Travel | Costa Rica Travel and Vacation

Costa Rica’s name means, literally, “rich coast. ” The name is appropriate. This beautiful country is rich with amazing wildlife, gorgeous coastlines, and exquisite tropical weather. Cost Rica is a leader in environmental performance and eco-tourism. Its national parks are home to many endangered species, drawing visitors to observe animals in their natural habitat. Costa Rica’s official language is Spanish. Its official currency is the Colon, but many merchants accept the US Dollar. Costa Rica Holidays tours are a popular escape from the winter cold for many travelers who seek a warm and sun-filled getaway.
Visit one of Costa Rica’s butterfly farms for a complete escape from the dreariness of winter weather. Because the weather in Costa Rica is usually very warm, the number of butterfly species is tremendous. Butterflies are a main attraction on Costa Rica tours. In the tiny country of Costa Rica, there are more butterfly variations than in the entire continent of Africa. Many butterfly farms offer travelers the opportunity to spend hours admiring the colourful “flying jewels” in action. It is not necessary to visit a special farm to view butterflies, though. Butterflies are a beautiful part of everyday life in Costa Rica.
Along with butterflies, bird watching is another main attraction of any tour of Costa Rica. Harpy Eagles, an endangered species, have found a home in the nation’s forests. With over 800 different species of birds, Costa Rica’s national parks are resplendent with coloured feathers and chirping songs. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a paradise for those who enjoy watching birds. Canopy tours of the rainforest offer a bird’s eye view of the land below. Guides will escort visitors along suspension bridges and pathways in the tops of rainforest trees.
Tour a butterfly farm, watch birds in a rainforest, or take a skywalk in the Monteverde Reserve. Costa Rica offers a rare combination of beauty, pleasant weather, and richness of wildlife. Whether staying in a five star hotel, or backpacking through the countryside, every tourist will find something to enjoy.

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I was as nervous as my loved ones were about my solitary exploits as a woman in Central America last summer. Nonetheless, I discovered helpful community everywhere from buses to budget hotels, and even with friends of friends.

After two months of road trips from corner to corner of Costa Rica and around southern Nicaragua, my energy was waning. Just then, on a bus ride, I crossed paths with one of the most inspiring people I’d met in months. After finding 1,000 children living in a garbage dump in Managua, Andres was spearheading orphanages around the world—a shining example of someone living his passion.

Andres was one of many people that smoothed out the challenging moments that came with venturing outside my comfort zones. Being open to creating a new community, even a temporary one, seems essential when traveling—especially alone. It touches your heart in so many ways.

The trip began in tiny Playa Uvita, Costa Rica. I walked along a rainforest road, accompanied by roosters and bugs. I was thrilled to end up solo on a wide beach, wading in wonderfully warm water. Suddenly a meddlesome man I’d met earlier rode his horse right up to me, with dog in tow, like a scene from a movie. When Prince Charming’s horse released his bowels in the ocean, my perfect beach moment took a hit as well. I chalked it up to a lesson in tolerance.

Nosara was next, a stormy beach where friends of friends hosted me in their tropical guest house. I continued to discover community in the most unexpected places. What was that pounding on the roof? An iguana! Screeching at 5 a. m. ? A jungle bird. Loud scary dog-like sound? Howler monkey. Strange creature on the floor along with the ants and worms? A scorpion!
In Nosara, I met a jovial New Yorker who offered me a ride to Nicaragua. We made our way through rain, road construction, passport stamping on both sides of the border, and changing money from colones to cordobas. Then came the task of finding the least decrepit and safest budget hotel once arriving in charming San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

I felt comforted by my growing travelers’ community when I took a spontaneous jaunt with another Californian to Isla de Ometepe, a peaceful island with petroglyphs, cows and pigs walking freely in the roads, and adorable children smiling from their patios. On the way to the island, I asked the taxi driver to slow down since I didn’t want to die—especially on my birthday. Next, we took a sweltering ferry ride to Ometepe, where the taxi driver was amusingly island-paced, stopping in the middle of the road to chat with friends on foot. He suggested we eat bull testicles with chili and lemon to feel strong. Settled into a hotel, we swam in a lake along with pop-up sardines and a view of two volcanoes. As I later stood by a tree, a cow chomped on avocadoes and a squirrel dropped a mango on my shoulder.

My fellow adventurer woke me at 4 a. m. to ask me to turn on the light; he was spooked by the sound of an animal on his upper bunk bed. As happens sometimes in Latin America, the electricity was out, so he wondered if the noise was a monkey munching on some food. I found this unsolved mystery hilarious.

Worn out from so many two-day trips, the bronchitis that I’d had in San Diego was back, so I stayed several days in beautiful colonial Granada, Nicaragua. The doctor who helped me recover couldn´t fathom how at 38, I had no kids and was traveling alone. Eleven years ago, my ex-husband had guided me through four months in South America and it was one of the most meaningful experiences I’d ever had. Now I am so grateful that I followed my dreams, as I found out it wasn’t too late to take the solo trip I’d fantasized about at age 20.

For safety, I hired a guide to accompany me to a lake and an historic outdoor market outside Granada. The usual child vendors, working to help their needy families, climbed aboard the bus. A few girls selling plaintain chips and candies asked, “Is everyone in the U. S. white?” I explained that I had friends who were African-American, Asian, Mexican, and so on. As we chatted, one girl sadly asked if I could adopt her as her parents had died, and she disliked living with her grandmother.

San Jose, Costa Rica may be run-down, but I kept returning to the city as it’s a hub for buses throughout the country. Through family friends, I met Raquel and Federico, whose home was respite from the noise and cigarette smoke typical of budget hotels. We shared lovely meals and became fast friends, touring a volcano and lush hilly smalltowns.

Next came the malfunctioning foot portion of the trip. The scene: a hostel with the typical array of 20-something North Americans, Italians, and Israelis vying for the Internet. Ironically trying to avoid a construction zone, I rammed into something in that disheveled area too difficult to see in the dark. Thinking it was a bad toe stubbing, I socialized for a few hours until I discovered my foot was bleeding and cut.

I relocated to Casa Ridgway, the San Jose hostel where I most felt a sense of community among interesting activist travelers. A delightful Australian living in Hong Kong burned incense in our room, and then flew off to Cuba. A 16-year-old drilled me about the goods and bads of solo travel, plotting her future. I befriended a humanitarian videographer, and a group of young breakdancers from Nicaragua and Guatemala. Unable to walk, I’d call on whoever was passing by to bring water, beans or avocados from the market.

Then Raquel’s amiga rescued me. Marielos picked me up, cleaned up the pitiful foot, and with help from a doctor friend, started me on antibiotics. Within a few hours, we were like sisters, watching a dubbed Ben Stiller movie on her bed. I lived with her family for a week until I was back on my feet again.

It was time to return to California. I decided I wasn’t going to become yet another U. S. expat in Costa Rica. I’d heard of too many tourist robberies, found the mosquitoes and humidity irritating, and as a vegan, was longing for more variety than gallo pinto (smashed rice and beans). While I’d enjoyed the lush beaches, tropical creatures and made dear friends, those nights when I was scared for my safety sleeping alone made me long for the comfort of San Diego and friends there.

It was indeed a life-changing trip. Not only did I find community in all corners of the world but also cultivated a profound inner strength for having conquered deeply-rooted fears about traveling alone.

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Whenever one talk about Costa Rica what comes in mind is beautiful rainforests, warm beaches, volcanoes, relaxing environment and wildlife that is worth watching. There is a lot that one can choose in Costa Rica — the most popular place that people visit along the southern border of Spain. Planning a trip to Costa Rica may go out of your budget but a few strategies can help you plan your trip to Costa Rica in budget. First of all it is very important to decide that where in Costa Rica you actually want to go. You can ask friends and acquaintances who have already been to this place. If you do not get enough information you may search the Internet. After you have accumulated enough information about Costa Rica, decide on which are your kind of activities and which all places would you like to visit. You may have some great surfing areas, national park and beach vacations in Costa Rica. The second step goes towards deciding about what will the period of your stay in the country. The best time to visit Costa Rica on budget is during the spring time, that is in the month of August. In Costa Rica it rains a lot but it does not keep raining during the whole day. Because of rain, tourists do not come here and prices tend to become much cheaper. Choose Iberian Airlines as there are a lot for Costa Rica at all times in your. You may be lucky to get air travel tickets for as low as dollar 300 per person. Before booking tickets, check with all travel backsides and airlines and choose the option that you think will be the cheapest. The best service will be available amongst Orbitz, Expedia and Priceline. Looking for a good budgeted hotel, will not bring you respite. The best way to go about accommodation is renting a private and self catering villa. Make sure that you do not go for additional comforts in villa like maids, extra accessories, luxuries etc. Go for the villas that are situated inland. Villas near the beach will obviously cost you double the rent. You will be allowed to cook yourself and you can always buy fresh produce from the market and to cook it in the way you want. Transportation is an important part of your trip and the best mode of transportation would be using the bus service of Costa Rica. Hiring the car would require you to furnish various documents along with your credit card and the car service may also cost you a heavy service tax. Along with this, you will also need to invest in re-filling and maintenance. The service will connect you to all parts of town and you will have a splendid vacation in Costa Rica.

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CostaRica Videos: CostaRicaTravelChannel.com Costa Rica Travel Video share. Promote your costa rica business for free with the Costa Rica Travel Channel. Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna, Costa Rica Home.

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If you are planning an exciting vacation, travel to Costa Rica for the best fun under the sun. Take courses in languages, and other activities taught by English-speaking instructors. Learn something new and have a great time on your vacation. There are a lot of things to see and do in Costa Rica. The beautiful beaches offer some great activities including water skiing, scuba diving, and turtle watching. Costa Rica has some of the rarest wildlife on earth. Travel to Costa Rica is simple and uncomplicated; you do not need a travel visa if staying less than 90 days. Most travel agencies have discount travel packages to meet every budget. Grab a board and go surfing, or sign up for lessons to get you riding the waves like an expert. There are many points in Montezuma that have great waves. Soft sandy beach areas with almost no rocks make this a great surf spot. Spanish is the native language of Costa Rica. In fact, the name Costa Rica means “rich coast” in Spanish. English and Spanish are spoken in the widely public areas used by tourists and visitors. Hotels and restaurants and other businesses are also bilingual. While in Costa Rica, why not spend some of your vacation time learning a new language or getting your scuba certification. There are some great places to dive in Costa Rica if you are already an experienced diver. For example: Montezuma is home to many volcanic and coral reef formations. Dive sites are abundant near the coast, including Tortuga Island (the Spanish word for Turtle) Aquarius, and Franklin Chang( the site of a shipwreck). Learning Spanish in Costa Rica is ideal as it will give you the real world experience of speaking a second language. Not only will you learn to speak Spanish in the classroom but you can use what you have learned right away. The best way to learn a new language is to be around native speakers of the language to hear the correct pronunciation. Enrich your vacation by taking classes in a native setting. Break away from the usual classroom experience by learning in a beautiful island paradise. La Escuela Del Sol in Montezuma, Costa Rica, offers classes in Scuba Diving, Spanish language, Yoga and Poi. Get scuba certified in 2 weeks and dive to some of the most beautiful places in the area. Swim with the fish, dolphins and manta rays. Most classes are completed in 2-4 weeks and food and lodging are included. Many people who travel to Costa Rica love it so much that they return year after year. Great activities to get into: Biking Snorkeling Kayaking Dolphin Watching Visit the Turtle Conservation Project Montezuma Waterfall Hike Horseback Riding on the Beach to El Chorro Waterfalls Scuba Diving at Isla Tortuga Deep Sea Fishing Hike to Cabo Blanco National Park

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Looking for a tropical beach side cottage to spend your vacation or honeymoon? Online companies offer romantic honeymoon getaways with beaches that stretch for miles, jungle rivers for rafting and kayaking, and spectacular cloud and rain forests with opportunities for bird watching and hiking. Having just returned from Costa Rica myself, I would like to offer some practical advice that you probably won’t find in the guide books. When we planned our trip, we assumed that most people in Costa Rica would understand English fairly well. At several hotels, the front desk clerks spoke practically no English. The same goes for bus drivers. The staff at the Costa Rica Car Rental agency spoke the best English. They were able to give us directions to Sarchi, known throughout Costa Rica for its intricate arts and crafts. Prepare yourself by learning key phrases such as “Donde está el banco” (Where is the bank), “Estoy buscando un restaurante” (I am looking for a restaurant), and “Donde está el cuarto de baño” (Where is the bathroom). The Pan American Highway runs through Costa Rica and is a reliable, well-paved road. However, many side roads in Costa Rica are very bad and full of deep potholes. I guarantee that you have never seen a pothole in your life like the ones in Costa Rica. I recommend that when you rent a car, take out the full coverage (usually an additional $20 per day on top of the regular fee). When you take the side roads, you need to allow more time to reach your destination. In some cases you may be only going 20-25 miles per hour. Colones are the national currency and are very easy to translate into American dollars. If an item says 5,000 colones, just drop the 3 zeros and multiply the other number by 2. In other words, 5,000 colones is equal to 10 American dollars. If you need to convert other currency into colones, you can do that with an online currency converter. The rainy season in Costa Rica runs from May through December, but don’t let that stop you. Hotels are cheaper and there is less traffic and fewer people in the restaurants. Many times you will find that you are the ONLY people in the restaurant. My husband and I traveled in September, and experienced rain on only a few days of our trip. It would rain heavily for about one hour and then stop completely. We would spend the time indoors having a lovely Costa Rican lunch, and by the time we finished our gallon pinto, the rain was gone. Bring a good camera and lots of film. Because of the rain, you will see some of the most beautiful exotic plants and over thirteen hundred species of orchids. The size and rumbling of the Poas Volcano will take your breath away. Waterfalls, like those near La Fortuna, are located off of the side roads, so drive slowly and allow more time. Even in the cities, you will want to photograph the brightly colored houses and ornate wrought iron that covers all the windows and patios in beautiful Costa Rica.

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Of late, regular travel has become predictable and boring. With falling airfares and the resulting increase of package tours becoming the most common way of vacationing, traveling has become uninspiring and monotonous.

That feeling of adventure that traveling is supposed to evoke has become jaded. This is what has given rise to a new form of travel these days – Adventure Travel! Adventure travel is not only popular with the adrenaline filled youth, but is increasingly being taken up by people of older generations too, because of greater fitness, health, leisure time and economic prosperity.

There really is very little else in the world that can be more thrilling than adventure travel, because it primarily involves risk taking. When you get out there, you finally start experiencing life at its edgiest – which is part of its excitement. It is not hard to figure out why.

Adventure travel usually takes us into close proximity with Mother Nature at her rawest best. It also often introduces us to new peoples and cultures, thus broadening our perspective about the world we live in.

For those who really are into hardcore adventure travel at its adrenaline pumping best, there are many options, such as scaling the fourteen thousand feet craggy mountains of Colorado or the even loftier snow-capped peaks of the Himalayan range, bicycling along the route of Tour de France, or trying out a new heart-rate pumping adventure sport like white water rafting in treacherous, rolling icy waters.

You may choose to try parasailing into the updrafts from vertiginous cliffs, bungee jump off precarious toe-holds, or ski down hair-raisingly steep mountain sides. If it is thrills you are looking for, there is no dearth of them.

However, not all adventure travel need comprise of spine-tingling feats, defying death. For the gentler bent of mind, there are trips you can take which can be equally exciting and stimulating, without much danger involved in them.

For example, you could float up above the African veld in a hot air balloon to watch lions stalking their prey below, or take a walking tour of the ancient Angkor Wat temple smothered in the Cambodian jungles, or hike through the forest trails in the Amazonian jungles experiencing the exotic wild life there like the Caymans snoozing on the banks of the rivers or the brightly hued parrots squawking in the canopy of branches overhead.

Some of the other adventure travel sites include eco-trekking through the rain forests of the Caribbean in order to get up close to the insects, birds and animals that inhabit it. You could take camping trips to various exotic locales still off the tourist map and learn about the local people – their food habits, costumes, language and culture by actually interrelating with them.

Or perhaps you would like something more solitary and gentle. If so, there are still unspoiled beaches that are virtually deserted and exist for you to immerse yourself in the sun-splashed splendor of yellow sands and azure seas.

Or, if you want something a little livelier, how about surfing off the coast of Costa Rica? All of these provide a way of being a part of adventure travel, without it getting too hazardous.

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ORO Travel Offers an Exclusive Experience at the Famed ‘Morgan’s Rock Resort’ in Nicaragua
Nestled between Costa Rica and Honduras lies a hidden gem â Nicaragua.Â A country full of wonder, warm seas, tropical forests, a plethora of flora and fauna, colonial towns and home to one of the largest lakes in Latin America.Â Amidst all of this beauty on the Pacific coast on a 2000-hectare property and a natural reserve sits Morgan’s Rock, a member of the Rainforest Alliance and a leader in …

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