Has the world got you down, Bucko? Are you feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? World threatening to pass you by? A Costa Rica vacation may be just the ticket. Consider:
1. Airfares are incredibly inexpensive right now. They have not been this reasonable for years. And, with Costa Rica tourism down by about 15% this year, a frugal, informed traveler can really take advantage of the plight of hotels and resorts. Luxury resorts like the Hilton Papagayo are offering rooms as low as $160.00 a night, seniors pay even less, and more budget-conscious folks who travel Costa Rica can stay at very nice Costa Rica hostels (some with private rooms) for about $12.00. For the best bargains, visit between May and mid-November. Tip: ask if there is a discount for cash ("effectivo" in Spanish). Do not be shy: ask and ye shall receive!
2. With almost eight hundred miles of coastline visit one or more of hundreds of pristine Costa Rica beaches. Black, brown, and white sand beaches, sea shell beaches, rugged rock-strewn beaches. Hike off of Drake Bay, named after Sir Francis Drake, who visited the southern Costa Rica Pacific coast a decade before destroying the mighty Spanish Armada and saving England in 1588. You can even walk the same Caribbean beach where Columbus landed six centuries ago.
3. Frolic on the same Costa Rica beaches enjoyed by Britney Spears or Mel Gibson (you need to bring your own Russian model). Or, bring your surfboard because some of the best surfing in the world is found here. Most beaches are completely free but if you prefer to visit a very popular national beach park called Manuel Antonio, there will be a small entry fee.
4. Become an ecotourist. Costa Rica ecotourism has become a booming industry and is helping to conserve endangered sea turtles, exotic macaws, and many other species while bringing in much needed revenue to local communities. Be sure to check out Ostional National Preserve on the fabulous Gold Coast, where thousands of olive ridley sea turtles come ashore in massive nestings, called "arribadas", perhaps the largest spectacle of its kind in the world. Arribadas take place every month but the biggest (sometimes involving hundreds of thousands of turtles) typically are when the moon is in its last quarter during the months of July to November.
5. Costa Rica has been called the "Switzerland of Latin America." This mountainous little country has nearly as many species of birds as in the entire continental U.S., more than 900. You can hike every inch of Africa without seeing as many species of butterflies as there are in Costa Rica. One of every five animal and plant species on the world are found in this country.
6. If you are adventurous and fit, visit magnificent Corcovado National Park on the southern Pacific Coast, a place National Geographic describes as "the most biologically intense place on earth." Don't expect all of the amenities of life in this sometimes rugged place that hosts the largest remaining population of scarlet macaws in Latin America, including crocodiles, monkeys, and six kinds of wild cat, including the spectacular jaguar, not to mention some of the tallest primary forest remaining in this part of the world. Bring your camera, bug repellant, and band-aids for blisters.
Author Resource:
The writer of this post, Vic Krumm writes from sunny Costa Rica. Visit his popular website about Costa Rica Vacations . Like to fish? See whyCosta Rica Fishing is world-famous.
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