Costa Rica Guide

travel information and maps

  • Vacation Planning
  • Best Trips Ever>>
  • More Fun Than Humanly Possible
  • Costa Rica
    • Top Ten
    • Best Time to Visit Costa Rica
    • Things To Do in Costa Rica
    • Maps
    • Transportation
      • Rental Cars
        • Advantages of Driving
        • Disadvantages Driving
        • Code of the Road
        • Navigation & Drive Time
        • Rental Insurance Explained
        • Can’t Get There
      • Airports
        • Flights Worth Taking
        • LIR or SJO
        • Airfare Deals
        • Domestic Airlines
        • Domestic Air Tips
      • Taxis
      • Bus Schedule
    • Food
      • Typical Menu
      • Batidos & Refrescos
      • Gallo Pinto
      • Tamales
      • Ceviche
      • Ensalada Palmito
      • Sopa Negra
      • Vinagre Chilera
    • Weather
      • Seasons in Costa Rica
      • Current Storms in Costa Rica
    • Regions
  • Nature & Wildlife
    • National Parks
    • Wildlife Refuges
    • Ecozones
    • Best Places to See Wildlife in Costa Rica
  • Practical Info
    • Health & Safety
      • Health Tips
        • Altitude Sickness
        • Chikungunya
        • Natural Disasters
      • Crime
        • Cons & Rip-offs
        • Corruption
        • Violent Crime
    • Will My Phone Work?
    • Packing List
    • Passports & Docs
    • Money – How To?
    • How Much Does it Cost?
    • Travel Tips
  • Stories
    • Photos
    • Trek Across Costa Rica
    • Sendero de Oro
    • Quebrada Gata
    • Bicycle Touring
    • About Us
  • Move to Costa Rica
  • Free Travel Pack
no obligation custom trip plan & price quote

1-866-816-0197

· Copyright © 2023 ·

Regions of Costa Rica

Most websites divide Costa Rica by Provinces but from a traveler's perspective following political boundaries makes very little sense.

One end of Puntarenas Province is ten hours and five climate zones away from the other. In other cases popular destinations are split in half by the political boundaries. For example half of the Arenal region is in Alajuela province and the other half in Guanacaste.

About twenty years ago we created the "Costa Rica Guide Regions of Costa Rica" to group areas that are similar in geography, culture and ecology and are connected by useable transportation in order to help travelers find what they want more quickly and easily. It works well - go explore!

Cordillera Talamanca

Cordillera Talamanca

The Talamancas are a spectacular mountain range rising from sea level on the Caribbean to over 12,000 feet then dropping back down to the Valle General on the Pacific side.  In 2012 I crossed the Talamancas from Puerto Viejo to the Pacific coast with some friends and indigenous guides for a 50th … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact

Caribbean

Caribbean

From Limón to Panama & over the Border to Bocas del Toro the southern Caribbean is one of the most unique areas of Costa Rica. Jamaicans brought in to work the banana plantations and build the railroad from the coast to the capital brought their culture and the English language to the … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact

Northern Lowlands

Northern Lowlands

Northern Lowlands The Guanacaste and Central Volcanic mountain ranges give way to the northeast to rolling plains that rarely rise above a few hundred feet.  The Frío, San Carlos, Toro and Sarapiquí rivers snake north across the lowlands overflowing their banks to form seasonal lakes and wetlands.  … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact

Nicoya Peninsula

Nicoya Peninsula

The Península de Nicoya is one of the most readily identifiable regions of Costa Rica jutting into the Pacific nearly doubling the coastline of the northern region.  Swells arrive on the west facing shores after building over thousands of miles of nearly uninterrupted ocean creating a surfing … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact

Guanacaste

Guanacaste

Guanacaste Beaches, Rainforests and Cowboys Guanacaste is the northernmost region of Costa Rica encompassing much of the border with Nicaragua and expresses its frontier character in everyday life as well as during celebrations. The hot relatively dry rolling hills that rise up from the … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact

Central Valley

Central Valley

The Central Valley is technically a very small area covered nearly completely by two million residents of the nation’s capitol and the metropolitan area. In practice the phrase is used to refer to the entire Meseta Central (Central Plateau) and the encircling slopes of the Tilarán, Central, … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact

Osa Peninsula

Osa Peninsula

The Osa Peninsula is rugged and remote.  The remoteness prevented wholesale clear cutting, cattle ranching and banana plantations long enough for the government to step in a few decades ago and create one of the finest National Parks in the world - Corcovado.  The same isolation still means that … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact

Central Pacific Coast

Central Pacific Coast

The Central Pacific region is distinguished by the abrupt meeting of half a dozen small mountain ranges with the Pacific Ocean to their south.  The Virilla River has its headwaters above San José and after flowing through the capitol follows a wide arc around the Cerros de Escazú and Turrubares … [Read more...]

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact


toll free Costa Rica travel desk!
1-866-816-0197

CONTACT US

Regions
  • Cordillera Talamanca
  • Caribbean
  • Northern Lowlands
  • Nicoya Peninsula
  • Guanacaste
  • Central Valley
  • Osa Peninsula
  • Central Pacific Coast



Costa Rica Guide on facebook
Costa Rica Guide on Facebook