The Most Incredible Things to Do Near Guanacaste Costa Rica
During my last trip to Costa Rica, I managed to tick off quite a few items on my list of things to do near Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
I will admit there are so many activities and places to see outside of the Guanacaste province, such as Monteverde Cloud Forest and Arenal Volcano. However, these places are quite a far drive and my family preferred to stay a little more locally in the province.
After I got back from 2 weeks in Costa Rica, I was still suffering from the holiday blues for a long time. Seriously, spend a few weeks in Costa Rica and it will inspire you for a very long time.
The country is so rich in wildlife, wonderful scenery, and the Costa Ricans (Ticos) live up to their reputation of being extremely happy. What’s more, Costa Rica is a great place to practice Spanish because the locals are so encouraging for you to speak to them in their native tongue.
Pura Vida is the local saying in the country; it is their response to many questions or situations and translates to pure life. To Ticos it is their way of life and a part of their culture.
Before I dive into the activities I enjoyed while on my holiday, I will explain some contextual details of my trip. This will help you understand the country better, particularly if it is your first time to Costa Rica.
Weather
I travelled to Costa Rica in July. Going to Costa Rica in July is always a little risky because it is their rain season. While I was there, I didn’t experience a time where it rained all-day ruining the activities I had planned. Instead it rained in the morning and turned sunny in the afternoon, or the other way around.
On the plus side, I also had days about 50% of my time where it did not rain at all. I had lovely warm days, but there were rarely times when it got too hot luckily.
How to get to Guanacaste Costa Rica
I stayed at the Dreams Las Mareas hotel in El Jobo. It is in the north of Costa Rica, right near Nicaragua. I would definitely recommend this hotel because of its beautiful surroundings, large selection of all-inclusive restaurants, on-going entertainment and welcoming staff. The hotel was also within a few hours of many excursion destinations.
The beach at the hotel was quite small. So, if good beaches are a high criterion for you, you may want to consider staying further down the pacific coast, such as Playa Tamarindo or Sámara.
Dreams Las Mareas was a fantastic family hotel. But, for a more upscale experience, consider hotels such as the Four Seasons, Andaz and the Westin.
To get to Guanacaste you can fly to the Liberia airport.
The flight time to Liberia from the UK is around 10 hours. It is also possible to fly to San Jose airport, but the drive may be longer depending on what hotel you choose.
For flights from North America, check out United Vacations.
The time difference in the UK is 6-7 hours; Costa Rica does not put their clocks forward or back, so it depends on the time of the year. Furthermore, the length of the day stays virtually the same all year round; the sun usually rises at around 5-6am and sets at around 5-6pm.
I felt very safe in Costa Rica, so I rented a car from the hotel once I had arrived. I did not have any safety concerns whenever I left the hotel property.
I recommend arranging an airport transfer to get from the airport, so you can relax and enjoy the scenery. The transfer will take around 1 hour 45 minutes.
If you want to explore outside of the hotel outside of arranged tours, you can rent a car for pick-up from Dreams Las Mareas using Expedia from National or Enterprise.
Activities to do near to Guanacaste
There are so many outdoor activities you can do in Costa Rica, they range from cultural tours, to adventurous activities, to exploring the nature. So, I made it my mission to do as many as I could in order to get a good idea of the country. Of course, all while having a balance of relaxing days by the pool and on the beach.
Here are some things to do near Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica hotel.
Day trip to Nicaragua from Guanacaste
I know I just said that I intended to stay within Guanacaste during my trip to Costa Rica. But when I realised how close Nicaragua was to my hotel, I wanted to include it in my itinerary.
The hotel I stayed at (Dreams Las Mareas) is located in very far north of Costa Rica. Therefore, taking a day trip to Nicaragua was a logical decision given how close I was. From the hotel to the furthest point of the excursion, was just over 3 hours. However, that does not include the time to pass through immigration at the border crossing.
I would probably not attempt this trip on your own without a guide and driver. Firstly, the drive is too far on your own, unless you had several people who could share the driving.
Secondly, it helps to have a guide who knows how to navigate the border. You can take this tour as a private excursion or as a shared activity.
The day was full of activities and sightseeing. It included a visit to a crater lake, Masaya Volcano, a boat ride on Lake Nicaragua and lunch in Grenada town. Interestingly, Lake Nicaragua is the only lake in the world to have sharks.
I made it back in time for dinner at the hotel, but it was a long day. We started the day at around 5:00 am.
Buena Vista Eco Adventure Park
After a trip of this kind, I decided I ready to take on something a little more daring. This was in the form of an adventure park in the tropical rainforest called Buena Vista.
I started the day with a “coffee tour” (it was more just an explanation of how the coffee process works), and an interactive clay pot making demonstration. I would probably skip this part of the day next time.
The real excitement started when I went on the extreme slide. You were given a rubber tube to wear around your waist, and some leather underwear to wear on top (for those wearing bikinis, not shorts). You then have to walk barefoot through the rainforest to the top of the slide, which is 420 metres long.
When you arrive, climb into the slide wearing your rubber tube and wait for the operator to lift the trap that releases the water and sends you hurtling down the slide. Top tip: don’t let him know if you’re scared, he will try to scare you even more!
The next activity I faced was the zip lines. It rained while I did this, but luckily it did not stop play. I chose to do the regular tour, rather than the extreme. It is completely do-able for the fearful, but it has enough adrenaline to satisfy the brave.
The final part of my day was a visit to the hot springs, the part I was most excited about. You have two choices of how to get deeper into the forest to arrive at the thermal waters. The first is to go on a horse; the second is on a tractor.
Unfortunately for me, because it was raining, I was not allowed to go horse riding because the paths were too slippery. It didn’t matter to me; I wanted to go on the tractor ride anyway. While on the tractor ride the driver will point out any monkeys or other animals they see.
At the hot springs there are changing rooms and bathrooms so you can change into your swimwear.
The first part of the hot springs is the sauna. Spend as little or as long as you want, and then move onto the mud bath. It was called a mud bath, but it was more like two large bowls filled with mud. Cover yourself from head to toe in mud and then go wash it off to the fresh (cold) showers.
Finally, it is time to get into the springs, make sure you start in the hottest pool, and then work your way through the pools as they gradually get colder.
Overall, it was a very fun day out and I would certainly recommend the Adventure Park Day Pass. For this activity, I rented a car and drove to Buena Vista. You can also book a tour including the transportation.
Nature and wildlife in Guanacaste
You can’t go to Costa Rica and not see a sloth, so to ensure I did, I went on a Sloth adventure excursion. This trip combined Llanos del Cortes waterfall and a trip to the Finca Verde Lodge to see the wildlife.
When you arrive at the waterfall site, they ask for a donation towards the local school because they are the ones who maintain the area. You then have to climb down some steps to get to the actual waterfall. (Not suitable for those with problems with stairs).
The waterfall is extremely refreshing to swim in, and you can climb up behind it and jump in again. But be very careful of the slippery rocks.
Next we got back on the bus to drive a further 45 minutes to the Finca Verde Lodge. Here you will have a 2-hour private tour of an organic farm with one of their English-speaking guides.
I’ve probably never been as scared as I was when they first took me through the trail because I was told there could be spiders and snakes. That being said I’ve never felt braver than when I managed to make it the whole way through.
I saw some magnificent animals such as a toucan, hummingbirds, red-eyed tree frogs, butterflies and many sloths. There was an opportunity to go into the snake garden and hold a snake, but I respectfully declined that offer.
I finished the day eating traditional Costa Rican lunch at a nearby lake.
I learned some interesting facts about some of the animals during this excursion.
The first is that red-eyed tree frogs have extremely clever camouflage when they are sleeping; they look exactly like a leaf! As soon as they wake up, their red eyes pop out and their legs untuck, and you can see the rest of their colours.
Another fact that shocked me was that Morpho butterflies (brown on the outside and blue on the inside) change colour depending on the angle of their wings. When you hold one of these butterflies to the sky, the inside is no longer blue; it is just the reflection from the light.
Lastly, sloths were such a big part of our trip so I was eager to find out some facts about them. The fact that I will always remember is that when a Sloth needs to poop it will climb down the tree (very slowly of course) and dig a hole in the floor and cover it up after it is done. Plus, they only do this once a week!
Knowing that Costa Rica is full to the brim of all kinds of fauna gave me equal amounts of fear and excitement because I am afraid of many insects and creatures! However, I also knew that it would be the perfect opportunity to conquer some of these fears.
After a few days of walking past huge iguanas, racoons and monkeys on a regular occurrence, I immediately felt braver!
During my trip I did not see any snakes in the wild, nor did I see a tarantula – which may ease a few people’s worries. That being said, if you wanted to see creepy crawlies you probably would be able to find them in the right places and with a local guide.
Fishing
By far my favourite activity we did while in Costa Rica was fishing! There was a boat that you can organise in the hotel and they pick you up from our beach. You pay $500 for the whole boat, the fishermen and some refreshments, and you can fill it up with your family/friends for 5 hours.
I’ve only ever been fishing once in Florida and I caught one small fish. During this trip, between 5 of us, we caught 7 big fish! We caught Roosterfish and in Costa Rica these are “catch and release” fish only, so as soon as you take your photograph, they are straight back in the water.
I enjoyed this trip so much I went again a few days later. This time I was not as lucky and only caught 3 Roosterfish between 6 people. However, one of us also accidentally caught 1 pipefish, and 2 types of Pufferfish!
Definitely don’t forget to wear and bring sun cream on the boat because I got very burnt even though I was wearing lots of it. If you have a long sleeve shirt, you could also wear that.
There are many more things to do near Guanacaste Costa Rica, but I have included those that I had personal experience with. For example, you may want to experience a Sunset Sailing and Snorkeling Tour in Playa Tamarindo.
Further reading to Things to Do Near Guanacaste Costa Rica
If you are looking for another article to read on adventurous holidays, consider reading my article on backcountry camping in Canada. You may also want to learn about a typical day on safari in Kenya.
You may also be interested in my article on a weekend in Key West.
