Cycling holidays in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a mountainous country so come expecting a few climbs. These are moderately-graded trip if you’re sticking to Costa Rica, but if you’re crossing over into Nicaragua and Panama too, expect a moderate-to-hard itinerary, as you’ll be cycling for longer overall. Most of our holidays have rides that are between 20 and 60km of cycling a day, averaging around 40km a day, with a few days off the bike to sight-see. Costa Rica is all about being in nature, and cycling will involve frequent fresh fruit and drink breaks at roadside stands, and also frequent ‘what is that bird I’ve spotted?’ breaks, too.

No matter how easy a cycling trip is, being in a saddle for multiple days at a time might get uncomfortable if you’re not used to it, so you’ll get the most out of this trip if you’ve been out on your own bike a few times at home.

Whilst fitness is important, being comfortable with heat and humidity is vital too. Our holidays are fully supported so you never have to worry about carrying enough water.

Our Costa Rica cycling holidays are all small group tours with up to a maximum of 16 participants. They are fully supported by a local guide and a support van. Not only are they there to offer essential repairs and snacks, but you can ride in the van if you don’t fancy a particular hill. Cycling in a small group is great fun, but you don’t have to worry about keeping up with the group; these are exploratory cycles, not marathons, and the guide will adapt the ride to the pace of the group. Small group tours are great for exploring a large area – you can hop in the van for a quick transfer down the Pan-American Highway, and travel more widely in Central America, too.

Our cycling in Costa Rica is point to point cycling, often with a few transfers along the way so that you’re exploring the best of the country. This means whizzing through banana plantations, with glimpses of the dazzling Caribbean Sea between the leaves, or finding yourself overshadowed by volcanoes along the scenic Orosi Valley. And one of the big draws of cycling here is that you can explore both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts within a few days of each other and dip your feet in both, so point to point is the way to go.

These are road cycling trips and over 90 percent of your cycling will be on surfaced roads, though these will vary in quality. Our cycling holidays use mountain bikes so that you can tackle all surfaces with confidence. Whilst the way is tarmacked, the terrain can be hilly. Our holidays are designed to ease you into the hills, with introductory rides on the first few days, and riding getting more challenging as you ease into the trip. And there’s always the support van if you need a break.

Weather is as much a factor as terrain. Costa Rica can be wet, and in dry season it gets very hot. Prepare to be cycling early in the day to avoid heat in dry season and common afternoon rainfall in rainy season. Even when you’re off the bike, most of the sightseeing is outdoors – think nature walks, village visits, and boat trips – so pack accordingly.

E bikes are available for a supplement on most of our cycling holidays, but are issued on a first come first served basis on some of our trips. We’re also excited about our selection of e bike only departures in Costa Rica. There’s no better way to showcase the progressive face of ecotourism in a country that’s renowned for its environmental credentials, than seeing its sights by e bike – rather than using motorised transport. And they’re useful on the hills, too!