Wildlife in Costa Rica

Costa Rica may be a small country, but it is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. Home to around 5% of the world’s biodiversity, it boasts more than 500,000 species living across rainforests, cloud forests, mountains, wetlands, rivers and two spectacular coastlines. Whether you’re exploring by boat through jungle canals, hiking beneath towering volcanoes or relaxing on a tropical beach, wildlife is never far away.

Visitors can encounter playful howler, capuchin and spider monkeys, sleepy two and three-toed sloths, colourful scarlet macaws, toucans, hummingbirds and the magnificent Resplendent Quetzal. The country’s forests are also home to elusive mammals including jaguars, pumas, tapirs and ocelots, while rivers and wetlands shelter crocodiles, caimans and river turtles.

Costa Rica is equally famous for its reptiles and amphibians. Tiny red-eyed tree frogs, poison dart frogs, iguanas and countless species of snakes thrive in the country’s tropical habitats. Along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, visitors can witness one of nature’s greatest spectacles as sea turtles come ashore to nest, particularly in Tortuguero National Park and Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean coast and Ostional Wildlife Refuge on the Pacific.

The country’s national parks each offer something unique. Tortuguero is renowned for its rainforest canals, turtles and abundant birdlife, Manuel Antonio combines beaches with monkeys and sloths, Monteverde Cloud Forest is a paradise for birdwatchers, while the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park provide some of the best opportunities in Central America to spot rare and elusive wildlife.

Whether you’re an avid wildlife photographer, a keen birdwatcher or simply love being surrounded by nature, Costa Rica offers unforgettable encounters at every turn. It’s a destination where every journey reveals something new—from colourful butterflies and tiny frogs to soaring toucans and the iconic sloth hanging peacefully in the rainforest canopy.