Guanacaste, Costa Rica

A Tropical Paradise Awaits in the Heart of Central America!

A paradisiacal gem awaits just shy of the U.S. and especially California – a Costa Rica beach, jungle and mountain paradise with that far-far away appeal. Costa Rica easily conjures up images of a tropical paradise with sun-kissed beaches, jungles to explore and its own set of vacation fairytale characters like toucans, scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, even crocodiles. Its ethereal beauty and bountiful adventures tickles the fancies of all travel personalities, from mild to wild. It also plays with your senses with fragrantly rich coffee-bean aromas permeating the air from Costa Rica’s famous plantations. This Caribbean jewel holds a privileged spot in Central America and has become a popular vacation destination for its variety of aquatic ecosystems, tumultuous volcanoes and mountain regions, adventurous jungles and forestry, and beautiful white and black sand beaches with turquoise waters. The Caribbean jewel provides the ideal backdrop for a cohabitating couple or family vacation with a staggering number of activities and attractions to please everyone in the family. Its easy accessibility and varied adventures manages to seduce travelers of all personalities, along with its awe-inspiring beauty, laid-back pace, bountiful adventures and some of the oldest, most amazing geological formations in the world. It truly is a nature, beach and outdoor lover’s paradise and playground. The peaceful, developing, army-less country has become a Central American success story, featuring high living standards and a stable economy—all amid such majestic natural surroundings. Covering 19,652 square miles, the small Costa Rican territory touches both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. You can travel from coast to coast in just three hours by car or 45 minutes by plane, but don’t let size fool you. There is more to do in Costa Rica than you may have time, but that’s the glory of repeat visits. Check out our Costa Rica Must-Do Activities page (click on the Destination page button) for a random and surprising sampling of many of the adventures this bombshell Caribbean country has to offer outdoor and adventure, nature and adventure enthusiasts, as well as Fast Facts to familiarize yourself with the area. The natural surroundings, wildlife, abundant adventures, diverse cultures, historical riches, ease of access and friendly residents, also called Ticos, that make Costa Rica one of the premier vacation destination for travelers all over the globe. “Ticos,” many travelers say, are the best asset of Costa Rica, and once you’ve experienced their friendliness, graciousness and spontaneity to enhance your visit and make you feel at home, you’ll never want to leave.

Exploring Costa Rica and Its Many Adventures

Costa Rica is pleasantly surprising treasure chest of riches to please very type of traveler. San José and the Pacific Coast cater to heavy tourism, with the Pacific beaches being very popular for surfing, such as Esterillos, Jaco, Hermosa, Boca Barranca. In the Golfito region, near the Marino Ballena National Park, surfing fans can find the famous “long lefthander wave,” and in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca of Limon, riders can conquer the Salsa Brave Waves. Get your thrills with plenty of white-water rafting expeditions – from tame to raging rapids – scuba-diving, windsurfing, kiteboarding, reef snorkeling, ATV mountain riding adventures, touring by bicycle, ziplining through canopy lines deep in the forests and are hundreds of meters long, touring a volcano and hiking through numerous national parks No other country on the planet has such a rich diversity of wildlife, fauna and flora due to its unique geography. If are into birds, there are abundant opportunities for bird watching around every corner and possible encounters with the numerous howler monkeys that swing tree to tree in the Costa Rican forestry. Again, check out our Must-Do Activities page for a few ideas to fill your itinerary. Just make sure to bring your camera to document this beautiful, absolute fairytale adventure so you can capture every glorious moment and adventure in many ways words cannot possibly describe.