Beaches
Costa Rica is bordered on both sides of the country by endless beaches. Just a few hours drive west from San Jose in the Central Pacific; you will find the Tarcoles River, where it is possible to view enormous crocodile sunning themselves on the river banks. Continuing on the beach highway south, you will find Punta Leona, Jaco Beach, Herradura Beach, Hermosa Beach, Maktapalo, and Pavones Beaches. These beautiful beaches offer many popular sites to practice surf and sport fishing as well as the customary beach activities. Some other important beaches of the same area are Manuel Antonio and Esterillos. Further north near the Gulf of Nicoya you will find Port Caldera and Puntarenas where many cruise ships dock. If you have time to visit the Gulf of Nicoya, we recommended you visit Tortuga Island, famous for its beauty and beaches. For Scuba Divers, one of the best spots to dive is Coco Island. This famous Island, somewhat distant for the Costa Rican mainland, was declared by the UNESCO, a “Patrimony of the Humanity”. The waters surrounding this protected island are home for hammerhead sharks, dolphins and hundreds of other species. In the North Pacific area of Costa Rica there are many great beaches to visit such as: Coco, Potrero, Flamingo, Conchal, Tamarindo, Tambor, Samara and Montezuma. If you are looking for surfing spots in this area we recommend Playa Grande, Playa Naranjo, Tamarindo, Playa Langosta, and Nosara. The South Pacific zone is well known for its marine diversity and exuberant nature. The Caribbean area is the site for the beautiful beaches of Puerto Viejo, Playa Bonita and Punta Uvita.

Volcanos and Nearby Attractions

Costa Rica is home to one of the most magnificent active volcanoes in the world. The Arenal Volcano rises 5307 feet above sea level and is a must see for visitors to Costa Rica. This beautiful volcano often spews red hot lava down its sides and the lucky visitors who are fortunate enough to experience this thrill will never forget the experience. The Arenal area offer several choices of thermal water springs including the famous Tabacon Resort and Spa.
Located 31 kilometers north of Cartago you can visit the Irazu Volcano, the ashes spewed by this volcano fertilize, the nearby land, making this area the most important vegetable producer of the country. Cartago is the sanctuary for the “Our Lady of the Angels Basilica. Very close to San Jose and the Alajuela area, you will find The Poas Volcano with the second largest crater in the world; you can take a trail on the right hand side of the volcano that will take you to the lake at the bottom of the crater. Also a short distance from Alajuela you will find Sarchi the site of some of the most beautiful wooden crafts, leather crafts and factories that produce the famous Costa Rican Oxcarts. The Turrialba and Rincon de la Vieja Volcanoes are other important volcanoes well worth visiting.

Café Britt Coffee Tour
This tour is a must for anyone interested in how coffee is grown and processed. Café Britt is the premier coffee processor of Costa Rica and the tour of their facility and coffee fields are not only interesting but fun. This famous Costa Rican Coffee has become internationally recognized and is prized by coffee drinkers. This tour includes lunch at the Café Britt Restaurant, Live Theatre Show, and Lessons on how to prepare Capuccino, Expresso and Cubano Coffee. Additionally you will receive a complimentary bag of coffee.

The Canopy Tour
Have you thought about discovering the beauty of a forest from the top of the trees? Would you like to travel like the monkeys, from tree to tree and from branch to branch? All these wishes can come true through many of the Canopy Tours available in Costa Rica. What is Canopy Tour? It’s a way to allow you to slide through the forest’s canopy, thus allowing a different perspective of this view of nature. You will slide from platform to platform, built on the trees and will use bridges and cables, laid between each platform, to move you among this flora and fauna typical of the dry forest. You will see monkeys, parrots and all kinds of animals. You will be accompanied on these tours by qualified guides who are experts in making your experience both exciting and safe.

Cano Negro Wildlife National reserve
This region is home to migratory and endangered species, such as turtles, birds, monkeys, iguanas and sloth’s. Part of this reserve includes a 2000 acre fresh water lake and is a must for bird watchers and nature lovers.

La Paz Waterfalls
Discover La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a Nature Park where you will walk on the truly spectacular trails that will lead you to Magia Blanca Falls (the largest and the most spectacular of the falls in the area).

Monteverde
This famous area is known for the beauty and exuberance of the Cloud Forest Reserve. It offers the visitor a large variety of trees, flowers and more than 400 species of birds including the beautiful Quetzal. The principal commercial activities are dairy production, including the famous Monteverde Cheese production facilities. If you are a nature lover you may want to visit this scenic area and enjoy a beautiful mountain hotel, walk through almost 8 miles of trails, visit the observatory tower for a distant view of the Arenal Volcano or swing from the cables of a Canopy Tour for the experience of your life.

Venado Caverns
Discover the mystery of the caverns that were formed during the Miocene period, they were immersed in the ocean for over 20 years and due to the movements of the tectonic plates they are now part of the earth surface.

Turu-Bari
Is an Eco-adventure oriented theme park; it has a total land area of 496 acres of beautiful scenery. The main attractions of the park are the following: TURU BA RI Sky Ride: an aerial tramway ride of 2,000 ft. long, at 265 ft. height, with the latest European technology offering breathtaking views of the TURU BA RI Tropical Park and surrounding area. Optional adventures tours available: Turubari Canopy, Horseback-riding and the X-press or Sensational Cable. This last one is definitely the most adventurous alternative to enter the Tropical Garden. Experience High adrenaline while you glide on a cable of 1150 meters long! A unique experience for extreme sports lovers. The park also offer optional visits to the Butterfly Garden, Countryside Farm, Herbarium, Tarcoles River, The Indian Trail, Bromelia and Orquids Garden. At the park you will find a lovely restaurant for typical meals.

Rain Forest Aerial Tram
Is incredible adventure makes it possible to see the rain forest including the hanging gardens and animals that live in the tree tops of the Braulio Carillo National Park.

San Jose Attractions
San Jose is Costa Rica capital city located in the central valley surrounded by Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago. In this zone you can find a wide range of activities and attractions worth exploring. The weather is pleasant; San Jose maintains an average temperature of 77 degrees year round. This city offers the tourist the opportunity to sample the typical life style and culture of the average Costa Rican. You may want to try the delicious taste of the Costa Rican gastronomy, or visit the beautiful Gold Museum, the National Theater, Jade Museum, Contemporary Arts and the Children Museum. The National Theater built in 1897, presents cultural activities, such as theater and contemporary dance. San Jose night life offers the tourist a wide variety of activities including casinos, concerts, live music including Mariachis and other local groups. If dancing is your thing you will find a myriad of locations to sample and dance to the local rhythms. For adult entertainment you need only to ask a local cab driver and he will be happy to take you to the destination of your choice.

Flora & Fauna
Costa Rica has been considered a country rich in Fauna and Flora, having 5% of the planet’s biodiversity. The Inbiopark, a local attraction, will introduce you to the biodiversity found in the country, learn about the flora and fauna of this tropical country while you walk along the park’s numerous trails.

National Parks
Under the Government’s conservation policies, Costa Rica created twenty-eight (28) national parks, biological and forest reserves as well as wildlife refuges. Around 13000 species of plants, 850 species of birds, 6500 species of butterflies, 163 amphibians, 220 reptiles, as well as a great number of mammals such as the Jaguar and Puma, are protected in the national parks. Some of the most important national parks are the Braulio Carrillo, Arenal National Park, Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge, Corcovado, Manuel Antonio, Las Baulas Marine National Park and Tortugero which is one of the refuge for the marine turtles. Just a few hours from the capital you will be able to visit the Carara National Park, this park is the point of transition between the humid forests and the dry forests in the Pacific. Walking along the trails you can see the largest population of Scarlet Macaws, Monkeys, Pizotes and a great variety of plants. Some of the protected wild life area in the rain forest are; Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife refugy, Cahuita National Park, Barra del Colorado, and Tortuguero National Park.

Forests
Costa Rica is also known for its different range of forests according to the altitude or abundance of precipitation. You will find at a short distance from each other, the Humid Tropical Forest, characterized by green highly forested areas, the Dry Tropical Forests, located in the North Pacific region of the country and the Cloud Forest located in the higher elevations of the country.