Water - A great tourist attraction of Costa Rica

Without rain and water, Costa Rica wouldn’t be as green and beautiful as it is, and the biodiversity levels would not be as high. Water is vital for the country, so now we want to show you some facts that indicate its importance.   

With coasts on both sides, the Pacific Coast and the Caribbean Coast, rainforests, and many rivers and waterfalls, Costa Rica offers a lot of touristic activities. Let's take a look at some of them:

Rainforests

Costa Rica has dense rainforests that cover a big part of the country and make it a wonderful place for biodiversity, exotic jungles, landscapes, and natural and permanent sources of water. Costa Rica's rainforests are characterized by having plenty of pristine rivers and springs everywhere, as well as breathtaking waterfalls. In some waterfalls, you can even go for a swim.

They can be categorized in cloud forest, tropical rainforest and tropical dry forest. Cloud forests cover volcanoes and higher mountains throughout the whole country and will make you fall in love with their exotic vegetation and mysterious environment. Tropical rainforests, which are the most common in the country, can be found in the Northern lowlands, on the Caribbean side and in the Southwest of the country. The tropical dry forests are found on the North Pacific coast and even though they receive much less rain, they provide an amazing ecosystem with a variety of flora and fauna, just as the tropical rainforests and cloud forests. As a very important source of water in the country, rainforests are extremely important as they help against Earth's climate change and reduce the greenhouse effect.

Rivers

Many rivers cross Costa Rica and also offer space for watersport activities. The Pacuare River is one of the most famous rafting spots in Costa Rica. This River is level 3-4, so an unforgettable adrenaline experience is guaranteed.

Costa Rica counts with just two seasons, the rainy and the dry season. While the dry season leaves the rivers and lakes with just a little water, the rainy season fills the rivers up very quickly. After heavy rainfalls, swimming in rivers or activities like white water rafting should be avoided.

Tortuguero Canals:

Tortuguero is an ecological paradise! Some call this place the “Costa Rican Amazonas” and most of the tours or activities can just be made by boat. While riding a boat through the canals of Tortuguero, you can see many animals like caimans, turtles and plenty of birds. For beach lovers, Tortuguero also offers its beach on the eastern side, ideal for turtle nesting, walks on the beach or just relaxing and sunbathing.

Energy

98.1% of Costa Rica's energy is supplied by renewable sources. Hydroelectric sources are the largest source of energy. Besides this, the two most important dams in the country are a great tourist attraction:

Cachí Dam

Built in 1970 and located in Cartago province, it was the first hydroelectric project in Costa Rica. It is supplied by the Reventazón River, which is also used for white water rafting tours. Cachí Dam provides energy to a large part of the Central Valley's population and also controls floods and recreational facilities in Lake Cachí.

If you visit Cartago, definitely admire this dam, it is a must-see stop!   

Lake Arenal:

Located close to the Arenal Volcano, it is the biggest Lake in Costa Rica, even though today's current size is not its original size. In 1973 the governmental energy institution ICE started to build a dam on the Arenal River, 5 years later the lake was enlarged to almost three times its size. Today, the dam construction is used as a bridge and still shows the construction. This place is quite windy, so it is a great place for producing energy. Wind power wheels can be found on the southwest of the lake. At a time, it was possible to gain that much energy, that some of it had been exported to Nicaragua and Honduras, now, due to the high demand for energy consumption in the country, Arenal Lake produces almost 12% of the country's electric power.

Because of the wind, Lake Arenal is also a known destination for windsurfing.

Around the Arenal volcano are many thermal baths, which are heated naturally by the volcano. Besides public pools, there are many hotels with their own thermal baths, where you can relax in the warm water.

Oceans

Besides waterfalls, rivers and lakes, Costa Rica counts with two coasts, the Caribbean coast on the east side and the Pacific coast on the west side of the country. The underwater world, which you can explore during snorkelling, is just as impressive as the land's wildlife. In October it is also possible to watch whales at the Pacific coast and dolphins can be seen year-round. Turtles like the Leatherback Turtle, the biggest one in the world, arrive at both coasts all around the year.

The Pacific coast also offers great surfing spots, the most popular ones are in Jacó, Tamarindo, Montezuma and Nosara.

Marine National Parks

According to an updated list from the government of Costa Rica, the country has 145 Protected Zones including National Parks, as well as Biological, Natural and Forest Reserves, Wildlife Refuges and National Monuments. These 145 protected zones represent more than 25% of the country's protected areas, 20% are protected by National Parks, and 12% include marine protected areas.

The first marine national park in Central America and Costa Rica is Bahía Ballena Marina National Park, located in Uvita, on the Pacific Coast. With an area of 5,160 marine hectares, it protects the marine resources of the country. There is also Santa Rosa National Park and Las Baulas National Park, located on the Pacific coast, Manuel Antonio National Park in the Central Pacific Coast, Corcovado National Park, Piedras Blancas National Park located in South Pacific Cost, Isla del Coco National Park and Tortuguero National Park, all of which are breathtaking marine treasures.

Water is a very important resource, not only for this country but for all living creatures in the world, but undoubtedly in Costa Rica, it represents a great ally for adrenaline activities like rafting, relaxing in the thermal baths in La Fortuna, surfing, snorkelling, watching turtles, dolphins and whales in the ocean, or swimming at the waterfalls. Costa Rica offers many activities for everyone of any age.

We have many programs where water is the protagonist. Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.and we will design a custom-made program according to your needs.