Costa Rica is a “must” country to visit and enjoy a spectacular vacation if you’re looking for a warm, sunny climate, exotic wildlife, beautiful tropical vegetation, mystical rainforests, picturesque trails, pristine beaches, and relaxation with nature. Activities are endless ranging from great surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing swimming, world-class sport fishing, canopy zip lines, horseback riding, nature tours, rafting, spas, yoga, Latin dancing and much, much more! All this in a country that cherishes peace, actively protects the environment, and meets its visitors with welcome arms and open hearts!
Geographically, Costa Rica is located in the southern portion of Central America and is just ten degrees above the equator. Panama borders Costa Rica to the south and Nicaragua to the north. The Caribbean is to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Located 100 miles south of San Jose on the Pacific Coast, a pleasant two-hour drive or a short 20 minutes by plane, is the most visited national park reserve in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio. Despite its small size and great popularity, Manuel Antonio has managed to remain one of the premiere nature spots in the country. The rain forest and mountains literally meet the sea here and the ecosystem is teeming with land, sea and air species. If there is one place to visit in this country and be assured of seeing animals in the wild, this is it. Just a couple of hours walking the park's trails are likely to present various colorful and majestic birds, white-faced monkeys, two and three-toed sloth, coatis, pacas, brilliantly colored land crabs, a variety of multihued butterflies, and interesting insects. The endangered squirrel monkey and a subspecies of the squirrel monkey endemic to Costa Rica are also frequently seen. In all, over 100 species of animals and nearly 200 species of birds have been identified in this park.
Photographers - keep your lens ready for a sloth basking in the morning sun outside your villa or a troop of spider monkeys interrupting your lunch or just to capture “one of the finest views of the Pacific Ocean in the world” (Washington Times).
This is definitely the place to go if you only have a short time in Costa Rica and can’t decide between tropical forest and tropical beach. Tourists can find the excitement and adventure of a vacation in the tropical forest, surrounded by one of the country’s most beautiful natural environments, without sacrificing life’s modern conveniences.
