This beautiful Central American country, filled with rain forests, beaches, friendly locals, good food, hot springs, biodiverse wildlife, and eco-chic accommodations, has long been a great place to vacation as there is something for everyone! Visiting Costa Rica should be on your list of things to do. Costa Rica is famous for its incredible national parks, where travelers enjoy nature and adventure activities such as white river rafting, canyoning, cave tubing, or zip lining. Costa Rica is also one of the best places for nature lovers. You will get the opportunity to discover a variety of wildlife like macaws, sea turtles, sloths, and many more.
This country contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity which means that of every 20 animal species on Earth, one of them is native to Costa Rica. Visiting Costa Rica also means visiting an incredibly tourist-friendly place. It welcomes people from all over the world every year with open arms. Due to this, the tourism industry in the country has developed, and now more Costa Ricans speak English. The country of Costa Rica is one of the happiest countries in the world, ranked by various indexes that measure the overall well-being of their inhabitants.
If you still need a little more convincing as to why Costa Rica is the best place to visit and why visiting Costa Rica should be on your things to do, take a look at these reasons below.
1. Costa Rica a Wildlife Paradise
Costa Rica is a wildlife paradise! Home to almost 30 national parks and about five percent of the world’s biodiversity. There are cloud forests, dry forests, rain forests, low mountain forests, highland mountain forests, mangrove and swamp forests, volcanoes, hot springs, valleys, beaches, and coral reefs to explore. Also, the country has 60+ volcanoes, and only five are active. One of the most popular ones is the Arenal Volcano. It is Costa Rica’s most popular attraction especially for groups of friends, solo travelers, backpackers, nature & adventure lovers or anyone who wants to hike its rugged terrain or soak in its geothermal hot springs. You will find almost 500,000 species of animals in the country, including scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, humpback whales, green iguanas, sea turtles, sloths and many more.
Pretty much anywhere you go in Costa Rica, there is some amazing wildlife to discover. Visiting Costa Rica means learning about different interesting nature and animals facts. One famous fact is that Costa Rica is the hummingbird capital of the world!. Costa Rica’s marine territory is significantly larger than its land territory. This means that when you visit Costa Rica, you can find around 25 different species of whales and dolphins, hundreds of species of tropical fish and a vast array of rays, sharks, and corals.
Visiting Costa Rica Tips:
TIP #1: There is so much to see and to do in Costa Rica. Interacting with animals is not recommended. At Bigger Than Us-Travels, we recommend not participating in tours or activities that involve practices that are not sustainable. If you are interested in volunteering opportunities, animal rehabilitation practices or working at a sanctuary when visiting Costa Rica do your research in advance.
2. Visit Costa Rica: Nature & Adventure
There are many activities options in this country. Your main problem will be wanting to do everything during your trip. From white water rafting, to scaling down a 200-foot waterfall at a volcano national park, zip lining above the jungle in Monteverde, hiking beneath active volcanoes like in the Arenal Volcano, walking on hanging bridges above a cloud forest, windsurfing on Lake Arenal, and many more. Outdoor enthusiasts will be blown-away by the diversity of adrenaline-pumping tours and nature based activities. Costa Rica is full of adventure and nature. You just have to choose the right one for YOU!
Common activities that you can do while visiting Costa Rica are related to nature, adventure, culture and wellness. Throughout the country you can find different naturalist-guided and self-guided nature tours and hikes available that will exceed all your expectations and suit your needs. The fun and adventure is really never-ending in Costa Rica. You will find all-day and multiple-day nature, culture or adventure tours around the country. However, it is common to find these activities and tours around Monteverde and La Fortuna.
Bigger Than Us – Travels Tours & Activities:
At Bigger Than Us – Travels, we strive to provide meaningful & authentic ecotourism and cultural tourism tours & activities with local businesses in Monteverde and La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Some of the upcoming activities and tours we will be providing are related to wildlife watching, scuba diving & snorkeling, zip-lining, waterfall hiking, hanging bridge walks, white water rafting, kayaking, waterfall rappelling, soaking in natural hot springs and many more. Stay tuned for these upcoming ecotours and activities & sing up for our Newsletter!
Visiting Costa Rica Tips:
TIP #2: For those who prefer wellness activities or just a relaxing time when visiting Costa Rica, the country also offers all kinds of wellness experiences, such as yoga retreats or even culinary healing properties experiences and many more.
3. Visit Costa Rica: Take Me There
Costa Rica is considered a convenient vacation destination. The country is about a three-hour nonstop flight from Miami, USA and a five-hour nonstop flight from Toronto, Canada. This means that if you are visiting Costa Rica and traveling from the States or Canada, you will not have to worry about dealing with severe jet lag. Many airlines offer non-stop flights from Miami to Costa Rica, such as Spirit Airlines, American Airlines, and JetBlue.
You can also book your flight tickets using other airlines such as Copa airlines. Take into account that it may include a stopover in Panama. If your departure country is Canada, some airlines you can fly with to visit Costa Rica are Air Canada, Avianca, Delta, United, and American airlines.
Visiting Costa Rica Tips:
TIP #3: Keep in mind that the country’s currency is the Costa Rican Colón. However, U.S. dollars and credit cards are widely accepted around the country.
4. Visit Costa Rica: Time to Relax
Costa Rica offers different types of accommodations. Some of the accommodation options you can find in the country are ecolodge nested deep in the jungle, luxury hotels on the edge of the sea, vacation rentals all over the country and for the budget conscious people amazing hostels where you can connect with different like minded travelers. Imagine staying in a $10-a-night hostel or a more luxurious option like the Four Seasons, humble ecolodges or totally decent hostels and vacation rentals for around $50 a night when visiting Costa Rica.
There are countless opportunities to be surrounded by nothing but nature and space to disconnect from your day-to-day life. Visiting Costa Rica means connecting with yourself, your friends, family or partner while getting away from all the worries. For travelers looking for a more specific connection or a different type of accommodation experience the country also offers yoga hotels, hot-springs hotels, ecotourism hotels, fully equipped vacation rentals for a week or two where you can feel at home. If you are interested in one of our recommendations read our blogs.
Visiting Costa Rica Tips:
TIP #4: Don’t be afraid to explore different online platforms that provide accommodation options, as some might offer a better price, better amenities, breakfast or activities options. For example, if you are a solo traveler or a couple, don’t check only prices on booking.com but also hostels.com, as sometimes they might offer better accommodation options depending on your group size.
5. Pura Vida Lifestyle
During your visit to this beautiful country you will hear everyone saying “Pura Vida” which translates to “Pure Life”. For Costa Ricans is not only a word, it’s a way of life and they take this to their hearts. This phrase or motto is also used as a greeting or a response to “How are you?”. Pura Vida is definitely part of the country’s culture. It’s hard not to feel and understand what Pura Vida is all about when you are visiting Costa Rica but I think the most important thing is to understand what Pura Vida really means or what it can mean to certain Costa Ricans.
Many say that Pura Vida is about living simply and intentionally. It’s about being present, appreciating nature, embracing & cherishing loved ones, taking time to do the things that you love, and taking care of your mind, body and soul. Whatever it might mean, we can say that this simple saying or motto, is based on deep wisdom that promotes happiness within and towards others. A new Netflix show mentions that a large part of the northwestern Nicoya Peninsula has been declared one of five “Blue Zones” in the world with extraordinary longevity rates. A “blue zone” is a place where it is not uncommon for people to live up to 100 years or more. Maybe this teaches us that we should start implementing the Pura Vida Lifestyle!
Visiting Costa Rica Tips:
TIP #5: Costa Ricans are also called Ticos, and you can call Costa Rican Men (Ticos) and Women (Ticas).
6. Ecotourism & Sustainability
When talking about ecotourism, nature tourism and sustainability, you cannot not mention the country of Costa Rica. The country is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. This means that Costa Rica is a unique place to find different types of ecosystems living together. Many say it is the birthplace of ecotourism and definitely a leader in sustainability. The country has almost 30 national parks, 58 wildlife refuges, 32 protected zones, 15 wetland areas or mangroves, 11 forest reserves, and 8 impressive biological reserves. As mentioned before Costa Rica’s marine territory is significantly larger than its land territories. However, the country makes significant efforts to protect its national parklands and its pristine beaches.
Sustainability is an important part of the country and sustainable practices can be observed in every region of the country. Sustainability is also applied by the different industries in the country and is practiced by most of its citizens. Awareness concerning responsible and sustainable tourism is so big in Costa Rica that conscious visitors traveling to the country have embraced this type of living and doing tourism. From renewable resources, farm-to-table practices, supporting local production in my opinion I think sustainability and responsibility towards nature & others is deeply embedded in the growth, culture and traditions of Costa Ricans.
Visiting Costa Rica Tips:
TIP #6: Ask yourself how you can make your trip more sustainable or responsible when visiting Costa Rica? Maybe by respecting nature, animals & the people in the country while participating in a tour? Maybe by booking sustainable activities or accommodations? It is not about how much you can help. It’s about what you care about and believe in.
Costa Rica has everything that you wish for: friendly people, delicious food, amazing activities, immersive accommodations, and it provides once in a lifetime experiences. So, I ask you now, what are you waiting for? Costa Rica might not be a perfect country but it might be perfect for YOU.
Maybe you will end up embracing the Pura Vida lifestyle, having authentic and meaningful experiences with locals, or just immersing yourself in its nature. Whatever it is, whatever you are looking for, give Costa Rica a chance. Maybe you will end-up finding more than what you were looking for.
Pura Vida Viajeros!
If you’ve never been to Costa Rica, you’re in for a treat, so start planning your trip to Costa Rica today! Costa Rica has it all, and we at Bigger Than Us – Travels invite you to come & explore!
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