San José, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the best countries to visit if you love an active vacation with plenty of adventure. Its rainforests, jungle, mountains, sparkling waterfalls, wild rivers, majestic lakes, mangroves, volcanoes and tropical beaches make it the perfect place for enjoying the great outdoors. Horseback riding expeditions, mountain and jungle expeditions, and getting around by jeep, mountain bike, boat or raft - all are favorite ways of experiencing Costa Rica.

'Irazú' means ‘mountain of thunder and earthquakes’. The natural environment surrounding this volcano has been protected ever since it was designated as the Parque Nacional Volcan Irazú. The road to the park meanders upward through lush green valleys with large coffee plantations. Once at the top, you have a fantastic view from the edge of the crater! With clear skies, you can see out over the valley and surrounding mountains to the oceans on both sides of the country.

Monteverde is a private nature reserve with the most breathtakingly beautiful cloud forests of Costa Rica. High humidity provides the perfect habitat for lush vegetation. Craggy ancient trees become habitats for hanging gardens filled with ferns, mosses, bromeliads, anthuriums and orchids. Monteverde is also home to many exotic bird species such as photogenic hummingbirds. To spot most other jungle animals, it’s best to take a guided tour into the park at night.

Not afraid of heights? If you dare, the Sky Walk and Sky Track provide incredible birds-eye views. The Sky Walk is a system of tree-top suspension bridges taking you through and over the rainforest. Even more thrilling is the Sky Track that lets you glide over the rainforest canopy in a harness suspended from a cable for a totally new perspective!

Costa Rica offers opportunities for mountain-biking, surfing, snorkeling, diving and much, much more. In general, renting special equipment is not expensive. Playa Tamarindo on the Pacific coast has a number of good diving schools and surfing sites. With the world’s most beautiful beaches, the atmosphere on the Caribbean coast has a more relaxed reggae atmosphere.

This volcanic park is known for the hot gases escaping from the ground and the bubbling mud pools producing white clay perfect for use as a cleansing facial mask! Another favorite activity here is immersing yourself in first a warm and then a cold sulphurous stream. The volcano itself can be climbed by foot or partially on horseback. Be warned, however, that the final stretch takes you over slippery, rocky, often windswept terrain. With clear skies, you have an incredible panoramic view from the crater that’s usually issuing a stream of hot gases. Rincon de la Vieja is also an area where you can see many animal species such as spider monkeys, armadillos and anteaters.

This park has a unique dichotomous character due to its wetlands, provided by the delta of Rio Tempisque, and the surrounding dry tropical forest. This unique habitat is home to stunning exotic bird species such as the Night Heron, Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Jabiru, Great White Heron, and the Fulvous Whistling Duck.

The Tortuguero National Park is made up of lowland rainforest and swamp forest. At some places, you can walk through the forest accompanied by a guide. The park provides good habitat for many animal species such as monkeys, poisonous frogs, and various species of birds and snakes. During the summer (between July and September) is when the green turtles come to lay their eggs on the beach. This park is the most important nesting site for these animals in the Caribbean region. Large leatherback turtles also come ashore here in May.

Braulio Carrillo is not far from San José and the route to get there takes you past craters, deep canyons, inactive volcanoes and towering waterfalls. Slopes are covered with large-leafed Gunnera plants. So large are these leaves that they are sometimes used as umbrellas! The park covers a very large area (almost 110,000 acres) which also includes the Brava Volcano.