Costa Rica has 30 national parks. SINAC runs them. The visit is usually a morning.
The busiest parks sell tickets online only, through SICORE (serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr). Book before you drive. At some parks only certain sectors are sold that way. Corcovado is arranged through ACOSA, and you go in with a guide.
Go at opening. Most parks open at 7:00 or 8:00 and close between 15:00 and 16:00.
Fees differ for foreigners and for residents. SINAC's posted fees usually include 13% IVA. 24 August is free for everyone. The third Wednesday of each month is free for nationals and residents.
If you are choosing a first park, read which parks are worth it. Then pick the region and sleep in a town near the gate. Most parks are a morning, not a day.
Tickets:SICORE online-only for 12 parks (at some parks only certain sectors). Corcovado is through ACOSA, with a mandatory guide.
Typical fee:US$16.95 for foreign adults at Poás, Irazú, Arenal, Tortuguero, Corcovado and Rincón de la Vieja; US$18.08 at Manuel Antonio; US$20.34 at Chirripó. IVA included, as of Oct 2026.
Hours:Most parks open at 7:00 or 8:00 and close between 15:00 and 16:00. Manuel Antonio and Santa Rosa close on Tuesdays, and Rincón de la Vieja's Las Pailas sector closes on Mondays.
Free days:24 August is free for everyone, and the third Wednesday of each month is free for nationals and residents.
Map of the national parks
The busiest parks sell tickets online only, through SICORE (serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr), so book before you drive. SICORE is online-only for 12 parks, and at some parks only certain sectors use it. Corcovado is booked through ACOSA, and the guide is mandatory.
Fees differ for foreigners and for residents. SINAC's posted fees usually include 13% IVA. A foreign adult pays US$16.95 at Poás, Irazú, Arenal, Tortuguero, Corcovado and Rincón de la Vieja, US$18.08 at Manuel Antonio, and US$20.34 at Chirripó. IVA is included, as of Oct 2026. 24 August is free for everyone. The third Wednesday of each month is free for nationals and residents.
Manuel Antonio is the short Pacific park, with a beach inside the gate, and you book it online. Poás is a morning slot above Alajuela, and you look from the rail. Read which parks are worth it before you pick.
No. Most parks open at 7:00 or 8:00 and close between 15:00 and 16:00. Manuel Antonio and Santa Rosa close on Tuesdays. Las Pailas, at Rincón de la Vieja, closes on Mondays. Miravalles is not set up for visitors yet. Juan Castro Blanco is limited, so call before you drive. Guanacaste is limited, and you arrange it with Santa Rosa first.
You need a guide in Corcovado. That is the rule there, not a rule for every park. Las Baulas is a night visit with a guide, from October to February. Barra Honda is a morning descent on a rope with a guide. Barbilla is a guided river hike. San Lucas is a guided walk through the cells.
Central Valley Parks
Most of these parks are a morning from San José. Volcano lookouts sit above the valley, and cloud forest covers the mountains on the way out. Arenal is the longer drive north, still on this rail. Sleep in the valley and start early.
The 'water park' above Ciudad Quesada: cloud forest and river sources. Call before you drive.
Pacific Coast Parks
These parks run down the Pacific, from coastal rainforest to beaches inside the gate. The drive from San José gets longer as you go south, toward the Osa. The same rail holds the high trail at Chirripó, which is a different kind of day.
The old prison island off Puntarenas. A boat, a guided walk through the cells, and back.
North Pacific Parks
North Pacific parks are the Guanacaste set: dry forest, volcanoes, and wetlands. Plan them from Liberia rather than San José. A morning here is often a blue river or a crater, and the coast parks are nesting beaches and dry headlands.
The newest volcano park, north of Bagaces. Not set up for visitors yet; the hot springs nearby are private.
Caribbean Parks
Caribbean parks are the canals and the reef, reached from Limón rather than a valley morning. Tortuguero is boats through the waterways. Cahuita is the reef and the coastal forest beside the town. Barbilla is the quieter forest inland.
