One of the great things about traveling in Costa Rica is its compact size, enabling visitors to explore varied terrains in relatively short amounts of time. Costa Rica is known for its diverse ecosystems, including cloud and rainforests, rich farmlands, cool mountains and coastal lowlands.

A diversity of soaring mountains, dormant and active volcanoes, black and white sand beaches, rushing rivers and powerful waterfalls grace Costa Rica’s 19,653 square miles, an area smaller than West Virginia. From north-to-south and east-to-west, Costa Rica never measures longer or wider than 200 miles. Though situated just 10° north of the equator, Costa Rica is much more than a hot and sunny tropical paradise.

Verdant mountains and misty cloud forests contrast with more than 800 miles of Caribbean and Pacific shoreline, creating a country with four main geographical areas: the Tropical Lowlands (Caribbean and Pacific coasts), the Northern Central Plains, the Central Valley and the Northwest Peninsula.

With modern infrastructure and an excellent public transportation system, the entire country is at your doorstep. Costa Rica’s main roads and highways are in decent condition, though all are susceptible to landslides and sudden flooding in the rainy season months of May-November. For more details, see our maps of driving routes to popular destinations.