Costa Rica
Despite its tiny size, Costa Rica is an eco tourism dream, containing within its borders over 6% of the world’s biodiversity. Costa Rica boasts 20 national parks, 8 biological reserves, and a wealth of other protected areas that have captivated lovers of ecotourism for decades. Nearly one quarter of the entire country is protected and with good reason. Within its borders you can find over a dozen volcanoes, savannas, rainforests, cloud forests, mountains, streams and rivers.
The variety of activities includes horse-back riding, hiking mountainous paths in the cloud forests, and guided bird-watching tours. This is a destination to satisfy even the most demanding of tourists. The beaches are great for lounging but you can also white water raft, fish, visit the canopy of the rainforest, hike, horseback ride, off road jeep, kayak. It’s a great destination for families as well as the lone adventurer. Perched between the Caribbean and the Pacific, the coasts are barely 3 hours drive apart – you can visit them both. Plus there are the Pacific islands. Some are near enough to visit from the coast. Others, like Cocos, demand a long voyage.
The diving is spectacular – all the large creatures are here to be seen. There are hard and soft corals but the underwater colour is not special. It’s the huge numbers and variety of fish and mammals that you will long remember. Humpback, sei, pilot, and false killer whales, over five species of dolphin, white tipped reef sharks, bull sharks, giant pacific manta rays, mobula rays, southern sting rays, spotted eagle rays, green sea turtles, snappers, king angels, moorish idols, trumpet fish, scorpion fish, various types of eels, spiny lobster, octopus, huge schools of barracuda, jacks, grunts, and much more. Go now – it’s wonderful.
Costa Rica's weather is influenced by altitude. The Pacific coast is drier while the Atlantic coast has the most rainfall - about 300 days a year. The temperature in San Jose ranges from a high of 24° to 27°C, to a low of 14°C to 16°C. The wet season is from May to October. The hottest months are March and April. Spanish is the official language.
Worldwise
Drinking water is safe in all the major towns and cities. Malaria had to a large extent been eradicated, but it has begun to re-appear around Limon and the Caribbean coast. Malaria pills may be advisable for extensive stays in lowland areas. Inoculation for yellow fever is recommended. Costa Rica has one of the best standards of health and hygiene in the region.
Getting There:
There are no direct flights to Costa Rica from the UK, so you will have to travel via Europe or the US. The quickest flights are via the US with only one stopover, though in the low season the flights via both Europe and the US can work out cheaper. At peak times of the year (December to May) flights to Costa Rica get very booked up so it's best to book your seats several months in advance.
Continental Airlines (tel: 0800 776464, www.continental.com) offer a flight via Houston.
American Airlines (tel: 0845 778 9789, www.aa.com) offer a flight via Miami and United Airlines (tel: 0845 844 4777, www.united.com) offer a service via Chicago and New York.
Martinair (tel: 0870 507 4074, www.klm.com) fly via Amsterdam and Miami and Iberia (tel: 0845 601 2854, www.iberia.com) have a service via Madrid and Miami.
There are no direct flights to Costa Rica from Ireland either. Again, you are probably best flying via the US. Delta (tel Belfast 028 9048 0526 or Dublin 1800 414767, www.delta.com) offer flights from Dublin and Shannon to San Jose via New York and Atlanta.
Aer Lingus (tel: Dublin 01 705 3333, www.aerlingus.com) also offer flights from Dublin and Shannon via the US.
It can work out cheaper to book your flight with a flight agent rather than directly with the airline.
Approximate flying time from the UK: Anything from 14 hours upwards.
Departure tax:
Everyone leaving Costa Rica on an international flight has to pay a departure tax of around $20. Payment is made at the airport before you check-in for your flight and is accepted in cash or by credit card.
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Costa Rica by Mark Kendall
Rodale Scuba Diving Guide to Costa Rica
Cocos and Malpelo Is.
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