Looking for a romantic getaway or fun filled family vacation? Considering Costa Rica s the destination? Then you?ll have picked the hottest tourist destinations in the world! Costa Rica is currently being called the Hawaii of Central America. A vacation in Costa Rica offers a getaway full of beauty, lush foliage, many wildlife surprises, incredible lakes, rivers and breathtaking waterfalls.
The activities you can partake in while vacationing in Costa Rica are endless; there is bird watching, surfing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, tree top (canopy) tours, four wheeling, snorkeling, shopping, hiking, river rafting, horse back riding and casinos. On a Costa Rica vacation you'll find pristine beaches, tropical jungles, clear blue skies, high mountain rain forest, and tropical sun. Christopher Columbus didn?t name Costa Rica the ?rich coast? in 1502 for nothing.
Expedition activities and outdoor adventure sports are so numerous in Costa Rica, nature is truly its green card. The wildlife is diverse and merges into the exceptional landscape and untouched lands, enticing adventures and travelers alike.
It is also one of the best places in the world to discover and watch butterflies. 20,000 butterfly species exist worldwide, and of these about 1,000 or 5% can be found in Costa Rica.
Butterflies are not the only thing to be discovered, there are 850 species of birds. They are all found within a tight geographic area creating a bird watchers paradise! When out on the trail in Costa Rica?s forests make sure to keep an eye out for mixed flocks foraging on certain types of food, especially fruit, in the forest canopy.
With more than 850 species of birds, all found within a tight geographic area, Costa Rica offers birders of all levels of expertise an unrivaled bird watching experience. Birders out on the trail in Costa Rica's forests should keep an eye out for mixed flocks foraging on certain types of food, especially fruit, in the forest canopy.
Costa Rica is home to roughly 150 species of amphibians, some of which are extremely colorful and exotic. There are tree frogs, which spend their entire lives above the forest floor, breeding in the water of tank bromeliads or in holes in the trunks of trees. Others, like the poison-arrow frog, are exuberantly colored, ranging from bright red with blue or green legs to bright green with black markings. There are over 200 species of reptiles in Costa Rica. The 14 turtle species include both marine and freshwater varieties. The largest of the marine turtles are leatherbacks. Their shells are up to 5 feet and they weigh upwards of 800 pounds! Visitors are blessed to see marine turtles climb up sandy beaches to lay their eggs. Truly a spectacular sight!
Costa Rica is also home to over 9,000 identified species of vascular plants, including over 900 different species of trees. Some 1,500 species of orchids can be found in Costa Rica. From sub-alpine dwarf vegetation, rainforest flora from sea level to mangrove swamps and seasonal dry forest with its deciduous trees, there is an astounding range of floral habitats for a country so small.
The protection of Costa Rica's natural heritage is managed by the respective national parks and reserves. These areas protect many species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fresh and salt-water fish, and a vast number of identified vascular plants-representing 4% of the world's total floral and faunal species.
In addition, these management groups protect examples of almost all the existing natural habitats such as deciduous forests, mangrove swamps, rain forests, herbaceous swamps, cloud forests, paramos, hilillo forests and marshlands. This is not all that they protect, they also protect areas of historical and archaeological interests like the pre-Columbian settlements and early battlefields. Beautiful areas of scenic interest like beaches, valleys, and waterfalls are also on the list to protect. The most important areas to protect are the zones which protect the last remaining examples of Central American dry forest and the beaches where the sea turtles nest.
The protection of Costa Rica's natural resources has implications beyond its borders because they encompass an incredible biodiversity, including numerous species on the verge of extinction. All of this is the reason the country has become one of the most popular destinations for visiting ecologists and biologists. On the whole, access to these areas and facilities are freely available provided the visitor respects the need to protect them. These protected areas are ideal for hiking and rafting, for watching the birds and other wildlife, for camping and just for enjoying in general, their rivers, beaches, jungles, mountain forests, volcanoes as well as their historic and archaeological sites.
As you can clearly see Costa Rica is quickly becoming the number one romantic honeymoon and family vacation spot! Costa Rica has everything to offer to anyone. It is exotic, exciting, and romantic and gets you back in touch with the beauty that nature has to offer. It is the definition of ?Pura-Vida,? the pure life.
Costa Rica vacation is fast becoming the #1 romantic honeymoon and family vacation destination in the world. Whether it's your honeymoon or family vacation-- Exotic, Romantic and Nature-- the perfect ingredients for that special get away, what more could you ask for on your vacation. An unbeatable choice for those travelers looking for a combination of relaxation, romance and activity. The atmosphere on a Costa Rica vacation is "Pura-Vida", the pure life.
