21-Day Best of Costa Rica
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21-Day Best of Costa Rica
It would take months to exhaust the possibilities for a total immersion in Costa Rica. Few visitors have time to explore Costa Rica from tip to toe, unless they’ve opted to fly to and from distinct locales using San José as a hub (in which case, visiting the “four quarters” is eminently feasible). The typical visitor spends about 10 days in Costa Rica, quite enough to savor a smorgasbord sampler, ideally concentrating on two or three regions. (read more)
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10-Day Wildlife Lover’s Tour
National parks, wildlife refuges, and biological reserves are found throughout the country. These protected reserves range from swamp (good for crocodile viewing) and dry forest environments to lowland rainforests and high-mountain forests smothered in cloud, with enough diversity of terrain and wildlife to keep nature lovers enthralled for weeks. Many reserves are remote, with few services, and require often arduous hiking. (read more)
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10-Day Wildlife Lover's Tour
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10-Day Beach Lover's Tour
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10-Day Beach Lover’s Tour
Costa Rica boasts glorious beaches. Only a few, however, are of the frost-white variety silvering the shore like confectioners’ sugar. Such diamond-dust beaches are found along sections of Nicoya, plus Manuel Antonio National Park (the most radiantly white are Playa Conchal and Playa Flamingo). The vast majority are of taupe color, many with the texture of potting soil, the result of sediments washed down from the mountains by rivers. Several beaches are almost black. (read more)
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Surfing in Costa Rica
Dedicated surfers are constantly in search of the perfect wave. For many, the search has ended in Costa Rica, the “Hawaii of Latin American surf.” Long stretches of oceanfront provide thousands of beach breaks. Numerous rivers offer quality sandbar rivermouth breaks, particularly on the Pacific coast. The coral reefs on the Caribbean coast, says Costa Rican surf expert Peter Brennan, “take the speed limit to the max.” And there are plenty of surf camps. (read more)
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Surfing in Costa Rica
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The Offbeat Experience
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The Offbeat Experience
You don’t have to be in Limón province’s Cahuita or Puerto Viejo more than five seconds to figure that the Caribbean coast draws a high proportion of tattooed, tie-dyed travelers intent on savoring (and contributing to) an offbeat way of life. College-age surfers (predominantly from the USA) and backpacking youth comprise the largest segment of off-the-beaten-path travelers, whose comfort zone resembles a tropical Haight-Ashbury. (read more)
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10-Day Family Adventure
Catering to kids takes some forethought. Many active sports are suitable only for adults and teens, and younger children are generally less tolerant of the patient waiting in silence required to deliver the delayed gratification of viewing rare wildlife. Below, I offer a suggested itinerary that combines educational and fun options for both adults and children. (read more)
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10-Day Family Adventure
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Seven Days for Active Vacationers
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Seven Days for Active Vacationers
Few are the visitors to Costa Rica whose notion of the ideal vacation is doing absolutely nothing and lazing away one’s time in a hammock. Statistics show that the vast majority of visitors come to do something fun, the more adventurous the better. In fact, the chance to partake of bicycling, golfing, or whitewater rafting is one of the great appeals of Costa Rica. The most popular activities are hiking, horseback riding, scuba diving, sportfishing, surfing, and whitewater rafting. (read more)
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