In Costa Rica the visitor can enjoy lovely tropical beaches, the grandest adventures, the wonders of nature, scintillating culture, all the necessary components of an ideal vacation. No wonder, then, that thousands of tourists have made Costa Rica their top travel choice.

Costa Rica is a country located in Central America that has unlimited tourist potential and is ranked as one of the most visited international destinations. One of Costa Rica’s main sources of income is tourism. Costa Rica is a democratic and peaceful country, and it has not had an army since the year 1949.

Although the country is small and it covers only 0.03 % of the surface of the globe, it proudly shelters a 6% of the existing biodiversity in the entire world. 25.58 % of the country is composed of conservation and natural protected territory.

Costa Rica is also an attractive country for investment and it offers great potential for the establishment of important multinational companies, thanks to the outstanding academic level of its population, as well as the high standard of modern services and social and political stability.

San José is a good center for excursions into the beautiful Meseta Central region. The nearby town of Cartago was founded in 1563, but there are no old buildings as earthquakes destroyed the town in 1841 and 1910.

Caribbean Coast - There are numerous beaches, ports and towns worth visiting. The biggest is Puerto Limón; others include Guapiles, Tortuguero, Barra del Colorado, Cahuita and Puerto Viejo.

Braulio Carrillo National Park - Located in the central region of the country just 23km (14 miles) north of San José. It has five kinds of forest, some with characteristic rainforest vegetation. Orchids and ferns, jaguars, ocelots and the Baird tapir may be seen here. There are trails through the park and many lookouts.

Poás Volcano National Park - As the name suggests, this park contains the smoldering Poás Volcano. It contains the only dwarf cloudforest in Costa Rica. The crater of the volcano is 1.5km (1-mile) wide and contains a hot-water lake which changes color from turquoise to green to grey. Access is possible by road.

Tortuguero National Park - This park protects the Atlantic green turtle egg-laying grounds; it is in an area of great ecological diversity. Its network of canals and lagoons serves as waterways for transportation and exploration. There are camping facilities and lodges.

Cahuita National Park -
This park protects the only coral reef on Costa Rica’s Carribbean coastline. Its other attractions include howler and white-faced monkeys, racoons and 500 species of fish.

Chirripó National Park - The centerpiece here is Costa Rica’s highest mountain. Most notably the park is home to the quetzal, said to be Latin America’s most beautiful bird.

Spanish is the official language. English is widely spoken. Some French, German and Italian is also spoken.
Costa Ricans don't use the same Castilian Spanish that's spoken in Spain.Apart from the unique "Tiquismos", Costa Rican Spanish isn't really that difficult to learn. Ticos speak more slowly and clearly than in other Latin American countries.Costa Rican Spanish, as most Spanish in Latin America, is extremely polite and sometimes formal.

Costa Rican cuisine is known for being tasty, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruits and vegetables. The main staple, known as gallo pinto, consists of rice and black bean. Gallo pinto is also known in some Southern Areas of Costa Rica as burra; though still recognized the name is rarely used. Also, Costa Rican gallo pinto is made with black beans, while Nicaraguans use red beans traditionally.

Other Costa Rican food staples include corn tortillas, white cheese and picadillos. Tortillas are used to accompany most meals. Ticos will often fill their tortillas with whatever they are eating and eat it in the form of a gallo [direct translation: rooster, however, it resembles a soft Mexican taco]. White cheese is non-processed cheese that is made by adding salt to milk in production. Picadillos are meat and vegetable combinations where one or more vegetables are diced, mixed with beef and garnished with spices. Common vegetables used in picadillos are potatoes, green beans, squash, ayote, chayote and arracache. Often, picadillos are eaten in the form of gallos.

Costa Rica's seasons are defined by how much it rains during a particular period. The year can be easily split into two periods. These two periods are what is known to the residents as Verano, summer and Invierno, winter. The verano season is from December to May, and is the time of year when it is not as wet. Invierno is the period from May to November, and during this time, in many locations, it rains constantly.