Monteverde

A stunning, green realm where the clouds seem to get caught in the canopy of the giant trees, Costa Rica’s premiere cloud forest is truly a thing to behold. It’s the birding capital of Costa Rica (which makes it one of the birding capitals of the world), and it’s here that you might catch a glimpse of the rare and majestic Resplendent Quetzal. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the Santa Elena Reserve, and the Curi-Cancha Reserve (all closely nestled) offer some of the richest wildlife-spotting hiking in the country, and there are some killer coffee tours, too.

Where to stay nearby: For a Swiss-style chalet in the middle of the cloud forest, Hotel Belmar. For sustainable luxury with a private wildlife reserve, Hotel Belmar.

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Puerto Viejo & the South Caribbean Coast

A whole different side of Costa Rica from the more-visited west coast, both literally and figuratively. Here you’ll find a mélange of Afro-Caribbean, Bribri indigenous, and Latinx influences, and that really shows up in the mouth-watering food and the local music scene. Puerto Viejo is the central town, full of bars, restaurants, shops, but it’s close to everything from the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (a hotspot for nesting turtles), a sloth reserve, a Jaguar Rescue Center, and the absolutely pumping waves of the notorious Salsa Brava surf break.

Where to stay nearby: For individually curated Caribbean-Victorian beach bungalows: Hotel Aguas Claras. For a white-washed, design-focused property near the beach: Le Caméléon Boutique Hotel

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