Central America has something of a sketchy reputation for tourism as a result of high crime levels in many of it’s nations. Thankfully this reputation is gradually starting to fade as more travellers head to the likes of Nicaragua and Guatemala to appreciate the beauty of these countries. One Central American country that has always been able to rely on strong numbers of tourism is Costa Rica, a country bathed in natural beauty, rainforest and an eco-friendly attitude that has helped it to become one of the most visited destinations by Americans. Here are just a few reasons why Costa Rica has earned it’s high tourism figures and why you should be looking at heading there as soon as you can. If you are looking for more information, Travel Excellence created a complete guide about Costa Rica and I encourage you to read it before your trip.
Eco-Friendly
In 2015, Costa Rica reached the incredibly impressive landmark of only using renewable energy for just over 70% of the year. This is thanks to the country’s forward thinking energy approach couple with having excellent ingredients to harness it’s energy, high rainfall, relatively low population and a tropical climate. Costa Rica uses solar, wind and biomass energy plants and eco-consciousness has been fixed into the minds of the inhabitants, you don’t have to go far into the rainforest to find self-sufficient eco-lodges that not only create, store and use their own resources but do so in a way that protects their surrounding environment.
Natural Wonders
Costa Rica is filled with sprawling national parks of varying landscapes, from rugged mountainous regions to lush green rainforests with enchanting rivers. The Arenal Volcano National Park is one of the most popular in the country, a vast wilderness with the enormous Arenal Volcano as it’s centrepiece, here you can find hot springs, incredible and indigenous species of birds, glorious waterfalls and plenty of action taking place from kayaking, rafting, climbing and plenty more. Arenal isn’t the only beautiful feather in Costa Rica’s cap, amongst the other stunning regions is the Osa Peninsula, a region situated in the SouthWest on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. This is a beautiful coastal area with several wildlife viewing opportunities, from marine life tours like seeing whales and dolphins to wildlife sanctuaries that protect birds, cats and reptiles. This region also has some of the best beaches in the country that offer some of the best dive spots that Costa Rica has to offer.
Adventure
As I mentioned before, Arenal national park offers some great activities, the list of activities isn’t just exclusive to Arenal however. The country is something of a specialist in adventurous activities that you can take part in in almost of the rainforest and national park regions. Costa Rica created the first canopy tour in the World, allow you to traverse the tree line as the animals do, the country offers some World-class white water rapids plus hundreds of opportunity for cave-walking, climbing, cliff jumping, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, SCUBA diving, surfing and any other activity that you can imagine. If you are looking for some thrills, then Costa Rica is definitely for you.