International Travel Adventure

Does anyone really go to Costa Rica for anything other than to buy and enjoy their own little slice of “retirement heaven”? If your e-mail inbox (or spam folder) is anything like mine, you’d think that Costa Rica was full of American and European retirees living out their golden years drinking genuine mountain grown coffee, playing golf, and perhaps learning a bit of Spanish to help “get by” a little more easily. Well, let’s see about that, shall we?

First, Costa Rica is one of only seven countries that make up Central America. It is even more unique in that it is also one of only five of those countries that have two ocean borders – Pacific and Atlantic. Just that, alone, makes it a very unique country to visit and explore. Then, since the country is only 10 degrees north of the equator, we must add the fact that we have rain forests and jungle. OK, it’s becoming more interesting!

As you may recall from the previous post, the Pacific Ring of Fire includes the west coasts of North America, South America, and of course, Central America. Costa Rica has eleven volcanoes, seven of which are considered “active”. The volcanoes of Costa Rica are: Arenal, Barva, Cerro Tilaran, Irazu, Miravalles, Orosí, Platanar, Poás, Rincón de la Vieja, Tenorio, and Turrialba. The 7 “active” volcanoes are: Arenal, Barva, Irazu, Miravalles, Poás, Rincón de la Vieja, and Turrialba.

Volcano Arenal, which is the youngest and most active in Costa Rica, has been continually active from 1968 to the present. It also lends its name to the country’s (nearby) largest lake. While volcanoes are not the only attractions in the country, they include some of the most active - while being “up close” visible, volcanoes in the western hemisphere. The areas surrounding active volcanoes also cater to the explorers with resorts featuring natural hot springs or ocean-side pools; relax while photographing some of the most spectacular glowing nighttime lava flows, or watching the sun set over the Pacific horizon!

Costa Rica has attained a 44^th place world ranking in the 2008 Travel and Tourism Competitive Index (first among Latin American countries). The real success story behind that is ‘ecotourism’, which capitalizes on the country’s extensive protected areas and national parks. Costa Rica is a pioneer in this type of tourism, and is hailed as one of the few countries worldwide with genuine ecotourism being offered. Fully 23% of the country is protected forests and reserves, and has the greatest density of plant and animal species in the world. Wikipedia states that while the country has only 0.1% of the world’s land mass, it contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity, due in large part to the jungles and the tropical setting of the rain forest areas.

While areas are protected, they are also “on display” for visitors. Enabling actually viewing much of the wildlife, in addition to the myriad of plant life, are “canopy tours” through the forests – both via platforms and zip lines, as well as via the “hanging bridges” that are in place. If you ever wanted to get “up close and personal” with some of the amazing wildlife here, these adventure treks not only allow it, but promote it. Many species of monkeys, turtles, birds (over 850, including eight species of parrots), sloths, reptiles, big cats, tapirs, among so many others, are ready to be spotted and perhaps photographed. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, alone, has about 2,000 plant species, including many orchids. Hanging bridges in cloud forest areas afford spectacular views of amazing scenery.

Other adventure activities include white-water rafting and kayaking on the many rivers, two of the most notable for such being Rio Pacuare and Rio Reventazon; several other notables include a few on the Pacific coastal drainage areas. If you’re into climbing, the highest peak is 12,500 feet (3,810 meters), while the highest volcano comes in at 11,257 feet (3,431 meters). If you prefer tropical islands, Costa Rica has its share, the largest, Calero Island being only 58.5 square miles (151.6 square km), and the most distant being Cocos Island, which is 300 miles (500 km) off Puntarenas on the Pacific coast.

All in all, I have long considered Costa Rica to be a primary destination for adventure travel in the Americas. While it has become quite popular for retirement, it has become almost as popular for romantic adventures, as well; there are many websites devoted to honeymooning in Costa Rica. Romance aside, ecotourism and adventure treks contribute most heavily to the economy, and remain the primary attractions for foreigners.

If you’re still unsure of anything about your next international travel - and you want it to be cheaper, safer, and more adventurous, get my free “Smart Tips Handbook” available exclusively to Registered Readers! Click the link below.

International Travel Adventure

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 6:13 pm and is filed under Photos, Travel Ideas, Travel Talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.