The fascinating fact about plants and trees in Costa Rica is that each one has a story, or a folk tradition or a specific use. There is much more than meets the eye in this tropical paradise. Ovido Esquivel, director of the Else Kientzler Botanical Garden in Sarchi, Costa Rica, uncovered the mystique of some...Read More
Educational tourism is one of the fastest growing areas of travel and tourism. Not just for students, educational travel is about learning and being involved in community action projects while traveling and relaxing on vacation. Costa Rica offers a wide variety of educational travel and volunteer opportunities for people of all ages. An excellent destination...Read More
This Christmas, give your family the gift of a holiday together in Costa Rica. What better present for your entire family than to share fun and adventure in the sun, and the rainforest, beaches and volcanoes of Costa Rica. It is easy and affordable to travel to the peaceful country of Costa Rica. There is...Read More
One of the most magnificent birds in Costa Rica is the Great Green Macaw. This time of year, from October through December, Great Green Macaws (Ara ambiguus) return to the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge in northern Costa Rica from the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve in Nicaragua. Following their main food source of mountain almond tree...Read More
So, you’ve done a guided rappel down a 150-foot gushing waterfall. Ho-hum. Now you’re ready for the next extreme adventure adrenaline fix. How about waterfall jumping? Waterfall jumping is Costa Rica’s version of cliff diving, but next to a waterfall. Also called “tombstoning” in Europe, waterfall jumping is the newest most extreme adventure tour in...Read More
Why visit Costa Rica? People ask me that all of the time. Everywhere I go, from Europe to the United States to other parts of Latin America, it seems nearly everyone has heard of Costa Rica and is intrigued about the little Central American country. Besides being a peace-loving nation full of friendly people, Costa...Read More
Emphasizing the power of Mother Nature with images of fiery lava and explosive ash plumes, volcanoes have lit up the world news lately. Mt. Pavlof volcano in Alaska has been intensely erupting since Nov. 12, spewing ash clouds up to 30,000 feet above sea level. The lava flow from Kilauea Volcano advances slowly across the Big...Read More
Like stand-up paddle boarding? Come to Manuel Antonio and Quepos, Costa Rica, this December for the exciting Manuel Antonio Stand-Up Paddle Games 2014. At the Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica on Dec. 13 and 14, 2014, athletes will compete in four events in the popular sport of stand-up paddle boarding. There will be...Read More
Celebrate the sea turtles of Costa Rica this weekend at the Matapalo Sea Turtle Festival. The annual sea turtle festival on Nov. 15 and 16 at Matapalo Costa Rica, halfway between Manuel Antonio National Park and Dominical on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast, celebrates the Matapalo Sea Turtle Conservation Project and hatching of baby sea...Read More
Right behind Sweden and Norway as the top Green Countries in the World, is the little Central American nation of Costa Rica. According to the recently released 2014 Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI), Costa Rica is the third best Green Country in the World. The Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI) measures the green economic performance...Read More
The incredibly biodiverse area of Tortuguero should definitely be on your “bucket list” of places to see in Costa Rica. Called the “Little Amazon” of Costa Rica, Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean Coast is an untamed stretch of wild jungle and desolate beaches. You have swamp, lagoons, canals, marshy islands, dense rainforest, black sand beaches,...Read More
One of the top places to go in Costa Rica, in the Central Valley, is the spectacular Else Kientzler Botanical Garden in Sarchi, Costa Rica. The flourishing Costa Rica botanical garden showcases more than 2,000 species of exotic tropical plants from around the globe in its 11 gardens on seven hectares (17.3 acres). The popular...Read More
Called by pro mountain bikers the “most extreme 100-miler in the world,” the Rincon de la Vieja Challenge 100-mile mountain bike race at Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica recently upped its status to become the first international chapter of the National Ultra Endurance Series (NUE). The NUE is a series of...Read More
Learning how to surf can change your life. Maybe it’s the powerful rush of catching a wave and the feeling of flying on water as you race across the wave’s face. Or that it doesn’t matter how old or young you are, whether you are a beginner or a pro, the thrill of being out in...Read More
Cute, clever, playful and tiny, the Grey Crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus) known as the Mono Titi in Spanish, is the smallest primate in Costa Rica. Measuring only 9.8 to 14 inches in height and weighing 1.7 to 2.4 pounds, these little monkeys are sadly threatened with extinction due to loss of...Read More
Ever dream of escaping every so often, even if it’s just for a few hours? With so many things competing for our attention in today’s fast-paced world, it’s common to want to get away. Visiting a day spa helps you switch off and relax, disconnect from the world, and restore your mind, body and spirit....Read More
This year, why not spend the Thanksgiving holidays giving thanks for all that is good in life on a revitalizing yoga retreat in Costa Rica. Imagine taking a break from the busyness of everyday life to relax and restore your energy in the rainforest, with 80-degree warm gulf waters at your doorstep and monkeys, Scarlet...Read More
Four U.S.-based international airlines have confirmed new routes and increased flights to Costa Rica, making travel to Central America now easier than ever. The flight increases coincide with the approaching 2014-15 high tourist season (December to April) and holiday season in Costa Rica. Nonstop flights on United Airlines to Costa Rica will increase from the...Read More
Looking to get away for a quick fall break or Thanksgiving vacation? Maybe a romantic adventure holiday? If you are into nature and wildlife, Costa Rica is the place to go. A good Costa Rica vacation deal for the fall is the Romance and Natural Adventure Costa Rica Vacation Package at Maquenque Eco-Lodge in the...Read More
The transition from rainy season to summer season in Costa Rica is a time of abundant wildlife. Rivers, streams, lakes and ponds are full of water, vegetation is lush, and settings are ideal for capturing Costa Rica’s exotic wildlife on camera. This is especially true on a river trip. In the Nosara Costa Rica area...Read More
The northwestern province of Guanacaste in Costa Rica has one of the largest dry tropical forest areas in the Americas. Dry tropical forests are unique with many deciduous broad-leaf trees and vegetation that survive with much less water than a tropical rainforest. It endures a dry season lasting approximately eight months, yet is still home...Read More
Stretching like a long finger pointing at the Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal in Costa Rica is one of the country’s most scenic points of interest. Green rolling hills of forest and pastureland surround the deep blue lake, with the near-perfect conical symmetry of Arenal Volcano framing the skyline to the east. It is the country’s...Read More
It may surprise you, given that the Central Valley, Central Mountain Range and Pacific Coast of Costa Rica are swimming under a rain cloud, that today on the Costa Rica Southern Caribbean Coast it was hot and sunny, with blue skies and calm seas. Costa Rica Caribbean Summer is in full radiant glory. While most...Read More
This time of year, the crisp fall weather of the north sends birds packing south to warm tropical climates. Bird migration season in Costa Rica is here. According to the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, approximately 350 bird species from the United States and Canada migrate south to winter in the Neotropics of the Caribbean,...Read More
