Underrated vs. Overhyped: Costa Rica Edition

Costa Rica is expensive. Of the Central American countries, it ranks highest in this category.

But rightfully so. There is so much to see and do in a country that no larger than West Virginia.

Of the countries I have visited, it is one of the most tourist friendly and tourist centric. Ideally you don't want to just experience and support only tourist-oriented activities and tours, but it is tough to avoid them. And most of them are 'touristy' for a reason.

From rain forest excursions to canyoneering and waterfall-climbing, there are a lot of tourist-centered activities vying for your attention-so much so, it can get confusing where to start and what will live up to the hype versus what won't.

So, if you are planning to explore Costa Rica here is a list of the 'tourist centric' activities I saw and did and whether I consider them overhyped or underrated. Maybe you'll have heard of a few through YouTube or TikTok.

Also, I won't leave you hanging, if I found that something to be...overhyped, I'll offer a substitute option.

1) La Fortuna Waterfall

Likely the most famous waterfall in Costa Rica. It blew up on social media due it's turquoise waters and picturesque backdrop.

Located right on the border of Arenal Volcano National Park, this is a separate site that is managed by a local nonprofit (Integral Development Association of La Fortuna).

It costs $20 USD to enter the nature preserve and it's a short walk down to the falls from the preserve's entrance that includes 500 paved steps and bright green rails.

There is no denying these are beautiful falls, with their aquamarine waters and staggering 75 meters drop (246 ft) from the top.

However, HOT TAKE, I would say this an overrated site.

For 2 primary reasons. One, the day we went they said we could not get in the water pool at the base of the falls. We weren't told this until after we had purchased the tickets. I had read on multiple blog posts and reddit threads that the time of year we would go there the water level would be low enough for us to swim in the pool. To some this might not be such a disappointment, but I had my heart set on swimming in the La Fortuna falls. Secondly, we arrived at these falls at 7am to avoid crowds but even so, there were quite a few people around, including armed guards patrolling so no one would get in the pool or explore the waters further down the river.

For $20, it didn't seem like it matched the cost. We came, we saw, we left.

I am glad the $20 goes towards continuing to preserve this natural beauty but I find it a bit costly for a 45-minute roundtrip adventure that is centered around taking a single photo. Basically, the definition of a tourist trap.

Instead- I would suggest two other waterfalls that are just as stunning and slightly cheaper. And less likely to already be crowded by tourists early in the morning. Rio Celeste Falls (Near La Fortuna) and it cost $12, tickets ought to be purchased online. Nauyaca Waterfalls, if you are going to explore of the southern regions of Costa Rica. These falls cost as low as $10 and offer textured levels of volcanic rock.

I think what primarily made this an overrated activity was the actual experience versus my expectations. I think if you are set on seeing them and are looking for a short walk and pretty photo then this would be a good option, but if you were looking to swim in turquoise waters consider Rio Celeste or La Leona.

2) El Salto - Rope Swing

Located only 8 minutes (by car) from La Fortuna Water, this FREE and FUN activity is what I had hoped La Fortuna Waterfall would be!

In the base of a small waterfall (with bluish green water as well) is a swimming hole. You can swing into on a rope attached to a nearby, large tree.

It is just off the side of a road, beneath a bridge and despite the lack of a price tag attached to it, you do have to be wary the 'Car Mafia'.

Who are the 'Car Mafia'?

I am glad you asked.

If I weren't deep diving into multiple Reddit threads I would've missed this important insight.

The 'Car Mafia' is a term used when referring to individuals who dress up in neon vests and demand money to 'allow' you to park on the side of the road.

They use various tactics: guiding you into a parking spot and then demanding money or else they'll ticket you (they don't have the authority or means to ticket you), telling you they'll 'protect' your car from thieves and vandals for a price, or if neither of those tactics work, threatening to break into or harm your car.

We even watched them threaten an American family, and getting nearly a $100 USD from them to 'watch' their car.

Best ways to avoid this harassment? Get to your location early! The Car Mafia usually shows up after 9am and goes home before 6pm. Ignore them! Or pretend you don't understand Spanish. They may hassle you a bit, but they'll get over it.

Both of these rebuttals worked for us!

This advice goes for any free activities (including the Tabacon Hot Springs - Free Version)

El Salto is a must go. It is completely underrated, and I don't see it often on Costa Rican itineraries. But you should add it to your schedule as it is a great way to cool off, have fun and meet other travelers from around the world. We hung out on the rocks below and jumped over and over with people from Canada, France, Bulgaria and Spain.

3) Arenal Volcano Hike

I genuinely think that had I done more research on this it would've been a better experience. It wasn't bad. It simply could've been better and more thought out. Therefore, it was neither overhyped nor underrated.

There are many trails around Arenal Volcano. Picking on it hard, especially with how some Costa Rican Preserves and Parks operate. Sometimes you pay just an entry fee, other times you pay per trail. It was confusing trying to research it.

Currently there are NO open trails on Arenal Volcano. There are trails at its base and it the surrounding parks.

So here is what you need to know before you pick which park and trail to do:

Arenal Volcano National Park is NOT the same as Arenal Volcano 1968 Park.

Picking the park that has the most things you want to do is wisest instead of picking the things you want to do and then paying for each thing (like we did).

Most of the trails are on the west side of the Volcano, so if you stay in La Fortuna (as most travelers and tourists do) you will be driving a decent way to get around the volcano to access the trailheads.

The cost difference of the two parks is $15 per person for Arenal Volcano National Park and $25 per person for the Arenal Volcano 1968 park-different from American National Parks which sometimes only charge per car. Both parks and their trails are self-guided.

Arenal Volcano 1968 offers 2 trails whereas Arenal Volcano National Park offers 7 trails.

We chose Arenal National Park because it offers more trails (lots of lava fields- which boast old lava flows and thick jungles. There we saw lots of wildlife (as pictured) like a coati (also called Coatis and Pizotes) that resembles a raccoon and monkey hybrid and eats plants, as well as the Blue Magpie Jay- which are huge, bright and curious.

Both of these cute and colorful animals were very familiar with tourists feeding them, so much so they tried climbing into our car when we were leaving the park, including trying to fly into our car window! Yikes!

DO NOT FEED THEM!

They are lovely to see up close and how lucky we got to do that. But feeding them just adds to the problem.

Though the hikes we did (4 & 5) were cool because we were in a jungle. It was a bit tiring because we chose to do them in the middle of the afternoon. I would opt, in the future, to do them early in the morning, when it is still cool.

There was not a specific look out place that gave us a great vantage point to photograph or stare at the Volcano head on, but the creatures made it fun!

4) Mistico Hanging Bridges Park

This reminded me of a theme park but instead of rollercoasters there are hanging bridges. That is to say, it was very commercialized but the view of Arenal was the best yet and the swinging bridges were fun though we couldn't stop on them to bask int he vast jungle environment.

The park is privately owned and offers several types of tours through their park. Some curated to help visitors spot wildlife such as birds, lizards, insects, and sloths in the overhanging canopy of trees, others to guide tourists through nighttime trail-walking.

When we went, we opted for a self-lead tour, costing about $43 USD per person.

It was pretty, though busy and often we had to stop and wait for those ahead to make it across the bridges.

I think if I were to go back, I would double check the weather that week and purchase tickets accordingly, because--similar to La Fortuna--50% of the trail was washed out from rain and we weren't able to see half of the park.

So, yes most of it was lovely, though tourist-centric, and it's a great way to see the vast cloud forest from high above, but if you are looking for something more rugged and authentic with less commercial aspects, I would suggest hiring a private guide for one of the trails in Monteverde. This place was mostly overrated, for me.

5) La Leona 'Canyoneering'

A sort of last-minute adventure to split up a long drive from La Fortuna to the west coast. It was the second most expensive activity and geared towards tourists. At first, I wasn't sure about it, nor was I sure exactly what it would entail as reviews were vague, and I didn't know if we were simply going for a hike or scaling rock walls with harnesses and helmets.

But we arrived at the meet up location and were taken to a pickup, loaded into the bed and driven to the hike trailhead with just a life-vest on.

Our tour guide, Alejandro, was impeccable! He spoke both Spanish and pretty decent English. He was engaging, funny and very conversational. Honestly, he made the tour!

Though the tour was classified as a canyoneering tour it was mostly a hike, just through rivers with the help of rope.

We 'cliff-jumped', got brief history lessons, explored a couple caves and then swam a lot. Due to the recent rain the waters were pretty high but that didn't stop us.

It was beautiful and fun and fully engaging! Costing $35 per person it was absolutely worth the 2.5 hours of fun and shenanigans.

This side quest was totally worth it! Not only did it cut down our drive time, but it was also a great experience. I would say that it receives that right amount of hype, though I don't see a lot of content about La Leona (translated this means The Lioness)- I am not why it got this name, but I suppose it does take some courage to jump into the river's strong currents.

If you decide to go, there are a variety of tour company options, but I suggest ''La Leona Waterfall Costa Rica Adventure Hike". What a mouthful! It's sometimes tough to find this exact company as there are a bunch and their names are all very similar. But to access their website, just click the button!

Click Me

They were excellent and shout out to Alejandro, again as he made the tour 10x better!

6) West Coast Beaches

I've slowly been turned into a beach person from my travels. I still would feel split between "Mountains" or "Beaches" question on those 'What type of person are you' quizzes-but I lean more toward the beach option than I used to.

I used to think beaches were stifling hot, the sand gets everywhere, and I don't like wading out into murky waters with lots of debris.

But the beaches in Costa Rica are different, I would say that even if you are not a beach person, go to a Cost Rican beach, they are underrated. All the beaches I visited were made from volcanic rock, and you can continue to find a more private area as you explore the black shores.

In fact, we would start on beach and then trek across the above-pictured rocks, stepping over tide pools to find more secluded areas that were shaded.

Not only that, but the beaches we visited were teeming with wildlife! For some this might be a deterrent but for me this was the reason I lugged my snorkel gear with me.

I even met up with a local and her brother and his girlfriend to swim in the water. They were talking about seeing rays and I was determined to see something.

We swam out, the four of us, over 400 meters out, surveying the thousands of burgundy sea urchins, neon needle fish (that I made eye contact with for a few seconds), tons of pufferfish that varied from palm size to the length of arm, tiny, florescent indigo fish I still haven't found the name for.

It was beautiful. There was so much life down there.

And then we saw something that was both epic and scary.

Two, black-tipped sharks that were feeding.

Yep, and that's when we headed back to the shore. Though black-tipped sharks are typically not aggressive, we hadn't seen them until we were right upon them and it's wise to keep your distance from any animal feeding, as they get territorial.

Anyway, I am so thankful for them letting me join as I wouldn't have swam that far out by myself and wouldn't have seen all the sea creatures.

Even if you are not a beach person (not everyone in our group was) the Costa Rican shoreline offers a little something for everyone. For those who don't like to be out in the sun there is often lots of foliage for shade. Tide pools in the volcanic rocks for those who like to wander off and explore. Coral and shells to collect on the sand. And of course, lots of wildlife to snorkel with.

We visited several beaches, Playa del Coco, Playa Misterio and Playa Penca. Of them Playa Misterio was my favorite, but Playa Penca is a good one, too, especially to access all the smaller, more secluded beaches.

7) Rio Chollin Hot Springs

There are loads of spas and resorts in Costa Rica. Especially in the tourist town of La Fortuna. As a primarily volcanic country hot springs pop up everywhere and why not monetize off of that?

It can be tough to find hot springs that are not located in the walls of a resort, but they do exist and are used mutually by tourists and locals.

With that being said, be very aware of any trash or food items you bring with you to this spot as it is imperative to be respectful and clean. Maintaining free locations in a place that continues to have to conserve its nature and charge for that is what keeps these places free and accessible.

These free hot springs are similar to El Salto. You will park on the side of the road, want to go at a time that avoids the Car Mafia and you will hike down a little path off the side of the road to access the river below.

The hot springs are located in the running river and can be identified by the circle of black rocks constructed by locals.

You may even see melted candles on these rocks as some people come at night to enjoy the starry sky.

To find this location we followed a Google Maps pin. However, it is just as easy to locate the Tabacon Hot Springs resort (with google maps). The Spa-resort should be on your right side when you are facing the Rio Chollin Hot Springs path (which is off to the left side of the road). Find a place to park on the side of the road (remember, beware of the Car Mafia) and take the path down, through a green fence and some forest.

You'll come to the bank of Rio Chollin and see all the volcanic rock circles! You've made it.

I loved these hots springs! They were fun to just rest in, letting the river push against you as you lay on the rocks is such a hypnotic experience.

But also, don't just stay in one place, explore downstream where there are lots of boulders to climb around on!

Thank you, Reddit! These were totally underrated.

That's all I have. There is so much else I didn't even mention or get the chance to explore.

But if you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, cutting down on costs and paying for things that actually measure up to their hype is important!

Ultimately the choice is yours.

Costa Rica boasts some of the most beautiful and lush views I have had the privilege of seeing. So, no matter which you choose to see or skip, you will still experience the allure of one of Central, Latin America's most biodiverse countries.

Their commitment to environmental conservation itself should be reason enough to visit!