5 reasons to visit Costa Rica /

Wake up to the sound of singing birds and roaring monkeys in an ecolodge in the middle of a tropical rainforest? Then think about Costa Rica when planning your next vacation. One of the world’s most sustainable destinations, this Latin American gem is compact and travelable and has a wonderful tropical climate all year round. It is rich in mysterious cloud forest, bursting with active volcanoes and a staggering biodiversity. Add to that the inviting white beaches, turquoise waters and relaxed lifestyle and you have all the ingredients for a dream vacation. Pure Vida! Where the world can’t find you…

So here are our five reasons to visit Costa Rica:

1. Great road tripping

Everything is possible when you travel with a rental car. Costa Rica is a safe country that is ideal to explore by self drive. With a total area of ​​approximately 51,000 km², you can easily combine the highlights of your choice in a short time. On your own and at your pace!

Stops will introduce you to Costa Rican culture, a vibrant mix of indigenous heritage and Spanish colonial influences with touches of Jamaican, Chinese and other immigrant cultures. The locals are extremely cordial, relaxed and have Pura Vida! as their life motto, “the pure life”, which means living in the moment and enjoying.

2. Outdoor adventures

With its always pleasant temperatures and incomprehensibly green nature, Costa Rica is the perfect destination for outdoor adventures.

Walk in the fairytale cloud forest of Monteverde over suspension bridges up to 35 meters high and discover a new world in the canopy of forest giants. You can also zipline from platform to platform, mountain bike or kayak. Try “tubing” and soar through the canyon on the Rio Perdido in a large rubber tube.

The area around the Arenal Volcano is perfect for hiking through the jungle and along the foot of the volcano where you can walk on ancient solidified lava. Admire the many geysers and relax in the hot springs heated by thermal energy.

Manuel Antonio National Park – the smallest park in Costa Rica – is located on the ocean. Scuba diving, snorkeling, sea kayaking, mountain biking and fishing are some of the things you can do here. And of course there are beautiful walks where you can easily see toucans and macaws and curious capuchin monkeys and coatis.

Surfers can indulge themselves in the waters around Costa Rica. Tamarindo (or “Tamagringo”) beach is known for its iconic surfing waves and Pavones for its legendary ground swell with one of the longest left waves in the world.

3. The variation in flora and fauna

Due to the unique location between the North and South American continent, the variety of (micro)climates and the different types of landscapes, the diversity of flora and fauna of Costa Rica is extraordinary.

Tortuguero

Tortuguero National Park (Turtle Village) is located in northeastern Costa Rica on the Caribbean coast and is only accessible by plane or boat. The park has a huge biological spectrum that it owes to the presence of eleven habitats, including rainforest, green swamps, raffia palm forests and freshwater lagoons. You can see otters, caimans, sloths, spider monkeys, howler monkeys and capuchin monkeys, and bird species such as oropendulas, toucans and various waterfowl. The lagoons and channels also provide a haven for the manatee, which is regularly sighted.

The park was established to protect the nesting grounds of sea turtles, which bury their eggs on the beaches. The beaches of Tortuguero are the main breeding grounds for a trio of endangered sea turtles. These are the leatherback turtle, the green sea turtle and the hawksbill turtle. The female turtles find a spot on the beach and dig a round hole with their hind legs, the nest. They lay about a hundred eggs at a time. They cover the nest and then disappear back into the sea. The beaches may only be visited late at night with a qualified guide.

Monteverde

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is located in the beautiful mountain landscape of the Cordillera de Tillaranat at an altitude of 1,400 meters. A cloud forest is a specific type of rainforest that is regularly shrouded in fog. Monteverde Cloud Forest is known for its enormous biodiversity with 130 species of mammals, 500 species of birds, 120 amphibians and reptiles and more than 3,000 different plants. The vegetation of the cloud forest is characterized by ferns, bromeliads, mosses and orchids that cover the trunks and branches of the forest giants. In combination with the fog, this gives the forest a magical atmosphere. Included in the reserve is the Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, which has the largest number of orchids in the world and includes the famous quetzal bird that settles here during its migration.

Osa and Corcovado

The Osa Peninsula is located in southwestern Costa Rica on the Pacific Ocean. Half of all flora and fauna in Costa Rica can be found here. Bahia Drake is located on the north side of the peninsula. Until recently, the bay was only accessible by sea, which is one of the reasons why it is one of the last remaining lowland tropical rainforest areas on the coast. It has a phenomenal coastline with rocks and bays that stretch for miles.

Much of the peninsula is taken up by the 425-square-mile Corcovado National Park, also known as the Amazon of Costa Rica. Perhaps the most beautiful park in the country, with an incredible ecological diversity.

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4. Special accommodations

The accommodations you can choose from are without exception special and match the credo of the country: sustainable! Although you can hardly make a wrong choice, we do have a few tips. In the south, on the Osa Peninsula, you will experience the most extraordinary rainforest experiences at Lapa Rios Ecolodge, ranging from medicine tours to starfish walks.

Another ecolodge is El Silencio Lodge & Spa. This is only an hour and a half from San Jose, hidden between rugged mountains in the middle of tropical cloud forest. ‘Silencio’ means silence and that is exactly what you experience here. Peace and quiet, surrounded by the sounds of nature. Enjoy activities such as horseback riding, authentic cultural experiences, forest walks, yoga and healing treatments at the spa.

Choose Nayara Tented Camp for a unique wildlife experience overlooking the Arenal Volcano. Here you will experience unforgettable sleep-outs and excellent guides on site will also accompany you on exciting activities such as white water rafting, hikes to the volcano and jungle trekking over suspension bridges.

5. Remote beaches

Costa Rica – or “Rich Coast” – has a total coastline of about 1,300 kilometers, blessed with sandy beaches that merge into jungle.

Caribbean coast

On the Caribbean coast, south of Tortuguero, there are beautiful beaches surrounded by tropical forests such as Playa Cocles near Puerto Viejo. Here, a laid-back atmosphere and Caribbean lifestyle combine with long virgin beaches and exotic flora and fauna, and excellent snorkeling and diving among the reefs in the crystal clear waters. A visit to Cahuita National Park is also worthwhile here.

Pacific coast

At the top of the Pacific coast you will find Nicoya, a paradise peninsula where many beaches are unknown, almost deserted and only accessible by 4×4. North Tamarindo is one of those beautiful beaches in Marino Las Baulas National Park, created to protect the leatherback turtles (baulas) that come to nest on the beaches here. And descends to the southern part of the peninsula, as Playa Coyote, Carrillo and Playa Montezuma and Manzanillo are picture-perfect.

South of Nicoya lies the Manuel Antonio National Park. It consists of rainforest and four beaches; two dazzling crescent shaped beaches Manuel Antonio and Espadilla Sur and further Teldoro and Playita. In addition to countless water sports, you can spend your days here with your feet in the sand, watching for dolphins and passing whales.

An absolute must is Playa Cativo, a very remote spot in the lee of the Osa Peninsula and only accessible by speedboat from Golfito. It lies on a tropical ‘fjord’ which is populated in August and September by humpback whales with their young, dolphins and whale sharks.

Jozef Verbruggen is director and owner of Untamed Travelling. Untamed Traveling is a travel designer specializing in high-quality, customized travel experiences around the world.

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