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Costa Rica (Highlands)
The cool, misty highlands are covered in thick cloud forests and towering, active volcanoes. You can fly through the jungle on a zipline or tour a local farm to taste world-class fresh coffee.
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Summary
Did you know?
Cloud Forests – Monteverde sits so high in the mountains that the trees literally drink moisture straight out of passing mist and clouds.
Overview
Months
January, February, March, April, December
Vacation type
Mountains, Family, Couple, Rainforest
Expenses
0-50€, <100€, <150€, <200€, Over 200€
Temperature
20-25°C, 25-30°C
Rainfall
0-50mm, 50-100mm
Safety
Safe
Continent
Central America
Currency
Costa Rican colón
Languages
Spanish, Mekatelyu, Bribri
Currency Converter
When to visit
The best time to visit the Costa Rican Highlands is during the dry season from December to April. During these months, the Pacific slope weather system brings dry air and sunny mornings. Daytime temperatures in the Central Valley sit at a comfortable 22°C to 26°C (72°F to 79°F), while higher spots like Monteverde and Cerro Chirripó are cooler (12°C to 18°C / 54°F to 64°F). Trails are firm, coffee harvests are underway, and active volcano craters like Poás and Irazú are less likely to be blocked by cloud banks.
The wet season runs from May to November, with rainfall peaking in September and October. In the highlands, a normal wet-season day starts clear and cool in the morning, followed by heavy rainstorms that roll in around 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM and last into the evening. At higher elevations above 2,000 meters, afternoon rain brings cold, dense fog and drops nighttime temperatures close to freezing. A brief dry spell called the veranillo often occurs in late June or July, bringing a couple of weeks of reduced rainfall.
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Plan the whole vacation, including flights, transportation, hotels and tours with Expedia *
Climate Data
Peak Season: December to April (Dry Season / Verano)
Average Sunny Hours per Day: 7 to 9 hours.
Rain Frequency: 3 to 6 days per month (except in Monteverde, where windblown mountain mist occurs year-round).
Rainy Hours per Day: 0 to 1 hour.
Intensity: Light, quick passing showers.
Duration: Mostly clear and breezy. Trade winds pick up in January and February, especially over mountain ridges. High-altitude nights get cold quickly after sunset.
Off-Peak Season: May to November (Rainy Season / Invierno)
Average Sunny Hours per Day: 4 to 5 hours.
Rain Frequency: 18 to 24 days per month (heaviest in September and October).
Rainy Hours per Day: 3 to 5 hours.
Intensity: Heavy afternoon downpours, occasional lightning, and thick cloud cover.
Duration: Rain typically begins in early afternoon and can continue through dusk. Rural dirt roads in mountain areas get slick, and mountain highways can experience washouts or fallen trees.
Climate Chart
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Data Source: Global Historical Climatology Network
ClimateCharts.net
Weather, Crowds and Costs
Per one person
Tourist Season: December-April
Budget Vacation ($35-60/day)
Accommodation: $15-25/night (dorm beds or basic private rooms in San José hostels, family-run guesthouses in Santa Elena/Monteverde).
Food: $10-16/day (eating at local sodas, buying fresh fruit and bread at municipal markets).
Activities: $6-12/day (self-guided walks in public parks, entry to the National Museum).
Transportation: $4-8/day (local city buses, Tuasa buses between San José and Alajuela).
Other Costs: $3/day (bottled water, coffee).
Mid-Range Vacation ($95-190/day)
Accommodation: $50-110/night (comfortable 3-star hotels in San José suburbs like Barrio Escalante, mountain cabins with heating or fireplaces in Monteverde or Dota).
Food: $25-45/day (craft beer bars, sit-down traditional restaurants, local cafes).
Activities: $30-65/day (guided cloud forest reserve entries, coffee plantation tours, volcano national park tickets).
Transportation: $15-35/day (shared tourist shuttles like Interbus, occasional Uber rides).
Other Costs: $6/day (tips, craft coffee, bakery snacks).
Luxury Vacation ($280-600+/day)
Accommodation: $180-450+/night (restored historic boutique hotels in San José, luxury eco-lodges near Monteverde or high-end mountain retreats in the cloud forest).
Food: $60-120/day (chef-driven tasting menus in Barrio Escalante, fine dining at mountain lodges).
Activities: $80-180/day (private naturalist birding guides for the Resplendent Quetzal, private canopy zipline and hanging bridge tours, private volcano guides).
Transportation: $55-120/day (private chauffeured SUV transfers, high-clearance 4x4 car rental).
Other Costs: $20+/day (specialty single-origin coffee beans, spa treatments).
Off-Peak Season: May-November
Budget Vacation ($28-48/day)
Accommodation: $12-20/night (discounted hostel bunks, budget guesthouses).
Food: $8-14/day (neighborhood sodas, market lunches).
Activities: $5-10/day (covered museums in San José, self-guided forest walks before the rain).
Transportation: $4-7/day (public buses).
Other Costs: $3/day (rain poncho, hot coffee).
Mid-Range Vacation ($75-140/day)
Accommodation: $40-80/night (mountain lodges and city boutique hotels at low-season rates).
Food: $20-35/day (casual indoor dining, local restaurants).
Activities: $20-45/day (coffee tastings, indoor museum entries, discounted cloud forest tours).
Transportation: $12-25/day (shared shuttles, car rentals with low-season pricing).
Other Costs: $4/day (laundry, warm drinks).
Luxury Vacation ($200-420+/day)
Accommodation: $130-280+/night (upscale eco-lodges running green-season specials).
Food: $50-90/day (hotel restaurants, farm-to-table dining).
Activities: $60-120/day (private morning birding walks, private coffee estate visits).
Transportation: $40-80/day (private transfers, rental 4x4).
Other Costs: $15/day (local crafts, packaged export coffee).
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You can find accomendations that fit your trip and budget on Booking.com, Vrbo and Hotels.com
Best Regions to visit
Cities
1. San José
- The capital city and commercial center of the country, located in the Central Valley. It holds the major cultural institutions, theaters, historic neighborhoods like Barrio Amón, and the main dining district of Barrio Escalante.
2. Santa Elena (Monteverde)
- A mountain town in the Cordillera de Tilarán, built around dairy farming and Quaker roots, now serving as the service base for cloud forest reserves.
3. Cartago
- The colonial capital of Costa Rica until 1823, located east of San José at the foot of Irazú Volcano, home to the country's most important religious basilica.
4. Alajuela
- The second-largest city in the metropolitan area, located directly next to the international airport and acting as the main gateway to Poás Volcano.
5. Heredia
- Known as the "City of Flowers," a historic colonial and university town north of San José surrounded by coffee-growing hills.
6. San Gerardo de Dota
- A peaceful, cold valley settlement in the Talamanca Mountains along the Savegre River, known for trout fishing and seeing the Resplendent Quetzal.
San José
Did you know?
Coffee Birds – The elusive Resplendent Quetzal—a sacred bird with glowing green feathers—hides in the misty highlands to feed on wild avocado trees.
Islands
1. Isla de los Pájaros (Lake Arenal)
- A small, protected islet located on the high-elevation reservoir lake of Arenal just northwest of the highlands, used as a seasonal roosting site by herons, anhingas, and kingfishers.
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Find the perfect place to stay in any of these top cities and islands with Booking.com, Hotels.com and Vrbo – offering entire homes and apartments for a comfortable and private experience.
Lake Arenal
Things to see
Natural Attractions
1. Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserves
- High-altitude tropical rainforests covered in constant mist, home to thousands of plant species, epiphytes, hanging mosses, and high bird diversity.
2. Poás Volcano National Park
- An active stratovolcano featuring a massive crater filled with a steaming, acid-blue lake, surrounded by stunted cloud forest vegetation.
3. Irazú Volcano National Park
- Costa Rica's highest active volcano (3,432 meters / 11,260 feet), featuring a barren, moon-like summit crater that can sometimes offer views of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on rare clear mornings.
4. Cerro Chirripó
- The highest peak in Costa Rica (3,820 meters / 12,533 feet), protected inside Chirripó National Park, featuring glacial lakes, páramo moorland, and multi-day trekking trails.
5. Los Quetzales National Park
- A cool, high-elevation forest reserve in the Talamanca range protecting prime wild avocado trees where quetzals feed.
6. La Paz Waterfall Gardens
- A privately protected nature park north of Alajuela with walking trails alongside five waterfalls crashing through mountain rainforest.
Historical and Cultural Sites
1. Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (San José)
- Completed in 1897 and funded by a historic tax on coffee exports, this neoclassical theater features marble statues, ceiling frescoes, and a gold-leaf interior.
2. Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Cartago)
- A Byzantine-style basilica that houses the Negrita, a small black stone statue of the Virgin Mary that is the destination of an annual nationwide pilgrimage every August.
3. Ruinas de Cartago (Parque de la Parroquia)
- The ruins of a Romanesque church in central Cartago that was repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes, now maintained as an open-air public garden inside stone walls.
4. Museo del Oro Precolombino (San José)
- An underground museum beneath the Plaza de la Cultura housing one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian gold artifacts in the Americas.
5. Historic Coffee Estates (Central Valley)
- Century-old working fincas (such as Doka Estate and Café Britt) showing the historical cultivation, washing, and sun-drying processes that shaped modern Costa Rica.
Unique Experiences
1. Spotting the Resplendent Quetzal
- Taking an early morning walk with a spotting scope in San Gerardo de Dota to find male quetzals with their emerald-green tail feathers feeding in native trees.
2. Walking on Canopy Hanging Bridges
- Crossing suspended metal footbridges high above the tree canopy in Monteverde while mist moves through the upper branches.
3. Looking into Poás Crater
- Standing on the viewing platform at the rim of Poás Volcano to smell sulfur gas and watch volcanic steam rise from the turquoise acid lake below.
4. Visiting a Working Mountain Trapiche
- Watching sugar cane crushed by water-powered wooden gears and boiled into raw brown sugar blocks (tapa de dulce) in traditional highland farming communities.
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The best way to explore major cities and must-see attractions is by booking guided tours.* They offer convenience, local insights, and often save time when visiting popular sights.
Monteverde
Unique Accomondations/Foodspots
Accommodations
Nayara Springs
Location: Arenal Volcano National Park, Alajuela, Costa Rica
An ultra-luxury, adults-only eco-resort nestled in the lush rainforest canopy, featuring secluded villas with private plunge pools fed by natural mineral hot springs and sweeping views of the majestic Arenal Volcano.
Restaurants / Bars
Amor Loco
Location: Nayara Resort, Arenal, Costa Rica
A sophisticated, adult-centric fine-dining venue enveloped by jungle foliage, celebrated for its innovative international gastronomy, vibrant atmosphere, and creative tropical cocktail pairings.
Tours to do
1. Poás Volcano Crater & Doka Coffee Estate Day Tour
- A straightforward, popular day excursion departing from San José or Alajuela. The tour heads up through the agricultural slopes of Alajuela to visit the working Doka Coffee Estate to see the milling, fermenting, and roasting process, then continues up to Poás Volcano National Park for a walk to the active crater viewpoint and the nearby Botos lagoon trail.
Duration: Half-day to Full-day (approx. 5 to 7 hours).
Best Time: December to April (morning departures are critical to arrive before clouds cover the crater).
Average Cost: $65 – $95 per person (includes roundtrip transport, park reservation entry, coffee tour, and lunch).
2. Monteverde Cloud Forest Hanging Bridges & Canopy Tour
- A full-day guided adventure tour based in Santa Elena/Monteverde (at reserves such as Selvatura or Sky Adventures). The program includes a guided natural history walk across several high suspension bridges through the cloud forest canopy, followed by a multi-cable zipline course that glides over valleys and through mountain mist.
Duration: Approx. 5 to 6 hours.
Best Time: December to May.
Average Cost: $75 – $120 per person (includes reserve entry, certified canopy guides, and safety equipment).
3. Irazú Volcano Summit & Cartago Colonial Day Tour
- A scenic day excursion departing from San José. The route climbs through vegetable farms to the summit of Irazú Volcano to walk along the rim of the main crater and the Diego de la Haya crater. On the descent, the tour stops in Cartago to visit the Basilica of Los Ángeles and the historic church ruins, ending with a drive through the Orosi Valley.
Duration: Full day (approx. 7 hours).
Best Time: December to April.
Average Cost: $60 – $90 per person (includes transport from San José, national park admission, and guide).
4. San Gerardo de Dota Quetzal Birdwatching Morning Excursion
- An early-morning guided birding walk departing from mountain lodges along the Savegre River valley. Led by a local birding guide carrying a high-magnification spotting scope, the small group walks through oak forests and avocado groves at 6:00 AM to locate active Resplendent Quetzals, mountain trogons, and hummingbirds.
Duration: 3 to 4 hours.
Best Time: January to May (peak nesting season).
Average Cost: $40 – $70 per person (covers professional birding guide; transport to trailhead included if staying locally).
Poás Volcano Crater
How to get around
1. Driving Conditions
- Paved highways connect the Central Valley cities easily, but mountain driving requires caution. The Inter-American Highway (Route 2) over Cerro de la Muerte is steep, two lanes, and frequently covered in dense fog and heavy rain; avoid driving it after 3:00 PM. Roads leading up to Monteverde (Route 606 from the highway) are paved, but surrounding side roads and access points to reserves remain rough, gravel, and steep; a 4x4 or high-clearance SUV is strongly recommended.
2. Volcano Reservations (CRITICAL)
- You cannot buy walk-up tickets at the gate for Poás Volcano National Park. All entry tickets must be purchased and scheduled online in advance through the official SINAC portal using your passport information.
3. Public Transit
- San José has an extensive bus system, but buses leave from different private company terminals scattered across the city rather than a single central station. TUASA runs buses every 10 to 15 minutes between San José and Alajuela. Transmonteverde runs daily direct buses between San José and Santa Elena.
4. Ride-Hailing & Taxis
- Uber operates widely and reliably in San José, Alajuela, Heredia, and Cartago, offering a simple way to avoid navigating traffic. Official street taxis are red with yellow triangles on the doors and must run their digital meter (la maría). In rural Monteverde, private transport shuttles or local taxis called by your lodge are the standard option.
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You can find great car rental deals for your vacation on Expedia *
Did you know?
Sleeping Giant – Irazú Volcano features a massive summit crater containing a striking emerald-green acid lake that changes color depending on the weather.
What to eat
1. Gallo Pinto
- A traditional dish of rice and black beans mixed together, often served with eggs and tortillas for breakfast.
2. Casado
- A hearty plate featuring rice, beans, fried plantains, salad, and a choice of protein (chicken, beef, or fish).
3. Ceviche
- Fresh fish marinated in lime juice, mixed with onions, cilantro, and peppers, served as a refreshing appetizer.
4. Olla de Carne
- A flavorful beef and vegetable stew, slow-cooked with root vegetables and spices, often enjoyed on special occasions.
5. Tamales
- Corn dough filled with meats, vegetables, or beans, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, typically enjoyed during holidays.
Gallo Pinto
Flights
Flight prices are approximate and vary by departure city, airline, and booking time. Check airlines or travel platforms for the latest details.
* Please note: All prices are rough estimates for orientation purposes only and may vary by region.
Main Airports: Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR)
(Note: Limón [LIO] and Tortuguero [TTQ] airports handle only domestic propeller flights. International arrivals land at SJO in San José and travel across the mountains by car, shuttle, or regional flight).
Flight Prices and Seasons:
From Europe
- Average Round-Trip Cost: €500 to €900.
- Cheapest Months: April to June and September to November.
- Peak Prices: December to March (dry season).
From North America
- Average Round-Trip Cost: $300 to $700.
- Cheapest Months: April to June and September to November.
- Peak Prices: December holidays and summer months (June to August).
From Asia
- Average Round-Trip Cost: $800 to $1,500.
- Cheapest Months: February to March and September to November.
- Peak Prices: December holidays and summer months.
From Australia
- Average Round-Trip Cost: $1,100 to $1,800.
- Cheapest Months: February and November.
- Peak Prices: December holidays and summer.
From Africa
- Average Round-Trip Cost: $600 to $1,200.
- Cheapest Months: February to March and September.
- Peak Prices: Summer and December holidays.
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You can find the best flight deals with Skyscanner or plan the whole vacation, including flights, transportation, hotels and tours with Expedia *
Airport Location
Visa
1. Visa Requirement
- Most travelers do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica for short stays, including citizens of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and many EU countries.
2. Visa-Free Entry
- Citizens of several countries can enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days.
3. Visa Application
- Travelers from countries that require a visa must apply at a Costa Rican embassy or consulate before traveling.
4. Types of Visa
- Commonly issued as tourist visas or business visas, typically valid for stays of up to 90 days.
5. Processing Time
- Visa processing can take from a few days to a few weeks, so it’s advisable to apply well in advance.
6. Duration of Stay
- Most visa-free visitors can stay for up to 90 days, while visa holders typically have the same duration.
7. Health Requirements
- No specific vaccinations are required for entry, but having travel insurance is recommended.
Important things to know
1. Payments
- The local currency is the Costa Rican Colón (CRC). Credit cards are widely accepted.
2. Tap Water
- Tap water is generally safe to drink in most urban areas.
3. Electricity
- The voltage is 120V, and plug types A and B (two flat pins) are used. No adapter is needed for devices from North America.
4. Tipping in Restaurants
- Tipping is customary, with 10-15% being standard for good service.
5. SIM Cards
- Local SIM cards are available from providers like Kolbi, Claro, and Movistar. They can be purchased at stores.
6. Driving Side
- In Costa Rica, people drive on the right side of the road.
Souveniers
1. Bags of Fresh Costa Rican Coffee
- Grown in the country’s high-altitude regions, Costa Rican coffee is known for its balanced acidity, fruity notes, and smooth taste.
2. Hand-Painted Oxcart Wheels (Carretas)
- These colorful wooden wheels are a symbol of Costa Rican heritage and make for stunning wall art or table decor.
3. Chorreador (Traditional Coffee Maker)
- A simple yet elegant wooden coffee brewer that allows for a slow-drip coffee experience, enhancing the flavors of Costa Rican beans.
Coffee
Location
Reviews
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