Costa Rica Travel Guide

Costa Rica OVERVIEW

Arenal Volcano, Barbilla, Barra Honda, Braulio Carrillo, Cahuita, Carara, Chirripó, Cocos Island, Corcovado, Diria, Guanacaste, Irazú Volcano, Juan Castro Blanco, La Amistad, La Cangreja, Las Baulas, Manuel Antonio, Palo Verde, Piedras Blancas, Poás Volcano, Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, Santa Rosa, Tapantí, Tenorio Volcano, Tortuguero, Turrialba Volcano. So goes the list of Costa Rica's nature parks in alphabetical order and any attempt to arrange them according to merit is simply in vain. After all, can we really prioritize between the smoldering cones, captivating crater lakes, tranquil coves, jungle nooks teeming with multicolored wildlife, nesting turtles, pungent orchids, torrential rapids, and rambling waterfalls? Pretty much for a country three times smaller than Florida, isn't it?

As if that alone didn't make the visit to Costa Rica worth it, the country's privileged location in the Central American isthmus, between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, boils down to the blessings of a favorable climate, beaming alegría de la vida ('joy of life'), and divine scenery that cannot be justly captured through the lens of a camera. Whether you hike the Monteverde Cloud Forest, surf the billowing breakers of Dominical, raft the merciless rapids of Pacuare River, wolf down a pork chop at a soda (a small budget restaurant) in San Pedro, or savor the exuberant culture of San José, there'll always be something to fix your eye on and someone to shoot the breeze with.

Of course Costa Rica has its sore points, from corruption in the public sector to petty crime and xenophobia against Nicaraguan immigrants, but a tourist endowed with common sense should have no fear. A lot of sun and fun is what can be taken for granted, and so are numerous lodging options to choose from. Stay luxuriously in a lavish resort and be served with an international flair or rent a beach front teak house if you want to make it basic. Costa Rica simply has it all.