Costa Rica
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Peaceful, calm and 100% democratic, that'll be Costa Rica. Then start talking about national parks, reserves and biospheres, sprinkled with generous helpings of Private Reserved and National Monuments and you'd think Ticos had a monopoly on nature. And they did until the rest of the sub-continent started playing catch-up. What makes the difference in Costa Rica is the sheer variety of what is on offer. Quetzales here, nesting turtles there, big cats at all points of the compass. Talk about the attractions of Costa Rica, naturally nature comes first, with about 70 great parks featuring all kinds of wild things. Pick your park according to desired sights and time available. Another major attraction is Arenal Volcano, climbing is forbidden, but the live lava views can be spectacular and the base area is a fascinating mess of magma caves. The dry season offers your best chance of this rare sight. The nearest town is La Fortuna and the best route to the base is via a jungle path from Tabacon Resort - smokin'!
p.s. there are hot springs and cold drinks not far away for lazy night perusal. Rincon de la Vieja, a satanically misshapen volcanic landscape of craters and pools and bubbling mud. Good for hiking, riding and simmering in hot springs. San José, Costa Rica's capital, is unavoidable but of little interest. It has a couple of OK museums though not of the zoological/botanical sort. Beaches are mostly near to national parks so beach/wildlife combos are possible. The Pacific side offers excellent beaches at Manuel Antonio. Golfito, near Corcovado Park is an good base for exploring less developed paradise beaches to the south, such as Playa Zancudo and Pavones. Further north Jaco is way overdeveloped as a resort and Puntarenas is unpleasantly polluted.
In the NW Peninsula de Nicoya is hard to reach but has some superb beaches with laid back village support, including Playa del Coco, Playa Samara and Montezuma. The Caribbean side best offer is Cahuita in the SE, famous for its Creole culture, coral reef and fine sandy beaches, with a wildlife park nearby.
In fact, it's easy to get blase about the place, and frustration mounts when the small things crawl, fly and slither don't greet you with a welcome card - just because they're there doesn't mean you see them. There is no substitute for good old-fashioned patience. Or is there? World-class Whitewater rafting, surfing and fishing, erupting volcanoes and steaming mud pools, hot-air ballooning, walking, hiking, canoeing or just lazing about. Others may do these things, but they won't find them all packed into a bundle as small as Costa Rica.
North America Travel Guide
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