What you need to know about- Costa Rica
More than one million tourists visit Costa Rica each year. What
draws so many people to this lightly advertised destination?
Natural beauty and diversity are the answers. Costa Rica covers
only 0.03% of the surface of the planet but it has about 6% of
the world's biodiversity.
Visitors encounter seas, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, mountains,
and an abundance of flora and fauna. Twelve major life zones
provide habitat for over 10,000 kinds of flowering plants, 850
bird species, 3,000 butterfly species, and 209 species of
mammals. Volcanoes, rainforests, cloud forests, lowland jungles,
the Pacific coastline, and tranquil Caribbean beaches stretch
across seven provinces. Thirty percent of the land is protected
by national and private reserves, which harbor more than five
percent of the world's plant and animal species.
Costa Rica is Central America's jewel. It's an oasis of calm
among its turbulent neighbors and an ecotourism heaven, making
it one of the best places to experience the tropics with minimal
impact.
Costa Rica boasts 20 national parks, 8 biological reserves, and
a wealth of other protected areas to enchant those who marvel at
the wonders of nature. It draws ecotourists from around the
globe. Activities include horse-back riding, hiking mountainous
paths in the cloud forests, guided bird-watching tours,
volcanoes, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, canopy tours, golf
and much more.
Ticos, as the people of Costa Rica are known, are famous for
being hospitable, and are quite happy to live up to their
reputation. They seem to be well aware that their country is a
special place, and they go out of their way to accommodate their
visitors, explaining things that might seem foreign to a
foreigner, and helping make their stay as enjoyable as possible.
Northwest Costa Rica, the Guanacaste province is for the active
soul, drawing visitors with its beaches, rivers, waterfalls and
natural attractions. Forming the eastern border is a group of
volcanoes that form the Cordillera de Guanacaste and Cordillera
de Tilar