Arenal Volcano National Park in Costa Rica

The Arenal National Park in Costa Rica is located in the northern region, north of the Sierra de Tilarán. It belongs to the cantons of Tilarán, San Carlos and San Ramon. Its area is about 2920 hectares.

Before 1968, this was considered an extinct volcano and was even believed that it was not a volcano. It was known as Cerro Arenal in Costa Rica. On July 29, 1968 it began an active period opening three craters into the west side. The crater A, with an altitude of 1000 meters, caused the explosion, emanating a pyroclastic flow, which devastated 12 km, disappearing village of Pueblo Nuevo and Tabacon and killing about 87 people. In September of that year began broadcasting lava from the crater A, which remained active until 1973, when the activity migrates to the crater C at an altitude of 1450 meters. This crater is still active to this day, is characterized by lava flows on an ongoing basis, of basaltic andesite and explosions of pyroclastic materials and constant emission of gases.

Is considered an aquifer recharge zone in Costa Rica, where water draining to the Arenal Reservoir for use in the production of hydropower and agricultural projects in the Irrigation District of Moravia. The climate of the region in Costa Rica is very diverse and has influences from both the Pacific and Atlantic. The annual temperature varies between 21 and 27.5 ° C. The average annual precipitation is 3,500 mm to 5,000 mm. Altitudes ranging from 40 meters to 2000 meters. The rainy season is from May to January and February to April dry.

Arenal National Park in Costa Rica has three areas of life: premontane very wet forest, premontane pluvial rainforest and the montane pluvial forest. In these areas of life the most common species of flora are the guava bush, the laurel, the cocobolo, the nispero, the balsa and others. This park is a living laboratory, given its rich geological and geomorphological features and the complexity in the development of biological processes, from a pioneer vegetation to a dense  primary forest.

Among the most conspicuous species of plants we can find the Guayabo de Monte, the cebo, the Ceiba, Cirri, Laurel, Higuerones, Pilón, guarumo, Balsa, different species of palms, heliconias, orchids, ferns and bromeliads including endemic species: Pitcaimia Funkiae. In the park there are different evolutionary stages of soil and vegetation, it can be seen as a colonizing plants, such as the orchid Epidendrum genre. The main species of fauna are the tepezcuinte, tapir, deer, jaguar, peccaries, pizotes, howler monkeys, colored and white face monkeys and a variety of snakes. Birds like parrots, sergeants, orioles, brown magpie, little parrots, hummingbirds, bird bell and quetzals also can be found in this beautiful park.

Barra Honda National Park in Costa Rica

National Park Barra Honda is located in the Guanacaste province of Costa Ric, 22 km northeast of the town of Nicoya and with an area of 2.295.5 hectares. The National Park Barra Honda was funded by executive decree of August 20, 1974. The Barra Honda hill with 300 meters high consists of lime stones of reef type, that’s mean by former reefs that emerged because of an uprising led by on tectonic faults, developed some 60 million years. These reef formations were formed by calcareous algae blue and green, plus foraminifera, tiny marine protozoa covered by a shell limestone, sponges and sea urchins.

Another important element of this area of Costa Ric is its capacity as a water reserve for the towns that are located around him. The hill of Barra Honda contains an extensive cave system independent of each other, of which 19 have been explored. The cave of Santa Ana reaches 240 meters deep, making it one of the most profound. The most attractive and interesting are La Terciopelo, the Tampa and Santa Ana, with a profusion of stalagmites, stalactites, columns, pearls, flowers, gypsum needles, helicitas, mushrooms, shark teeth and other formations.

La Terciopelo is the cavern that contains formations in greater abundance. One of these is called EL Organo and has the characteristic of giving different sounds, when it was hit softly.  La Trampa is the one that presents the deepest abyss, from the entrance to the first decline there is a perfectly vertical height of 52 meters. This cave also has the larger rooms that have been found, one of which is composed of white calcite, which gives an effect of dazzling beauty. In the Nicoa cave, were found a large quantity of human remains in 1970, and later, indigenous pre-Columbian artifacts.

The vegetation of this park in Costa Ric is in most deciduous; some of the most common species are Ron-Ron, Tempisque, El Jobo, the Indian naked, the poroporo, the gallinazo, the soncoya, the guanacaste, the carao, the madroño and peine de mico. The fauna is not very varied: the monkey white faced, coyotes, the cusuco or armadillo, deer, the mapachín, the pizote, skunk, magpie, the zapayol, and the red head vulture are some of the species that can be observed in different areas of the Barra Honda National Park in Costa Rica.

Sailing in the north Pacific of Costa Rica

Imagine an afternoon sailing on the waters of the Pacific in Costa Rica, seeing the beautiful landscapes of the coast in a modern boat. Its professional crew is responsible for bringing you to places of great beauty and unique, without a doubt the tour is unmatched when it is possible to see the dolphins. Even there is the possibility to take a break to do a little scuba diving without having a delicious lunch. You can get all of these and more when you travel through the waters of the north Pacific of Costa Rica in a sailing tour. The tours in most cases last half a day and can make special occasions for a honeymoon.

The sailing tours of the North Pacific are among the most acclaimed tours in Costa Rica. Come on board in a sail boat of 43 feet for an adventure that will be long remembered. These tours generally offer all beverages, snacks, lunch buffet, snorkel equipment, kayaks, fishing gear, and a smiling and professional crew that will serve you while the boat is sailing along the coast looking beautiful butterflies, turtles, manta rays jumping, and other marine life on the road to an isolated site perfect for diving. When the tour returns, you will see one of the most beautiful sunsets.

The boat tours can be hired in many coastal areas of the Pacific of Costa Rica, especially in the province of Guanacaste near the Gulf of Papagayo in Costa Roca for example. You will share the boat with other tourists. Currently, a very famous tour is the sailing tour to see the sunset, where visitors can see the sunset of the coast of Guanacaste from the sailboat. Usually roam the coastal areas near the famous beaches of the Costa Dorada of Guanacaste such as Tamarindo. In this way you can enjoy the beautiful coastal scenes, spectacular travels and the opportunity to see some marine life in the area.
Take advantage and enjoy a sunset cruise on the beautiful Guanacaste. This cruise generally leaves Flamingo from where it will sail towards the spectacular beaches and small islands in the area while the tourist is enjoying snacks and beverages. In this kind of trip you can swim, practice snorkeling, watch the beautiful fish and coral reef and after you come back on board you can calm your thirst and taste delicious gourmet sandwiches. The adventure will continue searching dolphins, turtles and devil rays. Then comes the cocktail hour while it starts the evening, the tour will return to port around 6:30 pm.

The beautiful area located in the north of the province of Puntarenas in Costa Rica is made up of rivers, mangroves, wetlands and seasonally flooded fields. It is one of the key wetlands in Central America and home to many resident and migratory waterfowl, such as the crow marine and pink spoonbill. The tour boat on the Tempisque River near the National Park Palo Verde provides an opportunity to watch closely the nature and observe a wide variety of birds, crocodiles, monkeys and iguanas. Groups can combine this tour with a visit to Guaitil, a small village that has maintained traditional skills.

Diving in the North Pacific of Costa Rica

Costa Rica not only offers virgin rain forest, volcanoes and fascinating solitary beaches but also an impressive submarine life mainly in the north Pacific. At a distance of 2 to 15 miles off the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula in the north-west lies the archipelago of the Catalina Islands. It consists of about 20 rocks of different sizes. A little further north, there are the Murcielago islands. Due to the exposed location of these islands, the abundant variety of underwater life is hardly found anywhere else. For some reason - not even explored - Catalina Island and Murciélago is a point where you can meet very different submarine species and fishes of all kinds that usually are not found together in other places. With good luck, you can see up to Whale Sharks in the Islands of Murcielago.

Visibility: is around 18 to 75 feet. Strong currents are presented from time to time. But you will be highly recommended to go there to see a spectacle that will not allow you even a minute of boredom: huge banks of snappers, sharks, mantas, turtles and barracuda are waiting for the diver, like an immense variety of tropical fish and other reef life. The giant manta rays can be seen between from November and May and the sea turtles can be seen throughout the year.

Water temperature: It’s between 75 and 85 ° F; diving season is all year, because there are no large rivers that may carry rocks and mud during the rainy season and thus affect visibility. Between late November and late February trip to the diving island of Murcielagos might not always done, because at this time of year there is a strong wind that could prevent the boat leaves the dock. In that case you should go to other places such as Catalina Island. In the waters of the north Pacific is easy to see spectacular specimens of marine life. The best months for diving in the Catalina Islands are December to May, where it had been up to 50 Manta Rays with a wingspan of 14 to 20 feet in a single immersion.

Marine life around the islands Bat: The best months for the long trip to the Murcielago Islands are March to November. Here will be the impressive bull sharks from 8 to 15 feet long, banks of all kind of little fishes, eagle rays and horse-eye jacks, Spade fish, pompano, snapper and Wahoo.

Marine life at the local dive sites: The local dive sites offers many sharks fin tip white huge banks of grunts and yellowtails, spotted eagle rays, turtles, giant stingrays, angel fish, octopus, sea horses, starfish sea, frog fish and several species of eel. With some luck you will see whale sharks up to 35 ‘long and spinner dolphins, humpback whales, pilot whales, orcas and false killer whales.

Costa Rica Car Rentals

Explore for yourself and have a great experience of a beautiful and amazing country with amazing scenery and culture, a beautiful piece of land called Costa Rica located in Central America that is dedicated to preserve their natural areas. Here you can explore the contour of active volcanoes and walk through rainforest with one of the best nature in the region. For that reason renting a car and uncover Costa Rica for your own account may be a good option for the green season. All that is needed is a minimum of sense and taste for a little adventure.

To be able to rent a car, you have to have at least 21 years; also you need to present a valid passport and a driver record that has been in force for at least a year before renting. You will also need a credit card to make a substantial deposit (sometimes up to $ 500 USD). Is important to have particular attention to additional charges that might appear in the account or when you return the vehicle that can appear in the statement of the account of your card when you receive it. Make sure that the rent includes unlimited mileage. Vehicle insurance is required when driving in Costa Rica and most of the car rental agencies, including the subsidiaries of American companies do not accept insurance issued outside Costa Rica.

If you are an adventurous person and will drive through steep mountain roads or unpaved areas, one vehicle (4×4) is absolutely necessary. On the other hand, if you are taking only the main roads to places like the Arenal Region (La Fortuna), the beaches in the North Pacific or Manuel Antonio (Central Pacific), then you can use a regular vehicle, which is much more economically.

The rates vary according to the vehicle from $ 38 USD for the smallest car to $ 50 USD for a medium car and $ 60 USD to $ 90 USD for 4×4 vehicles. If you plan to go exploring off the roads, it is essential to rent a vehicle best suited to such use.
Most companies that hire vehicles in Costa Rica offer only vehicles with manual transmission. You can also find cars with automatic transmissions, but in smaller amounts.

The roads throughout the country have maintenance problems. Only 14% of the 28,800 km (18,000 miles) of roads are paved. During the rainy season, many of the roads are virtually inaccessible, while during the dry season, the roads in Nicoya are Guanacaste are most of all dust. Many of the Costa Rican drivers are risky and lacking in consideration and because that there is a considerable incidence of fatal accidents. You need to drive slowand alert. Also keep in mind that there are additional dangers such as loose livestock, people who walk along the route, and long stretches of road that resembles a table to wash given the shocks that your body will have to support them.

Quepos City in Puntarenas - Costa Rica central pacific

The bay where is located Samara is among the Ticos and outsider tourists a very popular destination, the average age of visitors to Samara is a little older than the rest of the destinations of the country.

Because the reef that is located in Samara this beach is one of the most secure not only of the Nicoya peninsula but throughout Costa Rica. This is why Samara is a suitable destination for family vacations during all the year. Samara and the surrounding area offer to the tourists the perfect place to relax and have a nice and interesting vacation. There are a variety of rare plants and animals that can be found in the 3 kilometers of the strip of beach in Playa Samara and along some spectacular coral reefs. The island of Chora is situated opposite the bay and is a destination for kayaking and scuba snorkel.

This beach has a length of 3 kilometers and in some sections there are palm trees that allow to rest at certain times of day when the sun is very strong. Here you can find one of the best sites for surfing and to practice all kind of water sports from around the country. Also you can practice other activities such as horseback riding, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, visits to waterfalls and canoe tours.

Quepos City in Central Pacific Costa Rica

Surf lessons are offered in Samara and its waves are perfect for beginners, but too small for more experience surfers. The people of the surf schools in Samara will be able to indicate where to find bigger waves to experts.

Many luxurious homes in Samara belong to famous citizens of Costa Rica. The current president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, is one of them. In 1987 he was honored with the Nobel Prize for his peace plan for Central America. This document can be viewed at the National Museum in San Jose.
In the rested town of Samara, which is situated in the center of the bay, you’ll find restaurants, souvenir shops and tour operators for planning your activities in the area.

Pelicans, toucans, parrots and iguanas swarm in the vicinity. Especially during the winter months, humpback and gray whales frequent the waters near Samara. You will be able to see its enormous fins and water jets from the beach. In the village you can find everything from a supermarket until a large number of gift shops, bars and nightclubs. It is the ideal place to stop to go to the nearby national parks and reserves, is also perfect for a holiday or a quiet night away from home.

Samara is a destination easily accessible by car, all the way from San Jose or Liberia is done in asphalt road. Even a small airport is located four kilometers south of the village. This little airport has connections from multiple points of the country like San Jose and Liberia.