You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Adventure Costa Rica<br />
Costa Rica is country packed full of adventure, any typical vacation there might<br />
include excursions like white-water rafting, a rainforest canopy tour, relaxing at the<br />
beach, or exploring the rainforest from one of Costa Rica’s Eco lodges. Vacation hotspots<br />
include Manuel Antonio National Park, Tortuguero, Monteverde cloud forest and Arenal<br />
Volcano.<br />
Bird-watchers should put<br />
Los Quetzales National<br />
Park (south of San Jose) on<br />
their itinerary to see the<br />
resplendent quetzal (really,<br />
that’s the bird’s name) and<br />
many other birds that call the<br />
cooler climes of the cloud<br />
forest home. Corcovado<br />
National Park on the country’s<br />
southern Pacific coast is the<br />
country’s largest national<br />
park, and home to 3% of<br />
the world’s biodiversity all by<br />
itself.<br />
Year-round surfing on the Pacific and Caribbean Coasts has drawn ex-pats to Costa<br />
Rica, and built up surf towns along the way. Jaco is the closest to San Jose, but our Deal<br />
Experts re<strong>com</strong>mend making your way to Guanacaste in the country’s northwest for the<br />
best experience. It’s hard to beat the rush of that first time you see (and hear) a waterfall<br />
bursting from the jungle backdrop. There are several falls worth a detour -- especially<br />
during the green season, when the rains feed Costa Rica’s rivers.<br />
More than a quarter of your country is<br />
protected rainforest with more biodiversity<br />
than USA and Europe <strong>com</strong>bined, and the<br />
rest is a jaw-dropping <strong>com</strong>bo of bubbling<br />
volcanoes, Pacific surf beaches and laidback<br />
towns like Quepos and Sarapiqui.<br />
Zip lines aren’t hard to find -- whether it’s<br />
in the misty cloud forest of Monteverde,<br />
in the looming shadow of the Arenal<br />
volcano, or through the colorful jungle<br />
canopy at various spots throughout the<br />
country.<br />
163 164