Why you should travel to Costa Rica?

If you are choosing a destination for a future vacation or if you call Costa Rica but are not sure it is the best choice ... you've come to the right place. This publication of the travel guide I will give you a number of reasons that in the future more or less near, you should travel to Costa Rica:

1) Pure Nature

 

Beyond anything, Costa Rica offers nature: virgin forests, beaches catalog, volcanoes ...
Forget cities, towns and museums, the main attraction of Costa Rica is to visit natural enclaves. But there are so many, so large, so varied that certainly is one of the main reasons for descubir Costa Rica.
 So if you're more history and monuments, this is not your trip. Several waterfalls along the Waterfall of Peace (Costa Rica)

2) wildlife in Costa Rica 

Closely related to the previous point, contact with wildlife is another reason why you should let drop by.

Without being a specialist in animal photography, Costa Rica, almost without looking, he gave me several situations postcard.
 And it is that animals in this country, besides being abundant, exotic and diverse, have few complex.
No wonder I passed many nature photographers throughout my adventure. A raccoon relaxed attitude in Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica)

3)parks and recreation

 "green propaganda" over Costa Rica, just say that the great state of conservation, safety and cleanliness in which are the natural parks of this country is one of its charms.
 Especially if we consider that almost anywhere you want to visit here is a natural park. The only but is that by entering these idyllic places you will have to pay, and not a little.
 Rio Celeste Waterfall in Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica)

 4) The beaches of Costa Rica

Needless to say that Costa Rica is a coastal country surrounded by water on both sides.
This brings with it a region with a large number and variety of beaches. The east coast is washed by the Caribbean Sea while the west side overlooking the Pacific.
While the Caribbean coast have always had more name internationally, truly Costa Rica has beautiful beaches any of its sides: Conchal, Manuel Antonio, Mal Pais, Cahuita ... Most are very extensive, clear, fine sand and surrounded by lots vegetation.
 Ideal for both leisure hammock to surfers, who found entire villages dedicated to this sport.
Flip flops on the beach Tambor (Costa Rica)

5) The friendliness of the Ticos

Leaving aside the nature to get into the virtues of their society. It may sound like a cliché but really, of all the places I've been so far ... none I have been treated as in Costa Rica.
It was perhaps the circles that I moved, or the context in which I traveled ... but I dare say that the ethics culture is one of the most warm, polite, respectful and friendly we have ever met.
Simply enter almost any setting to test the policy warmth in your own flesh. Traditional house in La Paz Waterfall

6) The richness of its language

 Although the blog you can find a specific publication on the vast tico dictionary, I did not want to miss this post to highlight how much I liked the richness of the Costa Rican vocabulary. mae as sympathetic words, colocho, goatee, chinear, diay, spoken, blanket, mejenga, cake, tuanis or WAKALA ... are part of everyday language in the country.
If you go to Costa Rica I recommend you listen a lot and let you "pepiar" for their costarriqueñismos.
My favorite: no pineapple. Bravo poster dog in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

7) The love of country

One of the reasons why I think I liked it so much is because Costa Rica Ticos were themselves who handed me that love.
And, ahead of anyone, Costa Ricans are great defenders of their country and its culture, and the first tourists of their own corners. They know its history, its landscapes, places ... the care, the broadcast and teach.
 There will be everything and everywhere but in general the locals have much affection for their country. Surfer on the beach of Santa Teresa (Costa Rica)

 8) The climate of Costa Rica

 As in many "tropical" countries, the temperature in Costa Rica is more stable and usually stay within very nice margins.
The main difference between ages are not degrees in the thermometer, but the likelihood of rain. December to April is here and summer is the driest season. The other months it rains more, but if you avoid the two or three months of more intense rainfall, I assure you that the weather is another good reason to choose this destination. And if it rains, you cover 🙂 with Yoge

 9) Costa Rica is a safe country

Although from Europe tend to look with suspicion on this side of the world, especially thanks to the partisan reality that sell us the means, Costa Rica is one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America, especially for tourists to whom it is very mime.
Still, to avoid any type of problem (low), I recommend you read the cited publication on security in Costa Rica where I leave some tips to enjoy carefree country.
A monkey Carablanca notes with curiosity a mobile phone in Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica)

10) Public transport cheap

Although Costa Rica is a country of high prices, public transport is fairly cheap and is a very economical way to move from one place to another.
Okay, the road network is not the most developed in the world, and theirs will cost to get from one place to another, but in general the buses are quite comfortable and are a good choice of travel.
A bus from San Jose to Liberia stopped at a service area (Costa Rica)

11) tickets Costa Rica

It always hurts to spend money, but it still hurts more spending bills decorated with drawings of lazy, sharks, butterflies, monkeys, fawns ...
 Today tickets colones are the most authentic, joyful and beautiful I've ever had in my possession, something I think that speaks very well of society tica.
 Some of the bills Costa Rica Colon

 12) Pure Life

When I arrived in Costa Rica thought "Pura vida" was the catchphrase that tell tourists but not tell anyone in the country.
Nothing is further from reality. Pure Life is a basic expression in everyday dictionary tico, being a form of greeting or thanking, or even an adjective to define someone.
It is also a way of understanding life, present in every corner of Costa Rica, a philosophy that runs away from the stresses, fears, worries ... Searching enjoy and make the most of every second.
 Pura Vida written in the sand Espadilla South Beach at Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica) I imagine that after ye bombarded with so much positive information about Costa Rica, some will think that someone pays me to write this (hopefully ^^) or I am receiving social pressures.
But no, nothing is further from reality, and you see that this is so I will also take this publication to record some of the few things that I personally sucked both:

 a) very high prices for tourists

 Undoubtedly, Costa Rica has ample room for improvement in this regard.
Although the cost of everyday life in the country (food, lodging ...) is acceptable, the price of tickets to tourist sites is a real abuse. The average ticket of a natural park for tourists is around 15 euros, and in some to 40 euros.
An even more poignant when you consider the fact that the price paid by locals rarely ever exceeds 5 or 10 euros.
 Obviously I do not feel bad that the tico can have better prices, one was missing, but I think the prices are outrageously high tourist. Entrance fee to the National Park Rincon de la Vieja (Costa Rica)

b) Influence extreme US

 It is clear that the "Americans" tend to leave their mark wherever they go, but in some corners of Costa Rica that influence touches the end.
 And there are several villages now in the country tico like you're in some US coastal town and not in Central America.
And that affects not only the language, which is not important, but also gastronomic, cultural, social and economic level. Surfboards in Santa Teresa (Costa Rica)

c) Lack of history

 Beyond San Jose, the capital, it is very difficult to find museums or other cultural spaces dedicated to the history of Costa Rica.
And in San Jose what you find are rather chinks in modern history. Obviously this is not a criticism of the country, since history is something that is inherited, but it is at least curious to see the lack of historical "past" that the country or at least, how little has survived to this day. Pre-Columbian art exhibition at the Museo del Oro (San Jose, Costa Rica)

d) Little food culture

 First of all I want to clarify that with this I am not at all criticizing the policy gastronomy. Truly in my days in Costa Rica I ate pretty well, especially when I had the pleasure of being part of a home diners.
However the feeling that the country left me, that may be wrong, is that the food is not given as much importance as if it is given in much of Latin America or the Mediterranean culture.
 Regardless of the quality and variety of dishes that have, food plays a role, energize and remove hunger, but it is not given that social, family and cultural context present in other countries. Again, it was my feeling, but I can be very wrong. Dish with typical food of Costa Rica

 e) transport network

The last aspect where I think Costa Rica still has some room for improvement is in its transport network, which struck me as really slow and confused.
From my point of view, the main problem is that most times you have to go through San José to go anywhere but the capital is no way.
Another drawback I found is that, unlike in Europe where it is usual that most bus companies out of the same station in Costa Rica big cities (especially San Jose) have a bus station for each way and among them they are considerably far. For this reason often not at all easy to know where you need to go catch the bus you want.

To help you in this confusing search, I recommend you read you our publication on bus transportation in Costa Rica.
On this map you can find the location of the main bus stations in San José (Costa Rica) After mentioning these negative points I want to make it clear that even these minimal "buts" Costa Rica is a country that has infinite more virtues than defects and that the aim of this publication is to help the undecided to choose this country and not on the contrary.
However, I consider it important to be as objective as possible and try to also teach the other side of the country so that those who go to know everything (much) good and (somewhat) bad that you are going to find. But we, in short, if Costa Rica calls you listen to the call because it is a single country.
For all that you think go and have doubts or you've already gone and want to share your opinion, leave open blog comments.