Costa Rica Travel Advice For You

The beautiful country of Costa Rica is small in size but rich in wildlife and natural wonder. It spans between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean claiming almost 20,000 square miles of land. From beautiful white sand beaches to the peaks of several volcanoes, to swamps and lagoons, and various types of forest lands, the country is bursting with amazing scenery and animal life. Before traveling look into Costa Rica travel advice so you can tailor your trip to meet your needs.

Even though the country itself is small, it boasts a variety of national parks and protected areas as well as abundant protected wildlife. Each park has a variety of different adventures and sight seeing opportunities. To know this country, is to discover the areas which make it such a remarkable and magnificent habitat for the animals that live here.

Arenal National Park is home to several square miles of protected lands, Lake Arenal, Chato Volcano as well as Arenal Volcano. Chato Volcano has long since blown its top and the inside of its crater is a beautiful lagoon surrounded by jungle and wildlife. The Arenal Volcano is much different in that is is a perfect cone shape and is currently one of the worlds most active volcanoes and puts on a magnificent display. The top of Arenal is usually covered with clouds and in order to see an eruption, you would have better luck during dry seasons as well as in the pre-dawn before the clouds have rolled in. The park can be accessed from La Fortuna, Tilaran or the north shore of Lake Arenal.

Tortuguero National Park rests between the Caribbean coast and the hills of Coronel. The park protects the nesting beach for green turtles and ranges from high rain forests to marsh areas. Tortuguero is home to over 300 species of birds as well as amphibians, reptiles and mammals. It is also home to 13 of the 16 endangered animals that live in Costa Rica, including the manatee. You can reach the park through the Cuatro Esquinas ranger station at the southern tip of Tortuguero village, or from Estacion Jalova which is 45 minutes from the village. You must pay a fee to enter the park however you do not have to pay a fee to travel the canals between the park and Tortuguero village.

The jewel of Costa Rica, and one of the reasons why several visitors visit the country is because of Manuel Antonio National Park. You can hike through the rain forest on one of many trails while coming within feet of a happy monkey or sweet looking sloth. The beaches in the area overlook scenic offshore islands and sunsets. Due to the popularity, visitors are limited to 600 on week days, 800 on weekends and the park is closed on Mondays. You can wade across the Rio Camaronera at low tide or paddle across at high tide to access the park.

Corcovado National Park is also known as the "Amazon of Costa Rica". It is home to over 655 animal species and 10% of the mammals in the America's reside here, which is 1/1000% of the land mass. The area is located on the pacific coast and is home to a variety of different forests which thrive here but have been mostly destroyed between South America and Mexico. Corcovado is known for panther sightings as well as flocks of brightly colored macaws, poison-arrow frogs and fishing bats. You can access the park on the southeast corner near Carate through La Leona, or at the northern perimeter through Los Patos, and also at the northwest corner through San Pedrillo.

Costa Rica realized in 1970 that something had to be done to protect the wildlife of the country. Then enacted a program that has preserved huge portions of land in order top protect the life of the plants and animals. This preservation is one of the reasons why the area is such a desirable destination.

No matter what brings you to Costa Rica, it is important to get Costa Rica travel advice in order to plan your trip appropriately. The lands need to be preserved so it is important to treat all of the areas with respect and take out with you, everything y ou bring in. With careful attention, we can continue to travel to this lush land for years to come.


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