Costa Rica launches interactive map of natural and cultural heritage - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Costa Rica has launched a free interactive map bringing together geographic, cultural, historical and scientific information about the country in a single digital platform. “Discover Costa Rica” is available in Spanish and English and is designed for international and domestic travellers as well as students, teachers, researchers, media and the wider public.

The platform was developed by the country brand essential COSTA RICA in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, the University of Costa Rica’s Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR-UCR) and the university’s School of Geography. Academic and scientific input from the two university institutions underpins the information presented on the map.

For tourism, the platform provides a new way of exploring Costa Rica before or during a trip. Users can navigate through layers covering national parks, volcanoes, waterfalls, islands, protected areas and ecosystems alongside cultural sites, biodiversity and historical information. Particular attention is given to the country’s maritime territory, which accounts for 92% of Costa Rica’s total territory.

Exploring beyond the usual attractions

Rather than functioning simply as a map of tourist sights, “Discover Costa Rica” connects individual locations with information about their natural, cultural and scientific context. Its interactive structure allows users to move between different thematic layers and explore the country according to their particular interests.

Historical information is incorporated alongside destination content. Among the facts highlighted by the platform is San José’s early adoption of electric public lighting: the Costa Rican capital became the third city in the world and the first in Latin America to introduce it. The map also addresses milestones in environmental protection, including Costa Rica’s position among the first countries to prohibit sport hunting.

“Discover Costa Rica is part of essential COSTA RICA's efforts to educate people about what makes our country unique,” said Adriana Acosta, Director of the country brand. She described the platform as an interactive means of learning about the country’s diversity, culture and history while strengthening awareness of Costa Rican identity.

The ocean takes centre stage

The involvement of CIMAR-UCR gives Costa Rica’s marine environment an unusually prominent role. Information on marine biodiversity is based on scientific research, while images and explanatory material are intended to encourage users to explore ecosystems that are less immediately visible than the country’s forests, volcanoes and terrestrial wildlife.

“This platform provides information about marine biodiversity grounded in scientific evidence,” said Dr. Eddy Gómez Ramírez, Director of CIMAR-UCR. “Its images spark the curiosity of those who visit the site and invite them to learn more about the marine environment and the organisms that inhabit it.”

The emphasis reflects the scale of Costa Rica’s maritime territory and broadens the familiar international image of the destination. While national parks, rainforests and terrestrial biodiversity remain central to the country’s tourism identity, the platform gives greater visibility to its islands, coastal ecosystems and marine resources.

“Discover Costa Rica” complements “Costa Rica Blue”, another digital initiative developed by essential COSTA RICA to increase awareness of the ocean and its importance. Together, the projects use digital tools to present the destination through a combination of tourism information, education and scientific knowledge.

For international travellers, the bilingual interactive map can therefore serve as more than an inspiration tool. By bringing natural attractions, cultural heritage and scientifically supported information together geographically, it offers a way to explore lesser-known aspects of Costa Rica and place individual destinations within the wider environmental and cultural landscape of the country.

Image Credit: © AI generated illustration with material courtesy of Discover Costa Rica