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.
Make it happen
Ready to go? Our recommended tours make it easy:
- take a mountain bike trip in Costa Rica
- surf Costa Rica
- try an adventure trip in Costa Rica
- explore Costa Rica with last minute deals
- do Costa Rica on a shoestring and visit the relaxed Caribbean coast
- discover Costa Rica's volcanoes and surf
- discover Costa Rica’s natural side on an eco-adventure
Want more? We can recommend more Costa Rica trips Find more deals at Lonely Planet Travel Services
Last updated: Feb 23, 2010
Tips & articles
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Costa Rica: travel books to read before you go
31 August 2010
This excerpt from Lonely Planet’s Costa Rica guide provides a selection of travel literature to get you in the mood...
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Top 10 highlights of 10 great countries
31 August 2010
Want to get straight to the cream of 10 great destinations? Check out these Top Tens!1. Top 10 ways to...
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5 wild ways to spend the December holiday season
24 August 2010
Fancy a break from the usual December festivities of egg nog and fruit cake? If you want to tackle something...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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2 Month Itinerary Help Please =o] Costa Rica To Yucatan Mexico
by torrent 0 replies, last post 06 September 2010
Hey all, Next year my best friend and I are travelling to Central America for a total stay of about 3 months, from the end of March til…
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Environmental work in Central America?
by chillinz 2 replies, last post 05 September 2010
Hi all What are the job ops like for a New Zealand environmental scientist in places like Panama, Costa Rica.. actually - everywhere!…
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Farolitos Festival, Sept. 7, Ahuachapan, El Salvador
by roquemocan 2 replies, last post 04 September 2010
If you happen to be in El Salvador this September 7th, there is the Farolitos Festival at night (they use lanterns to make shapes, etc)…
Costa Rica
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'
Related Groups
Our favourite Costa Rica Blogs (beta)
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Swing and a Miss
Blog: Joe's Trippin' - 30 August 2010
To every travelling high, there is a low. That is to say you might have found some city or beach or temple that made you love travelling. Then, suddenly and without warning the glow is darkened.
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Costa Rica…in ten seconds
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 28 August 2010
By John Murphy, KF12, Costa Rica *Weekend edition* - Costa Rica in ten seconds
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Learning Pura Vida in Costa Rica
Blog: Nomadic Matt's Travel Site - 26 August 2010
The most distinct part of living or traveling through Costa Rica is what I call the “calming down effect.” Life is so simple there; the most stressful decision to make all day is often where to watch the sunset. Physical changes arrive thanks to the opportunity of living in a world surrounded by untouched nature. [...]
