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This article proposes to analyse the threefold circulation at the origin of heritage production in Costa Rica. First, Costa Rica natural heritage was shaped through circulating representations of nature. The role of travellers exploring the Americas in the nineteenth century, including many naturalists, was key to making Costa Rica an object of tropical nature. A second circulation is illustrated in the modern construction of Costa Rica natural heritage. The structure of the national conservation system draws from the circulation of concepts, methods and experiences, mainly from the United States. Finally, national and international tourist mobility symbolically confirms the status of heritage. Revisiting this circulation allows us to grasp the different power relations that structure heritage-making.