Tortuguero is a must see. Huge biodiversity up there. And you WILL see wildlife. That's the great thing in Costa Rica. But what I can recommend the most is the national park Corcovado. You should be prepared for this trip as you have to carry your food and your drinks for 3 days. You just walk from Carate or San Pedrillo (as far as I know, i started from carate) and walk for several hours through the absolutely untouched rainforest and at the beach of Costa Rica to the Sirena Station in the middle of the two villages mentioned above. It's simply amazing. You have the chance to see tapirs, jaguars and many other wildlife creatures of CR. A hike you will never forget...

there's so much to see in costa rica! I'd say: puerto viejo in limon, its a mixture of beach, topic, caribbean, reggae, sun, and nice people, then manuel antonio in puntarenas, rafting is amazing there, the nightlife is great and the nacional park is a must. also any volcano, they are all beautiful and alike. then canopy or bungee jumping is always good. if you like turtles then def. tortuguero. and if you have a chance go to isla del coco or any other island! PURA VIDA and have fun!

Arenal and Tortuguero are surely worth visiting, althoug in December there might be no more turtles. If you are heading south you should not miss a dolfin- cruise at the golfo dulce, there were hundrets of them playing around our boat. We also enjoyed our stay at Rara Avis, a biological Station quite near to San Jose. You get there by a tractor, there were only few people, we had guided walks into the rainforrest and there are also 2 waterfalls next to the lodge with marvellous "swimming pools"

Don't forget to visit Tortuguero...on the Carribean Coast from Moin to Tortuguero it needs about 5 hours bot jurnay (it's really funny) ..don't book in advance your trip to tortuguero you can go directly to Moin early in the morning (07.00 - 08.00 am) and ask the people for a bot to Tortuguero you can contract the price and save money. Puerto Cauhita is a lovely place you can relax yourself. COSTA RICA PURA VIDA

If you have to stay around San Jose look into Xandari, and Finca Rosa Blanc. Both of these are very close to the airport but out of town and simple beautiful small unique hotels.

stear clear of san jose... not much to see compared to the rest of the beautiful country. definately see Arenal, if you're lucky you might see an eruption! i suggest renting a 4x4 to get around in, lots of the roads are terrible but it's an adventure and will give you lots of stories and let you see parts of the country that you'd never stop at by bus. also check out the guanacaste area and tamarindo for good beaches with decent waves!

I'm going to echo... Tabaccon, Arenal, never did Pdeurto Viejo, but Puerto Cauita is cool if you don't like the touristy traps. This place is a couple years aheah of Gillians Island. Amazing wildlife!

I think Tabaccon is a must go! Its an amazing place that has like natural waterfalls where you can swim and its right under a volcano....I loved that place. I guess two weeks is enough in Costa Rica....since the country is really small...You'll love it!

Arenal, Puerto Viejo, maybe a volcano that is cold, Irazu its, pretty nice... you should try tortuguero, for me thats the best...and i live here so...

I totally agree with everyone here. Arenal, Montezuma, Monteverde are all great. Puerto Viejo is the ultimate Caribbean beach town. From Puerto Viejo you can travel down to Panama to Bocas del Torro, which is also an amazing destination. The best zip line tour is at Arenal, where you can zip line through the rainforest canapy, and the views of waterfalls are incredible. Costa Rica is amazing, definitely get a travel book! Oh, and I really liked staying at Hostel Pangea in San Jose- it's a good place to get started. Everyone there is really helpful, and it's super close to a major bus station that will bus you basically anywhere in Costa Rica. If you want to go to Monteverde (the Cloud Forest), you might want to check for small van rides because it is really secluded- no main bus will take you there. I've heard Backpackers Hostel is also a good one in San Jose.

tortuguero is amazing and also the corcovado national park especially for the turtles, Manuel antonio can be overcrowded but is beautiful, puerto viejo on the caribbean side is cool nice beaches and with a jamaican vibe, monteverde and arenal are great for outdoor activities and for the cloud forests. and suring dominical, playa hermosa, hope this helps!

If you want a great place to chill out and relax I suggest Montezuma. A liitle more touristy beach town which is great for surfing lessons would be Tamarindo.

I loved Tortuguero. There is no way to get there except boat and when I was there they had no wheeled vehicles in town. You can canoe into the rainforest (watch out for monkeys throwing poo!) and the sea turtles come up on to the beach to nest and you can go out at night and watch! (obviously as part of a group, so they don't get disturbed, but still!) I also liked Monte Verde a lot. Really cool little town and tons to do.

Wow. That's a loaded question Kate! Costa Rica is the most popular spot in Central America for a good reason. Assuming you're a first time visitor you can see a lot in 3 weeks. So first you fly into San Jose ... which isn't anything special. Get out of there pretty quick. La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano are a must, especially if weather is clear..lava and hot springs! Monteverde Cloud Forest and other nearby cloud forests are great fun for zip lining, another must. Right 'now' is the best time to see sea turtles in the Osa Peninsula (very cool!), alternatively head up further north on the coast to Tortuguero NP for turtles. Maybe surf lessons on the coast? Not sure which is better this time of year but Playa Hermosa and Tamarindo are two possible spots. Now if you want a great nature experience head to Manuel Antonio NP on the Pacific side, just watch out for the sneaky monekys! If you want to go somewhere special, even further south to Corcovado is remote and peaceful. Corcovado is the only reason I want to return to Costa Rica again in the future! Enjoy....therre are SO many places to visit, don't try to do it all.