by Trudy Wendelin, L.Ac
La Fortuna Costa Rica

About Costa Rica

Located in Central America, Costa Rica is known for its ecotourism and pacifism. It is the most visited country in Central America. Its capital and largest city is San Jose and currency is Costa Rican Colon. Like all Central American countries, Costa Rica gained independence after the Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence. The climate is tropical with a dry season from December to April and rainy season May to November. National Geographic rated Costa Ricans as the ‘happiest people on Earth’ in 2017. The country motto is Pura Vida or “Pure Life.” Below are Costa Rica Travel Guides from my travels.

Costa Rica lies between the Caribbean Sea on the east and Pacific Ocean on the west. Nicaragua borders the north and Panama the south. Costa Rica has 14 volcanoes, with 6 being active. Mount Arenal near La Fortuna is one of the top 10 most active volcanoes in the world. Costa Rica is the first tropical country to have stopped and even reversed deforestation. Also, this country touts biodiversity, especially at Corcovado National Park for plant and wildlife. Veragua Rainforest (below) is home to the most diverse frog populations on Earth with 52 species.

As the pioneer to Ecotourism, Costa Rica provides many escapes to protected areas.

The trail, Camino de Costa Rica, goes across the country from Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. Costa Rica’s pura vida supports the ecotourism with deforestation reversed and movement towards only renewable resources. Also, there are numerous Wellness Retreats and Resorts for healthy escapes in Costa Rica. La Fortuna is a wellness tourism hub with numerous geothermal resorts and spas from the nearby Mount Arenal.

Monteverde is a region meaning the ‘green forest” in northwest Costa Rica.  It’s lush landscapes of cloud forests on mountaintops is one of the most popular areas in Costa Rica for ecotourism.  The biodiversity and wildlife is a nature lovers paradise.  It offers many ways to interact with the environment through hanging bridges in the jungle canopy, zip-lining and naturalist hikes.

Costa Rica Travel Guides