COSTA RICA HOLIDAYS   >   CENTRAL AMERICA


The Pacific coast boasts some of Costa Rica's most famous beaches for surfing, such as Esterillos, Jaco, Hermosa, Boca Barranca. In the Golfito region, near the Marino Ballena National Park, surfing fans can find the famous 'big left wave'.

Provinces in Costa Rica : Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose.

The Caribbean region of Costa Rica is noted for its variety of acuatic ecosystems and its beautiful white and black sand beaches, providing an ideal setting for activities such as sport-fishing, snorkeling, and sun bathing.

Capital City of Costa Rica : San Jose 


car hire, holiday homes, hotels, tour operators - costa rica tours, travel guides, travel to costa rica

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Car Rentals Costa Rica

  Sixt   -   
Pick-Up Station / Return Station: Guanacaste / Liberia Airport and San José Airport



Hotels in Costa Rica

  Clarion Amon Plaza Hotel ****, 11th Avenue and 3rd Street Bis, 4192-1000 San Jose
The Clarion Amon Plaza Hotel is strategically set in one of the few San Jose's historic and quaint neighborhoods "Barrio Amon". This boutique style hotel represents the rebirth of the warmth Costa Rican traditional hospitality with first class service for demanding travelers and business guests of excellent taste, who seek the highest level of quality, comfort and modern facilities.

 

 
Centrally located hotels ranging from small family run budget accommodation to world-class five star hotels.

  Hotel Bougainvillea
Half hour drive from airport San José. Owner Hans van der Wielen lives already form more than 40 years in Costa Rica. Restaurant, swimming pool, tennis court and 4 ha garden.

  Hotel Banana Azul
Looking to experience some more culture and nature on your vacation in Costa Rica? Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo might be just what you're looking for.

National Parks

Costa Rica boasts 20 national parks,  8 biological reserves,  and a wealth of other protected areas that have captivated lovers of ecotourism for decades. The variety of activities include horse-back riding,  hiking mountainous paths in the cloud forests,  and guided bird-watching tours.

  Tortuguero National Park
This park is especially famous for the hatching of baby sea turtles that takes place every year, and the natural canals that abound with protected species such as the crocodile,  manatee,  and otter.
  Volcan Poas National Park
The Poas Volcano's eruptions are known to have occurred as early as of 1747 when the Spanish governor Juan Gemir wrote about its activity.
The Life Zones represented in the park are the Mountain Rain Forest and Very Humid Low Mountain Forest. There are four principal habitats. The Cloud Forest surrounds Botos Lake and the back part of the Potrero Grander; here the predominant species are wild papaya, pitch apple, oak, and two species of ttsta. Along the edges of the Caribbean side, the forest is taller and very wet, with numerous palms, tree ferns, and epiphytes. Elfin Forest is found along the Main Crater-Botos Lake trail; the main species are pitch apple, ardisia compressa, and Alzatea verticillata. The arrayanes are predominant near the point overlooking the crater and on the first stretch of the natural Botos Lake trail; in a few areas near the crater there is little vegetation except for a few tolerant colonists like bracken ferns. Although larger animals are scarce, the avifauna is diverse and abundant. A total of 79 species of birds have been identified, including various hummingbirds, Black Guan, Resplendent Quetzal, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Sooty Thrush, Emerald Toucanet, Large-footed Finch, and Yellow-thighed Finch.

See Visit Costa Rica for more [ What to do >  Eco Tourism >  National Parks ]

Travel Agents / Tour Operator

     -   Escorted tours
Kuoni tours offer the best in comfort and quality as you explore your chosen region. Many of their tours include local excursions, and you can also extend your stay with a city or beach extension. Their fully escorted tours include the services of a professional experienced tour manager from London, throughout the tour and back to London again.
If touring doesn't appeal, you can also choose to stay in the capital, San Jose. This city enjoys a spring like climate, and is a good base from which to explore some of what Costa Rica has to offer. As an extension to your stay in San Jose, you can unwind on the beautiful sandy beaches of Tamarindo.

 

   -   Create your perfect trip to Costa Rica
Flight, Hotel and Car





Incoming Tour Operator

  Costaricainfo.com
Arenal & Hot Springs, Canopy Tour, White Water Rafting, Carara & Jacó, San José City, Poás Volcano (NP), Grecia & Sarchí, Poás, Grecia & Sarchí, Irazú Volcano (NP), Lankaster Gardens, Isla Tortuga, Monteverde, Pueblo Antiguo, White Wate Rafting, Dinner at Mirador RAM LUNA, Braulio Carrillo (NPd),
Water Rafting Class IV, Arenal Volcano & Caño Negro, Monteverde 2D,1N, Horseback Ride, Mountain Biking, Peñas Blancas en Tortuguero National Park

Travel Guides Costa Rica / Related books

Travel Guides Costa Rica   [ amazon.co.uk ]

Costa Rica (Lonely Planet Country Guides)
Matthew Firestone (Author)
Includes a new full-colour section on outdoor sports. Features more off-the-beaten-track, unique experiences than other guidebooks to this popular destination. The only guide with a sustainable tourism focus. More family-friendly advice and listings.
Paperback: 588 pages; Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 9th edition edition (22 Oct 2010); ISBN-10: 1741794749; ISBN-13: 978-1741794748.

Transportation / How do I travel to Costa Rica

Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south.

  San Jose Santa Maria Airport

  

   -   Flights to Costa Rica
Book cheap flights to Costa Rica at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online

  Airline Tickets Costa Rica / Bargain Flights  
Flight tickets Costa Rica / Price comparison possible

The quickest way to get around is to fly, and several domestic airlines offer daily flights to most of the popular tourist destinations.

Bus services to just about every town and city, and high-quality buses serving the main tourist destinations.


Links

  Visit Costa Rica   -   Costa Rica Tourist Board  [ ICT ]

  San Jose   -   Capital and largest city of Costa Rica
San José was a small village of little significance until 1824. In that year, Costa Rica's first elected head of state, liberal Juan Mora Fernández, decided to move the government of Costa Rica from the old Spanish colonial capital of Cartago and make a fresh start with a new city.

  Alajuela Provincia   -   north-central part of the country
Cantons : Alajuela, Alfaro Ruiz, Atenas, Grecia, Guatuso, Los Chiles, Naranjo, Orotina, Palmares, Poás, San Carlos, San Mateo, San Ramón, Upala, Valverde Vega
  Cartago   -   central part of the country   -   Capital = Cartago City
Cantons : Cartago, Paraíso, La Unión, Jiménez, Turrialba, Alvarado, Oreamuno and El Guarco.
  Guanacaste   -   in the northwestern part of the country, at the coast to the Pacific Ocean
To the north it borders Nicaragua [ in fact Guanacaste originally belonged to Nicaragua ]. Capital City = Liberia.
Guanacaste experiences little rain and consistent heat from November to April, providing enjoyable dry heat for tourists seeking time on any of the breathtaking Guanacastecan beaches throughout the North-American winter.
Guanacastecan residents are unique in culture and language among Costa Ricans, because the Guanacaste province to this day still resembles Nicaraguan culture to whom it once belonged.
Cantons : Abangares, Bagaces, Cañas Blancas, Carrillo, Hojancha, La Cruz, Liberia, Nandayure, Nicoya, Santa Cruz and Tilarán
  Heredia   -   in the north-central part of Costa Rica   -   Capital City = Heredia.
To the north the Canton Heredia borders Nicaragua.
Cantons : Barva, Belén, Flores, Heredia, San Isidro, San Pablo, San Rafael, Santa Bárbara, Santo Domingo and Sarapiquí
  Limon  -  in the eastern part at the coat of the Atlantic Ocean  -   Capital City = Puerto Limón
It borders Panama and Nicaragua.
Cantons : Guácimo, Limón, Matina, Pococí, Siquirres and Talamanca.
  Puntarenas   -   in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast.
It borders Panama. Capital City = Puntarenas. The island Isla del Coco, 500 km offshore in the Pacific Ocean, is considered a part of this province.
Cantons : Aguirre, Buenos Aires, Corredores, Coto Brus, Esparza, Garabito, Golfito, Montes de Oro, Parrita and Puntarenas.
  San Jose Province   -   in the central part of the country   -   capital = San José
Cantons : Acosta, Alajuelita, Aserrí, Curridabat, Desamparados, Dota, Escazú, Goicoechea, Leon Cortés, Montes de Oca, Mora, Moravia, Perez Zeledón, Puriscal, San José Canton, Santa Ana, Tarrazú, Tibá, Turrubares, Vásquez de Coronado

  Alajuela
  Cartago
  Escazú
  Golfito
  Jacó
  Liberia
  Limón
  Nicoya
  Puntaneras City   -   at the Pacific Ocean   -   white beaches
its port, Caldera, is one of the main ports in the country.
  San José
  Tibás

  News from Costa Rica   -   The Tico Times Online   -   daily news
  Ticos
The Ticos, as Costa Ricans are commonly known, are famous for their hospitality
  University of Costa Rica  -  established in 1843.

Cuisine  -  Costa Rican Recipes

  Costarica.com  
Costa Rican food is a fusion cuisine. It combines elements of culinary traditions from Africa, Italy, France, China, and Spain, flavored by traditional grains (rice, corn, and beans), roots (cassava, taro roots, sweet potatoes), spices (coriander, garlic, annatto, saffron, parsley, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper), oils (olive oil, vegetable oil, and lard), sauces (Lizano, Soy, and Worcestershire), fresh fruit, and vegetables. The food is mild to slightly seasoned.
  Pura Vida   -   Ana's special recipes

History of Costa Rica

Independence: 15 September 1821 [ from Spain ].

In Pre-Columbian times the Native Americans in what is now Costa Rica were part of the Intermediate Area located between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions.

  Costa Rica's History   -   Wikipedia
In 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus made the first European landfall in the area. Settlement of Costa Rica began in 1522. The native people of the Mayans and Aztecs were conquered by Spain in the 16th century. Costa Rica was then the southern-most province in the Spanish territory of New Spain...

Music, Art & Culture, Events

The predominant influence has long been European, which is reflected in everything from the official language -- Spanish -- to the architecture of the country's churches and other historic buildings.

Costa Rican Spanish (Lonely Planet Phrasebook S.)  -   Thomas Kohnstamm
This phrasebook gives an essential guide to mastering the local Spanish idiom, and includes an extensive section on the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. It covers food, accommodation and getting around, and gives a guide to grammar and punctuation.
Paperback 256 pages (June 16, 2000);  Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications;  Language: English;  ISBN: 1864501057
  Culture of Costa Rica
In Costa Rica the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures meet. The north of the country was the southernmost point of mayan influence when the Spanish conquistadores came in the 16th century. On the opposite, the center and south portions of the country had chibcha influences. Due to the practice of enslavement in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Atlantic coast of the country was populated with african slaves. In the meantime, thousands of Chinese families came to the country to work in the train railroads. So all of these influences have developed the extremely varied culture of Costa Rica...
Calypsos: Afro-Limonese Music of Costa Rica  [ To hear a song sample, click on the song titles ]
Audio CD; Number of Discs:1;  Label: Lyrichord;  ASIN: B0000022A8;  Catalogue Number: LYRCD7412
Music of Costa Rica  -   Compania Folclorica Matambu
Audio CD (June 13, 2005);  Number of Discs:1;  Label: Arc;  ASIN: B0009OORJ2;  Catalogue Number: EUCD1940

 
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