Introducing Costa Rica
Mention Costa Rica and people think paradise. The country’s Disneylike cast of creatures – ranging from howler monkeys to toucans – are populous and relatively easy to spot. The waves are prime, the beauty is staggering and the sluggish pace seductive. A peaceful oasis in a tumultuous region, this tiny nation draws 1.5 million visitors every year.
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What’s on tap? The question is what isn’t? Active travelers can surf, hike, snorkel and spot wildlife for starters. The incredibly varied topography means you can cruise the cloud forest one day, visit an active volcano the next, and finish relaxing on a hot sandy beach. Adrenaline junkies have a myriad ways to make mothers worry – among them zipping through canopy lines hundreds of meters long and riding the rough surf of the Pacific. Choice and variety name the game.
Of course, the frenzy to snatch up a piece of Shangri-la has its consequences. Since the boom, tourism is more chic and less cheap. Classic destinations are now crowded destinations and local culture is often lost or cast aside. Lucky for Costa Rica that its do-gooder fans, ranging from ecologists to proud Ticos (Costa Ricans), are vocal and vigilant. Nature here suffers its blows, like everywhere, but at least it is taken seriously.
Ready to go? Our recommended tours make it easy:
- Cycle Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama
- Whitewater Raft on the Corobici River
- Go on a daytrip to the Palo Verde National Park
Want more? Browse all our recommended Costa Rica tours
Last updated: Jan 18, 2012
Tips & articles
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Calling the caf-fiends: great coffee spots
19 January 2012
It inspires passion, opinion and addiction. It’s the world’s second most valuable commodity (after petroleum), and it will almost certainly...
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Get your kicks in Costa Rica
14 January 2012
Adrenaline junkies of the world unite – Costa Rica isn’t just about quiet walks in the park. On the contrary,...
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Top 10 Costa Rica stops for first-timers
6 December 2011
Dreaming of a trip to Costa Rica, but not sure where to start? With volcanoes to hike, legendary surf, miles...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Central America Itinerary - For 6 months+
by SoloHobo 15 September 2011
The normal route, from people starting with a cheap flight to Cancun, is to explore the Yucatan, then head to Belize, then to Guatamala…
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RE: Central America Itinerary - For 6 months+
by oliwood 15 September 2011
Costa Rica and Panama are the last countries I would visit, so that's not a problem. I would probably be there in Feb / March.
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RE: high-end vacation condo in Costa Rica?
by SoloHobo 15 September 2011
#5 must be a TOUT pushing a business interest. NO Adverstising on the LP. BTW- This post over 1.5 years old....DUH!
Hotels & Hostels
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Costa Rica
Things to do
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Our Top Picks For Costa Rica
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1 Las Fiestas de Zapote (December 25 to Januray 1)
Join tens of thousands of Ticos for a weeklong celebration of all things Costa Rican (namely rodeos, cowboys, carnival rides, fried food and a whole lot of drinking) in the suburb of Zapote, southeast of San José
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2 Earn bragging rights at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Test your surfing mettle at Salsa Brava, a fierce reef break that cuts close to shore in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca - it’s one of six top ways to get your adrenaline pumping
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3 Watch wildlife at Parque Nacional Corcovado
See the lumbering Baird’s tapir, the giant anteater and the rare harpy eagle at this national park, famously labeled by National Geographic as ‘the most biologically intense place on earth’
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4 Snorkel at Playa Conchal
Get your fins in the turquoise swim at the most beautiful beach in Costa Rica
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5 Rush in for churros in San José
Get your sugar rush from the deliciously sweet and crispy doughnuts at Churrería Manolo's, San José’s perennial favourite
Fast Facts about Costa Rica
- Happy Planet Index rating:
76.1 (which makes Costa Rica the happiest place on the planet)
- Currency:
what's the Costa Rican colón worth today?
- Annual coffee consumption per person:
3.9kg (USA: 4.2kg)
- Full of beans:
coffee was thought to energize workers, so in 1840 the government decreed that all labourers building roads should be given one cup of coffee every day
- Tico/a:
male/female Costa Rican (also a Costarricense)
- Slow movers:
two-toed sloths descend from the trees once every two weeks to defecate
- Population:
four million
- Head of state:
President Laura Chinchilla
- Coffeeganda:
in the 1940s children learned to read with a text that stated, ‘Coffee is good for me. I drink coffee every morning'
Our favourite Costa Rica Blogs (beta)
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Travel Photo of the Day: Costa Rica Cloud Forest Millipede
Blog: Two Backpackers - 24 January 2012
Can you help us identify what kind of millipede this is? We found it while walking through the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica. We do our best to label our travel photos correctly.
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Beyond the Hotels – Big City Homestays in South America
Blog: Vagobond.com - 24 January 2012
Unlike hostals, hotels, and hospedajes, a homestay is often a rented room in a private home. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Samara Beach Costa Rica – Travel Video Ep. 21
Blog: Two Backpackers - 17 January 2012
Watch More Adventure Travel Videos Enjoy the best off-the-beaten-path beach in Costa Rica through an HD adventure travel video from 2 Backpackers, Jason and Aracely Castellani, while visiting Sámara, Costa Rica. In travel video episode #21, we film the flat, calm, white sand Samara Beach and it’s small island of Isla Chora. Enjoy the show! [...]
