 |
|
|
Costa Rica's enlightened and progressive stance towards sustainability have put it at the forefront of global ecotourism, and considering the wonderful biodiversity and beautiful natural habitats which are to be found here, it is clear that it has much worth carefully preserving. Most visited of all of the nations of Central America, travellers and holiday-makers come here to experience its spectacular collection of indigenous plant and animal species within a number of internationally-known national parks such as the Parque Nacional Corcovado, its Atlantic and Pacific coastlines with some of the best beaches in the world, and its awesome geology, with its precarious location at the heart of one of the most active volcanic regions on earth. It is home to 42 active and 60 dormant or extinct volcanoes, many of them now associated with national parks which offer the visitor amazing educational tours as well as accommodation. For volcano watchers, Arenal offers all of the special effects, with belching fire, rolling smoke boulders and menacing explosive cracks, accompanied by appalling fumes of chlorine and sulphur. Poas and Irazu also have their moments, but are perhaps not quite so dramatic.
Costa Rica is a great country for touring, with a range of experiences on offer from simply thrill-seeking rides to pseudo-naturalist tours through the treetops of the rainforests. With its rugged terrain, rising to peaks of 12,000 feet within a breadth of only 70 miles between the two oceans, it offers superb whitewater rafting, and glorious bird watching within the dense tropical rainforests, the canals of Tortuguero, the wetlands of Cano Negro and the mangroves of the Damas estuary. Lake Arenal is the perfect spot for windsurfing and great trekking tours will take you through cloud forests, by hot springs, canyons and waterfalls. To see the way in which man has cultivated this rich volcanic soil, you can tour a coffee farm and learn of the processing of one of Costa Rica's most important crops. If all of this sounds too strenuous, you are in the ideal spot to simply relax in the sun, enjoying the watersports on offer at many of the beaches such as the lovely Manuel Antonio beach, Playas Tamarindo and Jaco or Playas Montezuma and Santa Teresa on the Nicoya peninsula, or even witnessing sea turtle nesting at the Tortuguero National Park.
 |
|
Tropical beach in Costa Rica
|
The perfect place to set up base camp may well be the capital, San Jose. Considered to be among the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America, it has great museums, bars, restaurants, shopping malls and lively night life. Within the bustling downtown area, you will discover the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, the Jade Museum and the Bolivar National Zoo. It is located in the centre of the country, surrounded by sublime and pristine cloud forests. North of here, the more relaxed town of Alajuela has as its main attraction, the most spectacular volcano in Costa Rica, Arenal. A trip to the Cartago region will give you an insight into the pre-Columbian and colonial past of the country, with ruins and monuments reminding visitors of the turbulent and often violent past during the era of colonization. Near here, you can visit Central America's highest peak, Cerro Chirripo or the fuming Irazu Volcano, within the Parque Nacional Chirripo. More excellent hiking facilities are available at the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano Area, near the North Pacific coast, and the gorgeous resorts of Tamarindo, Golfo de Papagayo, Playas del Coco and the Isla Santa Catalina. Inland, the city of Heredia has a wide range of accommodation choices and very good facilities on offer for tourists and travellers. South of San Jose, the city of Puerto Limon, capital of the lush, humid Limon province on the Caribbean coast, has some fascinating Afro-Caribbean cultural sights as well as being the focal point for amazing carnival celebrations.
|
|
|
Costa Rica's enlightened and progressive stance towards sustainability have put it at the forefront of global ecotourism, and considering the wonderful biodiversity and beautiful natural habitats which are to be found here, it is clear that it has much worth carefully preserving. Most visited of all of the nations of Central America, travellers and holiday-makers come here to experience its spectacular collection of indigenous plant and animal species within a number of internationally-known national parks such as the Parque Nacional Corcovado, its Atlantic and Pacific coastlines with some of the best beaches in the world, and its awesome geology, with its precarious location at the heart of one of the most active volcanic regions on earth. It is home to 42 active and 60 dormant or extinct volcanoes, many of them now associated with national parks which offer the visitor amazing educational tours as well as accommodation. For volcano watchers, Arenal offers all of the special effects, with belching fire, rolling smoke boulders and menacing explosive cracks, accompanied by appalling fumes of chlorine and sulphur. Poas and Irazu also have their moments, but are perhaps not quite so dramatic.
Costa Rica is a great country for touring, with a range of experiences on offer from simply thrill-seeking rides to pseudo-naturalist tours through the treetops of the rainforests. With its rugged terrain, rising to peaks of 12,000 feet within a breadth of only 70 miles between the two oceans, it offers superb whitewater rafting, and glorious bird watching within the dense tropical rainforests, the canals of Tortuguero, the wetlands of Cano Negro and the mangroves of the Damas estuary. Lake Arenal is the perfect spot for windsurfing and great trekking tours will take you through cloud forests, by hot springs, canyons and waterfalls. To see the way in which man has cultivated this rich volcanic soil, you can tour a coffee farm and learn of the processing of one of Costa Rica's most important crops. If all of this sounds too strenuous, you are in the ideal spot to simply relax in the sun, enjoying the watersports on offer at many of the beaches such as the lovely Manuel Antonio beach, Playas Tamarindo and Jaco or Playas Montezuma and Santa Teresa on the Nicoya peninsula, or even witnessing sea turtle nesting at the Tortuguero National Park.
|
|
Tropical beach in Costa Rica
|
The perfect place to set up base camp may well be the capital, San Jose. Considered to be among the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America, it has great museums, bars, restaurants, shopping malls and lively night life. Within the bustling downtown area, you will discover the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, the Jade Museum and the Bolivar National Zoo. It is located in the centre of the country, surrounded by sublime and pristine cloud forests. North of here, the more relaxed town of Alajuela has as its main attraction, the most spectacular volcano in Costa Rica, Arenal. A trip to the Cartago region will give you an insight into the pre-Columbian and colonial past of the country, with ruins and monuments reminding visitors of the turbulent and often violent past during the era of colonization. Near here, you can visit Central America's highest peak, Cerro Chirripo or the fuming Irazu Volcano, within the Parque Nacional Chirripo. More excellent hiking facilities are available at the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano Area, near the North Pacific coast, and the gorgeous resorts of Tamarindo, Golfo de Papagayo, Playas del Coco and the Isla Santa Catalina. Inland, the city of Heredia has a wide range of accommodation choices and very good facilities on offer for tourists and travellers. South of San Jose, the city of Puerto Limon, capital of the lush, humid Limon province on the Caribbean coast, has some fascinating Afro-Caribbean cultural sights as well as being the focal point for amazing carnival celebrations.