a paradise to see wildlife and get to experience an outdoors adventure.

3. Llanos Del Cortez Waterfall

Located 30 minutes of the outskirts of Liberia, Llanos Del Cortez Waterfall is a prime spot to visit. It offers easy access through the highway and it takes just one easy 10 minute hike to the main spot. Enjoy a 15m-high and 12m-wide waterfall in the middle of the dry forest. It also offers an alternative trail that leads to the top of the waterfall for better views. But be advised, there is no jumping allowed due that the pond is not deep enough.

4. Barra Honda National Park

Featuring an extensive network of hiking trails, Barra Honda National Park is a great place for wildlife sightseeing. But what makes this park special are the caves that it houses. Only one of the 19 caves is open to the public but it makes for an out of world experience. Descend around 20 meters to start an experience of cave exploration made to leave you in awe. And if you are brave enough, darn to turn off your lamp light.

Diamante Park is home to three two-toed sloths

Get to know the little towns:

5. Liberia

Liberia, Costa Rica might as well be the Hub of Guanacaste Costa Rica. It is a small city that houses new and old quarters. It is a perfect representation of modern day city meets old school town. Take a walk around the town plaza and find cultural treasures around. The Guanacaste Museum houses cultural and historical exhibitions; as well as the Sabanero Museum which showcases local cowboy memorabilia, including pictures. Don’t skip this little city and be sure to uncover a lot of history.

6. Tamarindo

Tamarindo beach is located in central Guanacaste Costa Rica. Its popularity resides on being a surfing beach for all levels. With long flat stretches of sand, it makes it ideal for surfing lessons. It is also full with a variety of shops offering from souvenirs, to clothes, to house décor. Best of all is the great gastronomical variety it offers! It doesn’t matter if you are going during the day or night; Tamarindo is always full of life.

7. Playas del Coco

Playas Del Coco is a prime headquarter spot! It is located just 20 minutes away from the Liberia International Airport, 45 minutes from Tamarindo and 30 minutes from the famous Papagayo Peninsula. It offers a walking pier with sand volleyball courts, skating park, basketball courts and a lot of sitting spots from which you can watch the tranquil ocean. And if the tide is low, make sure to take a stroll through the beach and enjoy the sun! You can also find a variety of restaurants right on the beach as well as many souvenir shops. It is also a hub for a variety of half day and full day tours, including: snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, zip line, animal sanctuary, ATV’s and more.

Superman Zip Line with the best ocean view.

8. Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Ostional is worldwide known for its famous turtle arrivals. From July to November thousands of turtle will make arrivals from 3 to 7 days to lay million off eggs. The access to the beach is restricted during this time, and the only way to access is with guides from the refuge. If you find yourself from December to June, you can still access the beach at your pleasure. It is a great place to see a variety of flora and fauna. The town also offers a glimpse into the natural history of our country and what life is like to live in a perfect balance with nature.

Get some adventure:

9. Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

There are daily tours leaving from Playas del Coco that offer scuba diving and snorkeling in amazing spots. Las Catalinas and Bat Island are two prime spots for scuba diving. They offer a great variety of sea life in their surrounding area. At Las Catalinas, scuba divers will be able to find underwater arches, caverns, cave and many rock formations with marine life around it. On the other hand, Bat Island is widely known for being home to the famous bull sharks. This is not a dive for the faint of heart and is recommended for experience divers. As for scuba diving, all around the Papagayo Peninsula you will find great quiet beaches with an abundance of marine life around it. Really, anywhere with clear water is a great spot to scuba dive in Guanacaste Costa Rica! Wildlife is everywhere you see.

10. Zip line, hanging bridges, animal sanctuary

If you came to Costa Rica and didn’t do a zip line tour… did you really experienced Costa Rica? There are a variety of offerings referring adventure tourism. When doing your research be sure to ask the next questions:

• Where do the animals in the sanctuary / rescue came from?
• If they are offering a nature walk with close ups on the animals remember that the Wildlife Conservation Law in Costa Rica prohibits any kind of feeding of the animals, direct contact, or removing them from their habitat. You can and will be prosecuted by the law.
• What certifications do the company offering the tour has? CST? Blue Flag Program? Certifications of quality?
• If they are a zip line or a canopy, do they comply with ACCT standards?
• Is the equipment the latest technology? Does the canopy / zip line have automatic breaking system?
• Any physical requirements or limitations for any tour.

Visit the Best Adventure Park in Guanacaste Costa Rica!

Experience the best adventure tour by visiting us at Diamante Eco Adventure Park! Get your passes at www.diamanteadventurepark.com . There are three passes that will let you live the Diamante experience:

• Discovery Pass ($42): Enter our Animal Sanctuary and meet our wildlife family: Lucy the sloth, Nico & Sama the jaguars, Balu the white faced monkey, King Julian our largest iguana and many more! All of our animals have been donated the by the Wildlife Ministry of Costa Rica.
• Aerial Pass ($78): Enjoy the zip line tour, including the Superman Man mile-long dual cable and a 30 feet high controlled jump!
• Adventure Pass ($118): experience the full zip line tour plus one extra cable that runs through our animal sanctuary and a hanging bridge over the crocodiles! Finish the tour inside of our top of class animal sanctuary and enjoy our wildlife family. This pass also includes a buffet lunch at the Welcome Center and access to our beach activities (stand up paddle board, snorkeling, kayak and hanging out at the hammocks).

We also offer ATV tours and horse back riding expeditions! Call us at +506 2105-5200 or email at info@diamanteadventure.com for more information!

Pura Vida!