Costa Rica is arguably the world's reference point for eco-tourism, and the most reliable way to find a genuinely sustainable hotel there is to look for the national Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) — a government-run, independently audited standard administered by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). Unlike vague "eco-resort" marketing, CST is a Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)-Recognized scheme with two verifiable tiers, Basic and Elite. This guide explains how CST works, which regions concentrate the best eco-lodges, and the practical checks that separate real sustainability from greenwashing before you book.
By the IMPT Hotels editorial team · Updated 2026-05-29
Costa Rica's eco-tourism reputation is rooted in measurable national commitments, not just marketing. The country covers roughly 0.03% of the planet's landmass yet is home to an estimated 5-6% of the world's known species, making it one of the most biodiverse nations on Earth. That density is why protecting habitat is also good economics for the tourism sector.
Conservation is built into national policy. Around 27% of the country's land has protected status as national parks, wildlife refuges and reserves, managed under the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC). On energy, Costa Rica's electric grid ran on 98.6% renewable sources in 2025 — predominantly hydropower, geothermal and wind — which means a hotel plugged into the national grid already starts from a low-carbon baseline.
For travellers this matters: a stay in Costa Rica can credibly support habitat protection, but only if the property itself manages water, waste, energy and local employment responsibly. That is exactly what the CST scheme is designed to measure and verify.
The Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) is a national standard built around a definition of tourism sustainability the ICT first articulated in 1997. It is administered by the ICT through a Technical Verification Commission that includes representatives from academia, private enterprise, government and international organisations — so certification decisions are not made by the hotels themselves.
CST evaluates businesses across four areas: business management; social, economic and cultural impact; environmental impact; and a set of activity-specific indicators. Hotels answer an extensive questionnaire and submit supporting documentation, after which an auditor reviews the evidence on the ground. Crucially, the standard is not limited to hotels — it can certify lodging, tour operators, tourist transport, theme parks, car rental, gastronomy, hot springs and spas, protected areas, and institutions.
CST is also a GSTC-Recognized Standard, meaning the GSTC — the body that sets the global baseline criteria for sustainable tourism — has reviewed it and confirmed its requirements are equivalent to the international GSTC Criteria. That external validation is what gives CST credibility beyond Costa Rica's borders.
Since the scheme's modernisation, CST uses two levels rather than the old leaf-rating system, and knowing the difference helps you read a hotel's certification honestly.
A Basic-level property has met 100% of the criteria the standard defines as mandatory in each relevant scope. This is a genuine threshold — it confirms a hotel has the core environmental, social and operational practices in place, not just good intentions.
An Elite-level property goes considerably further. On top of all Basic requirements, it must satisfy 30% of the standard's 'Improvement and Continuity' criteria and 70% of its 'External Impact' criteria — the measures that reward ongoing investment and positive influence beyond the property's own fence line. If you want the most rigorously sustainable stay, Elite is the tier to seek out.
Costa Rica rolled out a revamped version of CST in 2025 designed to be simpler, more inclusive and more closely aligned with international standards, reportedly cutting the certification process by roughly half to encourage more small operators to participate.
Costa Rica's eco-lodges cluster around its most biodiverse landscapes, and each region offers a different style of sustainable stay. Rather than chasing a single 'best' hotel, it helps to match the region to the wildlife and experience you want.
The Osa Peninsula and adjacent Corcovado National Park are the headline destination for serious naturalists. National Geographic has described Corcovado as 'the most biologically intense place on Earth,' and the remoteness of the peninsula has produced a generation of off-grid lodges running on solar and hydro power. Monteverde, with its misty cloud forest and famous canopy suspension bridges, is prime habitat for the resplendent quetzal and supports a long-established community of conservation-minded properties.
On the Caribbean side, Tortuguero National Park is reachable only by boat — an access constraint that has helped preserve its canals and critical sea-turtle nesting beaches, with lodges built around low-impact water travel. Inland, the Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna area pairs rainforest with naturally geothermal hot springs, where the better hotels harness that geothermal heat rather than burning fuel. Wherever you go, the strongest signal of a credible eco-lodge is a current CST listing for that specific property.
Terms like 'eco', 'green' and 'sustainable' are unregulated marketing words, so treat them as a starting point, not proof. The single most useful check in Costa Rica is to confirm the property holds a current CST certification and at what level, ideally cross-referenced against the ICT's official records rather than the hotel's own website.
Look for specifics over slogans. A genuinely sustainable hotel can usually tell you how it sources energy (grid renewable, on-site solar or hydro), how it treats wastewater, how it reduces single-use plastics, and how many staff it hires locally. Membership of a GSTC-Recognized scheme such as CST is a strong shortcut because it means an external auditor has already verified those claims against an internationally benchmarked standard.
Be wary of certifications that are self-awarded, undated, or issued by bodies with no public criteria. If a property advertises an award or rating, check that it comes from a named, traceable source you can look up independently — that is the difference between verifiable sustainability and a sticker on a website.
For the booking itself, platforms like IMPT Hotels (impthotels.com) let you reserve at the same price as booking direct while channelling a portion of each booking into climate projects certified to standards such as the Verra Verified Carbon Standard and the Gold Standard — a way to pair a CST-certified stay with verified offsets for the travel that gets you there.
Same price as booking direct — and a share of your booking funds verified climate projects (Verra VCS & Gold Standard).
Find carbon-neutral hotels →CST stands for the Certification for Sustainable Tourism, a national standard administered by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). It independently audits hotels and other tourism businesses across four areas — business management; social, economic and cultural impact; environmental impact; and activity-specific indicators. It is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), meaning it meets internationally benchmarked criteria.
A Basic-level property meets 100% of the standard's mandatory criteria. An Elite-level property meets all Basic requirements plus 30% of the 'Improvement and Continuity' criteria and 70% of the 'External Impact' criteria. Elite indicates a deeper, ongoing commitment that extends beyond the property's own operations.
By several measures, yes. Costa Rica protects about 27% of its land area through national parks and reserves, holds an estimated 5-6% of the world's species on just 0.03% of the planet's landmass, and its electricity grid ran on 98.6% renewable energy in 2025 — mainly hydropower, geothermal and wind.
Confirm it holds a current CST certification and check the level. Ask for concrete details on energy sourcing, wastewater treatment, plastic reduction and local employment. Prefer GSTC-Recognized schemes such as CST, and treat undated or self-issued 'green' awards with caution — verifiable claims come from named, independent bodies you can look up.
The Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park lead for rainforest biodiversity, Monteverde for cloud forest and birdwatching, Tortuguero for boat-access canals and turtle nesting beaches, and the Arenal/La Fortuna area for rainforest paired with geothermal hot springs. In every region, look for properties with a current CST listing.