1Arenal
Costa Rica's best known volcano, with hot springs at its base and rainforest trails across old lava flows.
3 nightsBest: December to April
Costa Rica's Northern Zone
Arenal Volcano, the Monteverde cloud forest, the turquoise Río Celeste and the lowland rainforest of Sarapiquí, with wetlands for birders near the Nicaraguan border.
- Destinations
- 5
- Each with its own page
- Hotels we book
- 67
- 3-star and above
- Fly into
- SJO or LIR
- To Arenal: Liberia about 3 h, San José 3 to 3.5 h
- Best weather
- Dec to Apr
- Dry season
- Pairs with
- Manuel Antonio
- Private transfer from Arenal, about 5 hours
Why go
Volcano, cloud forest and the wild north
Most trips to Costa Rica pass through the Northern Zone. Arenal is the country's best known volcano, with hot springs at its base and rainforest trails across old lava flows, and Monteverde is a small mountain town wrapped in cloud forest, with three reserves, hanging bridges and night walks. The two are linked by taxi, boat and taxi across Lake Arenal, about 3.5 hours. Río Celeste is a river of brilliant turquoise water in Tenorio Volcano National Park, about 1.5 hours from Arenal. Sarapiquí is lowland rainforest on the Caribbean slope, about two hours from San José, and Bajos del Toro is a misty valley beside Poás Volcano, where the Catarata del Toro drops nearly 300 feet into an old volcanic crater. North of Arenal the country opens into rice, sugarcane and cattle pasture, and then, close to the Nicaraguan border, into wetlands: the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge protects 25,100 acres with more than 307 bird species, and at Boca Tapada a lodge sits inside the Maquenque refuge on the San Carlos River.
ArenalVolcano views and hot springs
MonteverdeCloud forest and hanging bridges
Caño NegroOver 307 bird species
Destinations in the Northern Zone
The places our clients stay most come first. Each has its own page.
2Monteverde
A small mountain town wrapped in cloud forest, with three reserves, hanging bridges and night walks.
2 nightsBest: January to May
3Río Celeste
A river of brilliant turquoise water in Tenorio Volcano National Park, ending in a waterfall, about 1.5 hours from Liberia airport.
2 nightsBest: December to April
4Sarapiquí
Lowland rainforest on the Caribbean slope, about two hours from San José, with a river for rafting, a research station you can stay at and one of the last homes of the great green macaw.
2 nightsBest: December to April
5Bajos del Toro
A misty valley in the mountains beside Poás Volcano, where the Catarata del Toro drops nearly 300 feet into an old volcanic crater.
Best: December to April
The map
![Map of Northern Zone in Costa Rica with its 5 destinations numbered and the 66 hotels we book]()
Where the Northern Zone is, and what is in it
Each number is a destination with its own page; the small dots are the 66 hotels we book here.
✈ SJOArenalMonteverdeRío CelesteSarapiquíBajos del Toro
- Destination page
- Hotel we book
- Airport
- The region (approximate)
Quieter places we also book
- Caño NegroA lodge inside the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, with boat tours through the wetlands and birding from the garden.1 hotel we book
- Boca TapadaTree houses and bungalows on the San Carlos River, inside the Maquenque refuge, with canoes on the lodge's own lagoons.1 hotel we book
Hotels we know personally
3-star and above only, chosen by our team in Costa Rica.
Maquenque Eco Lodge
Jungle bungalows and tree houses on a 60-acre private reserve 15 minutes from the Nicaraguan border, with trails, a pool and a free guided nature walk every sunrise. Most of what the kitchen serves is grown on the land.
3-starView hotel
Caño Negro Natural Lodge
42 rooms beside the Caño Negro Lagoon and the Río Frío, with a pool and the lodge's own boat, birding and canoe tours into the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge.
3-starView hotel
What our clients book most in the Northern Zone
Ranked from the trips we planned in the last 12 months.
- 01River safari float on the Peñas BlancasPrivate or shared, 4 hours
- 02Místico Hanging Bridges walkPrivate or shared, 2 ½ hours
- 03Night walk in the cloud forestPrivate or shared, 2 hours
- 04Sloth walk in the rainforestPrivate or shared, 3 hours
- 05Selvatura hanging bridges and slothsShared, 2.5 hours
- 06Rafting the Balsa River, class II and IIIShared, 5 to 6 hours
When to go
Driest December to April
December to April is the dry season across the Northern Zone. At Caño Negro, December to March is best for birds: the river shrinks into lagoons and thousands of birds gather around them, storks, roseate spoonbills, ibis and ducks. The rest of the year the wetlands are fuller, and the wildlife stays varied in every season.
Dry seasonGreen seasonSemana Santa, 21 to 28 March 2027: plan early
Best months, destination by destination
| Destination | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arenal | best | best | best | best | best | |||||||
| Monteverde | best | best | best | best | best | |||||||
| Río Celeste | best | best | best | best | best | |||||||
| Sarapiquí | best | best | best | best | best | |||||||
| Bajos del Toro | best | best | best | best | best | |||||||
| Caño Negro | best | best | best | best | ||||||||
| Boca Tapada | best | best | best | best |
About 3 hours from either airport
From San José (SJO)3 to 3.5 hoursPrivate transfer to Arenal
From Liberia (LIR)about 3 hoursPrivate transfer to Arenal
On to Caño Negro or Boca Tapadaabout 2 hoursPrivate transfer from Arenal
More to see in the Northern Zone
Where to go next
Where our clients go after the Northern Zone
Good to know
Northern Zone questions we answer every week
Where should I stay in the Northern Zone?
Arenal for the volcano and the hot springs, and Monteverde for the cloud forest; most of our clients do both. Río Celeste, Sarapiquí and Bajos del Toro are quieter nights along the way, and for birders we book Caño Negro Natural Lodge, inside the refuge, and Maquenque Eco Lodge at Boca Tapada.
How do I get from Arenal to Monteverde?
By taxi, boat and taxi across Lake Arenal, about 3.5 hours.
How do I get to Caño Negro and Boca Tapada?
Both are about 2 hours by road from Arenal. For Caño Negro, Liberia is the closer airport, about half the 4 hours it takes from San José. At Boca Tapada the last stretch to Maquenque Eco Lodge is a short boat crossing of the San Carlos River, which we arrange with your private driver.
When is the best time for birding in Caño Negro?
December to March, the dry season, when the river shrinks into lagoons and thousands of birds gather around them.
What wildlife will I see?
Caimans, crocodiles, iguanas, howler and spider monkeys and, in Caño Negro, storks, roseate spoonbills and ibis. Keep your hands inside the boat: there are plenty of crocodiles. On a night walk at Maquenque you look for frogs, nocturnal birds and caimans in the lodge's gardens and forest.
Your Costa Rica, planned by people who live here
Tell us what you love. A Costa Rica Specialist builds a custom itinerary around it, with private transfers, hotels we know and our team on call 24/7 while you travel.
Since 2004 in Costa RicaOver 25,000 clients1,200+ five-star reviewsICT licensed, Declaratoria Turística