Wandering Well · Country

Costa Rica.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

Playas del Coco, Costa Rica
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Playas del Coco

Carrillo · Costa Rica

This beach town on Costa Rica's North Pacific coast in Guanacaste province, Playas del Coco is the largest community on the Gulf of Papagayo and one of the c…

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Palmares, Costa Rica
Gold

Palmares

Costa Rica

The Las Fiestas Populares de Palmares, held each January, draw around a million visitors over two weeks, making this pocket-sized canton in Costa Rica's Alaj…

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Sámara, Costa Rica
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Sámara

Nicoya · Costa Rica

This little beach town on Costa Rica's North Pacific coast, Sámara draws a café and restaurant scene unusually dense for a village its size, alongside direct…

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San Isidro de El General, Costa Rica
Gold

San Isidro de El General

Pérez Zeledón · Costa Rica

The largest city in Costa Rica's Brunca region, San Isidro de El General sits in the southern part of San José province with a walkable centre well supplied…

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San José, Costa Rica
Bronze
Big-city explorations

San José

San José · Costa Rica

Founded in 1736, San José is Costa Rica's capital and its main hub for culture, dining, and national institutions, with a dense café and restaurant scene and…

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Cartago, Costa Rica
Gold

Cartago

Cartago · Costa Rica

Founded in 1563 as Costa Rica's first capital — a role it held until 1824 — Cartago is a walkable town in the Cartago Province with a concentration of histor…

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Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Puntarenas

Puntarenas · Costa Rica

This Pacific port city on a narrow spit of land facing the Nicoya Peninsula, Puntarenas has a walkable centre with a good spread of cafés and restaurants alo…

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Playa Grande, Costa Rica
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Playa Grande

Santa Cruz · Costa Rica

Leatherback turtles nest on this Pacific coast beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, from October to March, drawing visitors to one of the species' major nesting…

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Bribri, Costa Rica
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Bribri

Talamanca · Costa Rica

A little jungle-fringed town in Costa Rica's Talamanca canton, Bribri serves as a low-key base for exploring the surrounding rainforest uplands and the indig…

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Tortuguero, Costa Rica
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Tortuguero

Pococí · Costa Rica

Reachable only by boat or plane, Tortuguero sits on a sandbar between the Caribbean Sea and the Tortuguero River on Costa Rica's northern Caribbean coast.

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Zarcero, Costa Rica
Bronze

Zarcero

Zarcero · Costa Rica

A cool highland town in Costa Rica's Alajuela province, Zarcero centers on a striking twin-towered stone church fronted by a lively public square with elabor…

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Atenas, Costa Rica
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Atenas

Costa Rica

A little Costa Rican highland town in Alajuela province, Atenas centers on a white-towered church with a red-tile roof set among tropical palms, with a café…

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Arenal, Costa Rica
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Arenal

Costa Rica

Nuevo Arenal sits on the north shore of Lake Arenal, an artificial reservoir created in 1979 when the original village of Arenal was submerged — the town its…

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Uvita, Costa Rica
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Uvita

Osa · Costa Rica

This small coastal town in southern Costa Rica's Osa region, Uvita sits at the edge of Marino Ballena National Park, home to Playa Uvita's distinctive Whale'…

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Montezuma, Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Montezuma, Costa Rica

Puntarenas · Costa Rica

Little beach village on the southern tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula with a café and restaurant scene well beyond its size, Montezuma draws visitors to…

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Los Chiles, Costa Rica
Bronze

Los Chiles

Costa Rica

This small town on Costa Rica's northern border with Nicaragua, Los Chiles is the gateway to Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, the fourth-largest wetland in the co…

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Heredia, Costa Rica
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Heredia

Heredia · Costa Rica

This walkable Costa Rican city with a dense food-and-drink scene and a concentration of historic churches in its centre, Heredia is the provincial capital of…

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Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Talamanca · Costa Rica

Salsa Brava, Costa Rica's most powerful surf wave, draws surfers to this Caribbean coastal town in Limón Province — though Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is worth…

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Orotina, Costa Rica
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Orotina

Costa Rica

Lively tiny Costa Rican town where a shaded central plaza buzzes with local life, tall palms and tropical trees lining streets that sit within easy reach of…

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Dominical, Costa Rica
Silver
Mountain villages

Dominical

Osa · Costa Rica

A little beach town on Costa Rica's South Pacific coast, Dominical is known for large, consistent surf that draws wave-riders year-round.

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Limón, Costa Rica
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Limón

Limón · Costa Rica

Costa Rica's main Caribbean port since the 19th century, Puerto Limón sits on the Caribbean coast with a compact centre of cafés, restaurants, and historic c…

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Alajuela, Costa Rica
Silver

Alajuela

Alajuela · Costa Rica

Birthplace of Juan Santamaría, Costa Rica's national hero, this Central Valley city sits close to San José with a walkable centre dense with historic churche…

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Liberia, Costa Rica
Silver

Liberia

Liberia · Costa Rica

Known as "la ciudad blanca" — the white city — for the whitewashed colonial houses and white gravel roads that once defined its streets, Liberia is the large…

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Parrita, Costa Rica
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Parrita

Costa Rica

A tiny Pacific-coast town in Costa Rica's Central Pacific region, Parrita sits on the water with mountains visible inland.

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Gold
Hiking & national-park bases

Turrialba

Costa Rica

This Costa Rican town with a compact centre of cafés and restaurants, Turrialba sits close to upland country and waterways, making it a practical base for ex…

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Gold

Daniel Flores

Costa Rica

This pocket-sized Costa Rican town sitting directly on the water with upland country close by, Daniel Flores offers an accessible base for exploring a wider…

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Silver
Hiking & national-park bases

Buenos Aires

Costa Rica

This compact Costa Rican town sitting right at the water's edge, Buenos Aires offers easy access to upland country and serves as a practical base for explori…

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Silver

Finca Sonador

Buenos Aires · Costa Rica

Rural property in Costa Rica's Buenos Aires region, sitting right at the water's edge with upland country close by and several UNESCO-listed sites within rea…

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Silver
Inland waterside towns

Sarapiqui

Costa Rica

A riverside town in Costa Rica's lowlands, where the water's edge meets easy access to nearby upland terrain, making it a practical base for nature-focused t…

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Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Puntarenas · Costa Rica

A surf-town on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, Santa Teresa draws independent travellers with a lively café and restaurant scene well above its size, warm water…

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Bronze

Upala

Costa Rica

This pocket-sized Costa Rican town set beside the water with hilly surrounds, Upala offers a low-key base for travelers drawn to the country's northern lowla…

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