Kola Nut Travel - Costa Rica

For years, Costa Rica was the well-kept secret of a few biologists and backpackers, but that's all changed. The secret is out. Today Costa Rica is the hottest destination in Latin America. But despite the boom in vacationers, Costa Rica remains a place rich in natural wonders and biodiversity, far from the maddening crowds. Here you can still find unspoiled beaches that stretch for miles, small lodgings that haven't attracted hordes of tourists, jungle rivers for rafting and kayaking, and spectacular cloud and rainforests with opportunities for bird-watching and hiking.

In a relatively small area, Costa Rica has everything one could want in a vacation paradise. There are secluded beaches with great surf and amazing scuba diving, plus active volcanoes and towering rain forests.

With more than 26% of the land protected as national parks, eco-tourism is a specialty of the house. Costa Rica's enlightened approach to conservation has ensured that lush jungles are home to playful monkeys, languid sloths, crocodiles, countless lizards, exotic frogs and a mind-boggling assortment of tropical birds, insects and butterflies. Meanwhile, endangered sea turtles nest on both coasts and cloud forests protect elusive birds and jungle cats.

Some of the principal mountain ranges are volcanic, and visitors can easily access many of these areas. In the province of Cartago, not far from the capital of San José, you will find Irazú volcano that erupted in the early sixties. Located in the province of Alajuela, Poás volcano has one of the largest active craters in the world. And in the northwestern region, Arenal volcano treats visitors to a constant stream of hot lava rocks tumbling down its slopes.

With more than 750 miles of shoreline on its Pacific and Caribbean coasts, Costa Rica offers beachgoers an embarrassment of riches. Below Puerto Viejo the beaches of Costa Rica's eastern coast take on true Caribbean splendor, with turquoise waters, coral reefs, and palm-lined stretches of nearly deserted white-sand beach. Punta Uva and Manzanillo are the two most sparkling gems of this coastline. You'll find some of the nicest and least developed beaches along the Pacific Guanacaste coast. Playa Carrillo is a long, nearly deserted crescent of palm-backed white sand located just south of Sámara, while Playa Barrigona and Playa Buena Vista are just two of the more isolated “Shangri-las”.

Packed with office towers, shopping malls and fast-food restaurants, men chattering on mobile phones and girls in low-rise jeans, the capitol San José is more cosmopolitan than other Central American capitols. It may not be a thing of beauty, but it is the hub of Costa Rican life. World-class restaurants offer gourmet delicacies alongside typical eateries serving traditional Tico treats. Museums, theatres and cinemas dot the cityscape and the nightlife is vibrant, with packed bars, live music and nightclubs pumping every day of the week.

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