How to plan the perfect Costa Rica wildlife holiday

Visiting Costa Rica in July 

When I mentioned to family and friends that we were visiting Costa Rica in July, the main response was, “is it not rainy season?”. The answer is yes – it is rainy season, or green season, which is more accurate. The rainy season in Costa Rica doesn’t mean that it rains all the time, and it certainly doesn’t feel like a monsoon. Travelling in green season is also cheaper and coincides perfectly with our school summer holidays in the UK.

Due to the location of Costa Rica and its terrain, there are many microclimates within the destination, so you need to be ready for rain at any time of year. Travelling from the Pacific Ocean into the mountains could be a short four-hour drive but take you into a completely different climate.

During our 2-week trip, we were prepared for rain every day. In reality, we only used our rain jackets twice, and this was when we were up higher in the cloud forest. When it did rain, it was only for a couple of hours, always in the afternoon. The rest of the time was cloudy but in the mid-20s and, while we were on the Pacific Coast it was blue skies and nearer 30 degrees every day. 

I would encourage people to travel to Costa Rica during the rainy season because it is classed as low season. This means that it is more affordable and has far fewer tourists. The gamble with the weather is worth it.

Getting to Costa Rica 

We flew to Costa Rica from London Heathrow with United Airlines. We decided to have a night in New York City on the way there to break up the journey, but you can also have an overnight in Houston or fly straight through to San Jose. During peak season, you can also fly directly to San Jose from London Gatwick. However, I would still recommend a stopover in New York or Houston to break up the journey and adjust to the jet lag. 

Our flight to New York with United Airlines took roughly 8 hours and we had a good variety of films and TV shows for entertainment. Dinner and snacks were included. The next flight to San Jose was around 5 hours, with an entertainment screen. However, the snacks and drinks were at an additional cost.

Staying in San Jose 

When we arrived in San Jose, we were greeted by a representative who looked after us during our entire visit. We were driven to our hotel in San Jose to chill out for the evening and prepare for our amazing adventure over the next 11 nights. We stayed in San Jose for two nights at the Park Inn by Radisson. 

Personally, I would only recommend staying in the city if you have a late arrival flight or early departure flight. Two nights was more than enough. If you do choose to stay in San Jose, I recommend visiting Poas Volcano and taking a coffee plantation tour.

Visiting the Paos Volcano 

Paos Volcano is an active volcano and popular attraction in the Central Valley, with many hiking trails and a museum. However, it’s important to know that the views here are weather-dependent. There’s a live webcam so that you can see the visibility before heading up the mountain, and I highly recommend checking before you set off. When we visited, it was very cloudy so we couldn’t see anything. However, if the weather is on your side, the views are amazing.

The journey to Tortuguero National Park 

After a day of relaxing around the pool, we set off to Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean Coast. We were picked up at 6am for the three-hour coach journey to La Pavona Harbour. Along the way, we stopped at a local café for breakfast. 

Tortuguero doesn’t have any roads, so the only way to get there is by speedboat. We sailed through the labyrinth of small canals before arriving at Mawamba Lodge, located one kilometre north of the Tortuguero village. We stayed here for two nights on a full board package which included a two-hour boat ride into the National Park, a two-hour walking tour with a local guide, and a visit into the local village. 

The weather was very humid and there was a short thunderstorm whilst here, but we didn’t even need to get out of the pool, and it didn’t impact our day. During our visit, we saw our first toucans, sloths, howler monkeys and many bird species. However, our main reason for visiting Tortuguero was to see the turtles.

Our turtle-nesting tour in Tortuguero 

Tortuguero means the ‘Land of Turtles’. This area attracts four species of turtle (green, leatherback, hawksbill and loggerhead) and it’s home to the sea turtle conservation movement. 

During July and August, thousands of green turtles head to the beaches of Tortuguero to lay their eggs. All the lodges in Tortuguero offer turtle-nesting tours that allows you to go onto the beach and see the process. Due to the sensitive nature and the critically endangered status of this species, the tours are highly regulated and can only be booked via the lodge locally. This is an experience not to be missed if you are visiting Tortuguero. 

We booked the 10pm tour and we were taken by boat to an area on the beach where volunteers had spotted a turtle preparing to nest. During the tour, we were told to wear black clothing, so that we wouldn't disturb the turtles and we were not allowed to take pictures or videos. 

We watched a turtle lay around 100 eggs and then cover them with sand to keep them safe. It was incredible! Hatching begins in September, so September to October is a great time to visit if you want to see baby turtles.

Exploring Arenal 

Our third stop was La Fortuna, the gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park. Located in the northern highlands of Costa Rica, we left the humidity of Tortuguero behind. We travelled by a combination of boat and coach, and the whole journey took about five hours. 

We stayed at Arenal Manoa, which is a great hotel just on the outskirts of town with amazing views of the volcano, as well as multiple pools and hot springs. From our room and the restaurant, we spotted an abundance of wildlife including iguanas, sloths, hummingbirds, toucans and many different species of birds. 

The hotel is spread out over a large area, but it offers golf buggies so that you can easily get around. We stayed here for two nights and joined a half-day sloth tour. By joining a tour with an experienced guide, you will not only see sloths in the wild, but also learn a lot about them. You can see sloths all over Costa Rica, but La Fortuna’s climate is particularly popular with both the three-toed and two-toed sloths.

Spotting sloths in La Fortuna 

I recommend booking a guide, because the sloths can be very hard to spot on your own! The guides also have amazing telescopes so you can view the sloths up close. During our tour, we saw 7 three-toed sloths but only one two-toed sloth, as they like to hide! We learnt all about their different markings and how to tell the two types apart if you can’t see their toes. It was a great day. 

La Fortuna is famous for adrenaline-pumping activities such as white-water rafting and ziplining. However, we didn’t fancy that, so we spent the rest of our time relaxing by the pool and exploring around the hotel grounds in search of wildlife. My niece wants to become a vet when she is older, and she really enjoyed educating me on all the different species we saw.

Exploring Monteverde Cloud Forest 

Next up was Monteverde. We took a short transfer to Lake Arenal, and then hopped on a boat across the lake before meeting another transfer to Monteverde.  As we travelled higher up into the hills, we entered the beautiful Monteverde Cloud Forest. At just 3 hours, this was the shortest journey of our trip.

The weather was significantly cooler, so we needed jumpers and rain jackets. However, this will be true whatever time of year you visit Costa Rica, so be sure to bring layers! 

Mondeverde Cloud Forest is one of only a handful of cloud forests in the world (only 1% of the planet is cloud forest) and it is home to rare high altitude species such as the three-wattled bellbird and the resplendent quetzal. Unfortunately, we didn’t see them on this trip, but that gives us a great reason to go back!

Where to stay in Monteverde 

Whilst here we stayed at Hotel Trapp Monteverde, which is the closest hotel to the cloud forest entrance. This is great if you want to be one of the first into the forest. It’s a little out of town and at the top of a steep hill, so it’s best suited to travellers with a rental car. 

We didn’t have a car, but as we had booked plenty of tours, we didn’t have time to explore the town. This hotel was the only one without a pool however, we were high up overlooking the forest so we could sit on the balcony and look for the rare birds.

Visiting Selvatura Park 

We visited Selvatura Park which offers multiple activities including ziplining and a treetop walkway tour (or you can do it self-guided). I would recommend booking a tour as the guides know what to look out for and they have a wealth of knowledge about the local wildlife. 

There are a total of eight hanging bridges of different lengths and heights (from 170ft up to 560ft) above the cloud forest, so you can really get amongst the canopy to see the animals. During our tour, we saw a group of howler monkeys, spiders, toucans, hummingbirds, and many more fascinating creatures. In the afternoon, we also went horseriding through the forest, which was another unforgettable experience.

Staying at Manuel Antonio National Park 

Our last destination was Manuel Antonio National Park. The journey here was about four hours and we shared this with another family from the UK. We stayed at La Mariposa Hotel in an oceanview room with a stunning view over the Pacific Coast and Manuel Antonio National Park. We stayed here for 3 nights as we wanted a little beach/pool time at the end of our trip.

Our whale-watching tour from Manuel Antonio 

During our time here we booked two different tours. The first was a guided tour of the park and the second was a whale-watching tour. 

Costa Rica has one of the longest whale-watching seasons in the world (from July to April), but the best times are from August to October and December to April. We visited at the beginning of August but were lucky enough to see two sets of mum and baby humpback whales, as well as a turtle and a small pod of dolphins! 

Our whale-watching tour departed from Manuel Antonio and the drive to the pier took about an hour. On arrival, we got into a small speedboat and headed out to sea. It only took twenty minutes before we saw the first water spray from a whale. When you see these incredible species for the first time, it takes your breath away! 

We initially spotted the baby (which was huge) before seeing its mum, who was roughly three times its length. All the guides are very respectful of the whales, especially as it is a birthing ground, so we kept far away from the whales and only stayed for a few minutes at a time.

Exploring Manuel Antonio National Park 

The following day we set off on a tour of Manuel Antonio National Park. The park is closed on Tuesdays but open all other days. You can walk around in a self-guided way but, again, I recommend booking a guide. It can be very difficult to spot animals but somehow, the guides always manage to see them! 

We saw a variety of different species including howler monkeys, capuchin (white-faced) monkeys, sloths, bats, frogs, armadillos, lizards, rainbow grasshoppers and hummingbirds. It was a magical experience! Manuel Antonio National Park is also home to four amazing beaches. 

I recommend speaking to your guide and asking if you can spend the afternoon on the beach before making your own way back to the hotel. It worked brilliantly for us.

My thoughts about Costa Rica 

My niece and I had a fantastic holiday in Costa Rica. It was an action-packed trip, but it didn’t feel rushed, and we also had plenty of time to relax by the pool. The journeys between locations are a little long, but there’s always something to see! 

If you have a larger family, I recommend doing a self-drive itinerary so that you can take your time driving between each place. Each destination has something different to offer, so I recommend travelling around the country to get the complete experience. 

We only stayed in most of the places for two nights, but we found that one full day in each place was enough. We also learned a huge amount about the country and its wildlife by booking guided tours, so it’s something that I strongly recommend. Not only was this a great holiday to experience with my niece, but it was a great learning experience for both of us.

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