Destination Report: Costa Rica

Costa Rica -Pura Vida- the Pure Life

The perfect destination to awaken your senses!

Pristine Exotic Beaches – Costa Rica is one of the few countries where you can take a dip in 2 oceans in the same day. The Caribbean Sea is just a 5 hour drive from the Pacific Ocean.

Hot Springs at Tabacon – Naturally heated by the Arenal Volcano, the heated water of the river is channeled into a soothing pool surrounded by manicured gardens.

World Class Soft Adventure – Enjoy rafting, surfing, canopy tours through the jungle, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, mountain biking, hot air ballooning, deep sea fishing- just to name a few.

Golf – World class courses designed by names like Greg Norman, Robert Trent-Jones III, and Jack Nicholas- in the middle of rainforests. Costa Rica is a great golf destination because it combines beautiful landscapes, great year round weather and challenging world class courses.

5 star hotels to boutique hotels to jungle lodges. There are over 1600 hotel options ranging from the new Four Seasons, all-inclusive Paradisus Playa Conchal and Hotel Punta Islita in the Guanacaste beach area; resort hotels in San Jose like the Marriott, Inter-Continental, Melia and Barcelo; boutique resort hotels like Hotel Parador and Si Como No in the Manual Antonio region to small lodges and local hotels, such as the Arenal Lodge and Tabacon Resort and Spa in the rain forest around the Arenal Volcano. 80% of the hotels have less than 40 rooms.

All in a country that has no army, more school teachers than police, a friendly and educated population that speaks both Spanish and English.

Facts about Costa Rica:

• Costa Rica is located in Central America. It is about the size of West Virginia and is surrounded on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
• There are 2 international airports in Costa Rica. One is just outside of the capital city of San Jose. The other is in Liberia, in Guanacaste province, which is the gateway to the northwest beaches.
• A current passport is required by US citizens and must be valid for 6 months after the date of arrival.
• Costa Rica has a tropical climate with 2 seasons.
  • The Dry Season runs from December to May. It is typically sunny with little rain. Average temperature will be in the 70’s in the central plateau and 80’s on the coast.
  • The Green Season runs from June to November. There is typically higher humidity with sunny mornings and frequent afternoon rain showers.

Try the last 2 weeks of June for perfect weather. with off season pricing!

What can you experience in Costa Rica?

Mountains and Active Volcanoes – including Volcan Irazu, the highest volcano in Costa Rica. Only 45 minutes from San Jose, with 5 distinct craters. On a clear day, you can see both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean from this majestic volcano. The most well known, Volcan Arenal, amazes visitors with a show of ash and fiery rock. The spectacle becomes even more dramatic at night. A not-to-miss attraction is the hot springs at the Tabacon Resort.

Popular activities in the mountain area would be biking, mountain climbing, birdwatching and hiking.

Coastal Waters

• Surfing – The coastal beaches are sought after by surfers at the international level for the consistency of the quality of waves. Costa Rica’s signature wave can be found at Playa Pavones, which is reputed to have of the of the “longest lefts” in the world. The Pacific Coast has over 10 areas known for great surfing.
• Diving and Snorkeling – With many islands, reefs, caves and rocks off the coast, Costa Rica provides excellent spots for underwater exploration, including one of the world’s famous- CoCo Island, accessible only by boat.
• Sport Fishing – More than 65 world record catches have been landed in Costa Rican waters. Catch marlin all along the Pacific coast. Other sport fishing include sailfish, dolphin, yellowfin tuna, roosterfish, mackeral and snook.<br />
  The summer months are probably the best time to go sport fishing in Costa Rica with roosterfish, tuna, dolphin and sailfish being the most popular catches.

Beaches – Black, gray and white sand beaches are popular tourist attactions and host a wide variety of watersports and activities.

• Guanacaste offers miles of virtually untouched beaches on the pacific. You’ll also find some of the finest resort hotels and best nature parks.
• Puntarenas is the closest beach area to San Jose and features striking and unusual black sand beaches. This is a great starting point for day trips to the Monteverde Cloud Forest or the Arenal Volcano.
• Jaco Beach is renowned for surfing. With small native style hotels, as well as a Marriott, restaurants with local flair and low key entertainment, this area is an ideal base for exploring the Carara Biological Reserve.
• Manual Antonio is just a short flight from San Jose and the boutique hotels in this lovely Pacific resort area provide access to the Manual Antonio National Park, a haven for spectacular white sand beaches and virgin forests.

Tropical Forests – Did you know that there are 3 types of forests found in Costa Rica?

• Rainforest – found mostly in the Atlantic lowlands and southwest region. You’ll see massive trees, very high canopies and very little vegetation on the dimly lit forest floors.
• Cloud forests – Monteverde is the best known with dense, luxurious vegetation covering the upper slopes of the mountains and volcanoes.
• Dry forest – found in the northwest region.

What can you do in the forests?

• Hiking through the national parks.
• Canopy tours let you travel through the tree tops from platform to platform supported by cables.
• Aerial tram-experience the canopy of the rainforest on an enclosed gondola ride.
• Suspension bridges and platforms- give you another prospective of the Monteverde cloud forest.
• Horseback riding.
• Bird and wildlife watching.

Rivers and Lakes – boating, raft float trips, kayaking and white water rafting offer the chance to see lots of wildlife.

Windsurfing – with trade winds blowing from December through March, Lake Arenal and the Gulf of Papagayo are ideal for windsurfing.

Wildlife – Costa Rica is a birdwatchers paradise with over 850 species found throughout the country. In addition, over 14,000 species of butterflies, 4 species of monkeys, 8 species of turtles, 6 species of wildcats and numerous lizards and crocodiles call Costa Rica home.

Cosmopolitan San Jose – Costa Rica’s capital city is a center for culture, shopping and nightlife. Just 15 minutes from downtown San Jose, is the lively district of Escazu. Escazu is perhaps the most desirable place for dining and shopping in all of Costa Rica. With its quaint cafes, gourmet restaurants, boutiques and modern shopping malls, Escazu is a favorite among tourists and locals alike. With small local hotels to luxury resorts, San Jose’s proximity to the mountains and natural attractions make it the perfect location for day trips in the central region. Some of the day trips that are available from San Jose are:

• Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs tour by day or night.
• Reventazon White Water Rafting- start with relatively easy rapids and then progress to El Gordo and Huesco Santo, the most challenging rapids on the river. At the same time, enjoy the fabulous scenery and wide variety of wildlife.
• Aerial Tram Rainforest Tour- cross the Continental Divide and continue into the natural beauty of the Braulio Carrillo National Park. This open air tram will take you through the canopy, skimming over hilltops into the depths of the jungle.
• River Nature Cruise and Poas Volcano-gives you the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular hightlights in one day. After seeing the geyserlike eruptions of the active Poas Volcano, continue the journey on a cruise down the Sarapiaui River where you can enjoy the magnificent rainforest and its inhabitants.

Reasons to Visit Costa Rica

• Family Friendly
• 700 miles of beaches
• 850 species of birds
• Volcanoes
• Rain Forests
• Soft Adventure

Who would enjoy Costa Rica

• Active adults
• Families
• Honeymooners
• Golfers
• Sport Fisherman
• Surfers
• Divers
• Nature enthusiasts

Costa Rica is 25 destinations all wrapped up in one vacation- with 5 star nature and all of the comforts imaginable.