Costa Rica is Central America's jewel. It's an oasis of calm among its turbulent neighbours and an ecotourism heaven, making it one of the best places to experience the tropics with minimal impact.
The bulk of Costa Rica's borders, sixty-five percent, is made up of coastline. Costa Rica has some of the world's most beautiful and idyllic beaches. Although the coast is not heavily populated, a variety of tourism projects provide access to a great deal of the nation's beach areas... Within Costa Rica, the longest distance you will ever have to travel to get to a beach is 75 miles. So in a way, the country is like a large tropical island.
Costa Rica's enlightened approach to conservation has ensured that lush jungles are home to playful monkeys, languid sloths, crocodiles, countless lizards, poison-dart frogs and a mind-boggling assortment of exotic birds, insects and butterflies. Meanwhile, endangered sea turtles nest on both coasts and cloud forests protect elusive birds and jungle cats.
Thrill seekers can fly through Costa Rica's forests on zip lines, peer into boiling volcanoes, surf oversized waves and dive with dolphins and whales – all in the course of a normal day. Then again, if you have some serious chilling to do, you can always lounge in a hammock and enjoy the pure life, or pura vida – a national expression that sums up the desire to live the best, most hassle-free existence.
In Costa Rica, the tourist season is Christmas through Easter, which corresponds to the dry season. You can almost depend on clear, sunny weather, but there are occasional unseasoned storms from the north, which can last for several days. The rainy season usually takes a while to get started in May, and often diminishes for a couple of weeks in July. The rains dwindle in November.
When you look at a map of Costa Rica it is difficult to imagine the many vacation opportunities this small country has to offer, such as world class Costa Rica surfing, fishing, white water rafting, scuba diving, canopy tours, rain forests, national parks, car rentals, and volcano tours.
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