TRADITIONAL

NEW

PALO VERDE NATIONAL PARK

Palo Verde is very important to ornithologists because of the 300 species of birds that have been recorded. Enormous numbers of herons and storks make their home in the park, as well as the rare jabiru stork, known to nest in Palo Verde. To accommodate birdwatchers, rangers have built raised platforms so that migratory birds can be observed during the rainy season.

One of Palo Verde's unusual characteristics is its wide range of habitats, due to both elevation and seasonal variations. In the wet season large areas of the forest are flooded, while in the dry season the opposite is true, so animals that normally live in the marsh have adapted to living in other areas until the rains re-irrigate the wet season marshlands.

BARRA HONDA

Formed over 60 million years ago when Costa Rica was at the bottom of the ocean. Water and carbon dioxide dissolved limestone layers in many places, causing vast underground cave systems to develop. Only about 20 of the these caves have been explored as of yet. The Terciopelo is the only cave open to the public, but it is also  reputed to have some of the most spectacular formations.

SANTA ROSA

This park preserves more than 120, 000 acres of tropical dry forest and pasture lands, hugging the coastline of the Santa Elena Penninsula where it's purpose is to protect turtle nesting grounds. Easy to access and well structured, Santa Rosa was the site of three historic battles to preserve Costa Rica's independence. The first and most dramatic in 1856, is well illustrated by the exhibits at the small museum of La Casona.

LAS BAULAS NATIONAL MARINE PARK

Playa Grande plays host to the giant leatherback (baulas) turtle. This giant of the turtle world measures up to eight feet and weights around 1.500 pounds. Unlike other turtles it does not have a hard shell but a thick, black, leathery skin.  Solitary female leatherbacks, come ashore on the Pacific coast between November and April to lay their eggs.  Las Baulas offers guided night tours during this season.

RINCÓN DE LA VIEJA NATIONAL PARK

This is quite a unique park, packed with  immense diversity in both animal and plant species and geologic formations. Wildlife here ranges from the famous Quetzal to motmots,  tapirs, peccaries, coatimundis and over 357 species of birds.   Rincón Volcano is another primary attraction that has several cones, lagoons and craters.   

SANTA CRUZ

This city has been declared Costa Rica's national folklore city. Santa Cruz is famous for its colorfull fiestas which feature delicious native foods and dances. Santa Cruz, a short 30 minute drive south from Liberia, will shortly be even closer to San José with the construction of the Tempisque River bridge to be finalized by the end of the 2001.  This bridge will shorten drive time by one hour for those interested in visiting the central area of Guanacaste and its beaches Flamingo, Tamarindo, Nosara etc.

GUAITIL

This small town hosts one of  Costa Rica's best centers for native ceramic  handcrafts.  Guatil is situated in Costa Rican cattle country between the cities of Santa Cruz and Nicoya. The Guatil Art Cooperative continues the long tradition of fine Chorotega Indian ceramic crafts.  Descendants of this Indian tribe own and operate the center, generating their modern creations while employing  the  techniques of their forefathers.

SURFING

The surfing are practice in: Nancite Beach, Playa Grande, Langosta Beach, Avellana Beach, Lagarto Beach, Junquillal Beach, Tamarindo Beach, Nosara Beach, Santa Teresa Beach.

TRADITIONAL

NEW

Diving

The variety of marine life that can be seen in this areas is extensive.  The islands of the bay are for the most experienced diver, where Bull Sharks, large shools of Barracuda, Spade Fish, Rainbow Runners, tuna, mantas and many  more are readily observed.  The Catalina islands offer the possibility of longer trips to the South and is for the more experienced diver.  Enthusiasts can see larger schools of fish and there is also  a very good opportunity to see Mantas, White Tip Reef Sharks and Nurse Sharks.

Guanacaste is fast becoming Costa Rica's principal resort area for sun, sea and sand activities as well as nature excursions. New products as well as new hotel infrastructure are constantly being developed. The following is a short listing of same of the alternatives.

Fishing

The Gulf of Papagayo  offers tours to white sandy beach.  These beaches are perfect for snorkeling and  for water sports.  These waters offer the opportunity to catch:   Wahoo, roosterfish, sailfish, marlin, red snapper and macarela.

THE GULF OF PAPAGAYO

The Gulf of Papagayo is one of the country's great marine treasures and a diver's paradise. It's waters are teeming with abundant marine life.  The setting is magnificent and scuba enthusiasts will find huge schools of fish, often containing more than 2000 individuals of several different species. On a typical dive, large schools of jacks or grunts, morays, white tip sharks, mantas, eagle rays and puffer fish are observed.

This area is also one of Costa Rica's newest tourism alternatives. Nearly 1500 rooms offer  the visitor a wide selection of lodging and activities from all inclusive,to timeshare properties.

Horseback  Riding

Safari through trails that offer sightings of tribes of howler monkeys in the trees, flocks of parakeets and dozens of other varieties of brightly colored tropical birds, huge lizards and much more.

Sailing

Guanacaste's ____________kms. of coast line offer many opportunities for touring on the ocean.  New modern fleets of  sailing and fishing yatchs ply  the coastline and can offer your clients many one day tours to diverse regions.  In addition to ocean tours, many of the mangrove areas offers birdwatching tours and jungle boat excursions.

Among the prime areas for these activities are Papagayo Gulf, Ocotal, Sugar Beach, Flamingo, Tamarindo, Nosara and the most  important Las Baulas National Park for its exciting blend of wildlife.

Conchal Beach

Located on the coast 32Kms. West of Santa Cruz, you can access the area via Santa Cruz- Belen- Huacas (48 km) while Liberia - Filadelfia - Belen - Huacas is other route of 70 km of  highway. Formed by white sands, manzanillo trees, madero negro, brasil and some guanacaste' s trees, from the beach you can observe  Encanto Hill and Punta Saba.

Playa Flamingo

Located 75 Kms Southwest of Liberia at Punta Salinas, Flamingo Beach is a string of white sand beaches with impressive landscapes.  Among these are Island Plata, Punta Salinas and rocky cliffs where fauna typical of the area can be found.

Playa Ostional

With 162 ha. of protected lands and 567 ha. of marine park, Ostional is located in____________________________, en route to the town of Sámara in Southern Guanacaste.  This zone protects a large percentage of the World's populations of Lora Turtles that arrive yearly at a 900 meter stuch of sandy beach to lay their eggs.

Ocotal

Located 39 Kms. from Liberia, Ocotal is a small beach of 700 meters in length, nestled among small hills and rock formations that date  more than 80 millions years.

Other importants beachs

Langosta Beach, Blanca Beach and Panamá Beach.

 HOT SPOTS

 Traditional

HOT PRODUCTS

Traditional

Playa Herradura and Hermosa

Hermosa to the South of Jaco Beach and Herradura to the North, have begun an important tourism development while Punta Leona is a consolidated tourism resort.

Hermosa, due to its enormous length is an excellent beach for surf lovers. It is not very populated and a  large of the beach is kept as a Biologic Reserve specifically for the protection of the “Lora” turtle. On the other hand.  Herradura and Punta Leona offer a wide array of hotels, the newest Marriott "Los Sueños"  beach hotel and resort offers an 18 hole golf course, tennis and more than 300 comfortable rooms to the visitors while an additional 200 rooms are available at Punta Leona.

Fishing

Savor a beautiful day of deep sea fishing only 20 minutes from the beach. Deep offshore waters permit such exceptional fishing. Fishing Tours or even Tours around the Gulf of Nicoya are available and provide a tremendous variety of fauna that excites scientists and naturalists alike.

Playa Jacó

Jacó has 6 km of beach, surrounded by green mountains that are home to exuberant flora and fauna. The beach is lined with palms and almond trees and visitors sport at their surf boards and kayaks in its crystal clear waters. An offshore breeze keeps the temperature in the 70°  during the day. 

Jacó is surrounded by pristine mountains that due to the lack off access roads, still remain almost virgin, and covered with forests. Characteristic of the Central Pacific area, bird watchers enjoy  walking through these mountains, where they can find many  bird species, as well as butterflies, exotic plants and orchids.

Surfing

One of the principal attractions is surfing, this is due to of its location on the Central Pacific and its proximity to other excellent surf spots, especially Playa Hermosa and Playa Escondida.The best waves are found in the rainy season between May and November, constant waves during this period mean you are a 100% certain to find  a ware for you.

Manuel Antonio National Park

Manuel Antonio National Park, which is located in a humid tropical forest life zone protecting primary and secondary forest, mangroves, beach vegetation and marine resources. The location  in  the central Pacific area assures that migratory wildlife of the south pacific and the north Pacific of the country can be spotted in this area. Among the most commonly seen species are  raccoons, white nose coatis, agouties, two toed sloths, white faced monkeys and the squirrel monkey. The esquire monkey is a very rare species of monkey, endemic this region.  In this National Park you can also observe many birds species among them the  toucancillo and the laughing falcon.

The National Park offers three beautiful, white sand, swimmer friendly beaches. All of them have received the Ecological Blue Flag, for the quality of their waters and  well maintained surroundings.

Carara National Park

A very  unique area and fragile rainforest of much interest to the  traveler and to the natural history fan. Scarlet macaws, monkeys, crocodiles and toucans  among many other species can be seen in this exhibit realism of nature.  In March 2000 the National Park Sistems inaugurated  a new visitor center with over 1600 square meters of construction. This center includes at modern acustic auditorium, library and the information  exhibition center.  Given its location and recent elevation to National Park status, Carara is one of the country's most visited National Parks.

Horseback Riding

A perfect way to spend an afternoon is on horseback, tracking along trails as the sun slowly angles over the horizon. Children will never forget their first time hopping up on a gentle beast and riding into the sunset treough pristine forests.

Rafting

White water rafting can be done on three different rivers in the area. Including half day and whole day trips, on some of the world’s best white water rafting and kayaking rivers, surrounded by spectacularly, unexplored tropical wilderness.

NEW PRODUCTS

JUNGLE PARK

The world of crocodiles. A crocodile hatchery whose object is to hatch crocodile eggs and then return them to their natural environment “the rivers”. This park has a souvenir shop, restaurant, swimming pool and lodges.

Canopy

This area hosts one of the largest  tours of the canopy in the country with  10 suspended platforms connected with steel cables high above the forest floor.

Kayak, snorkelling and diving

Kayaking, snorkelling and scuba diving are among the favorite sports practiced in Jacó.  Kayakers,  can enjoy two different types of kayaking: open sea (surf) kayaking and river Both are fun and river kayakers may paddle down the river until they reach the sea and enjoy some surf kayaking.  For snorkeling and scuba diving, there are many secluded coves that afford, clear waters and breathtaking submarine views of the corals and underwater flora and fauna.

Mountain biking

In the surrounding mountains  there are a variety of trails ideal for mountain biking while other trails covered with gravel  go from one beach to another and can be enjoyed by the enthusiast biker  year round. During the rainy season, some trails get so muddy that they are a challenge even for experienced bikers.

Dolphin Watching in Manuel Antonio National Park

Dolphin watching is also specially popular in this area. A boat will take you around the island (NOMBRE DE LA ISLA) of the National Park or along the shoreline in search of these incredible mammals. Many people combine the search of dolphins with a sunset on a sail boat.

Rainmaker

Is a 1500 acre private reserve located within the Fila Chonta mountain range.  It is the areas's most user friendly suspension bridge system.  Engincered to U.S. standards the six sections total 250 meters spanning from platforms attached to massive hard-wood trees to create the most impressive Tours of Canopy  in Costa Rica.  The design allows minimal impact to the forest below.

TRADITIONAL

NEW

Hermosa and Uvita Beach

Located 14 km. South of Dominical.

Hermosa and Uvita beaches make up an anchor-like shoreline, home of several different species of crab, and fish.  Its 6 km of beach and mild surf make for a variety of activities including hiking, sunbathing, swimming, fishing, wildlife photography, or merely floating and relaxing under the endless sky.

At Playa Uvita the waves are mild, the sand is fair, and the water is crystal blue. Lined with towering coconut palms, the area is full of scenic beauty.

Playa y Hacienda Barú.

This beach is part of Hacienda Barú Nature Reserve, where biodiversity is majestic.  Rich forests and mangroves surround the vast stretch of beach, where brown pelicans, frigate brids, and big spoonbills, among other species, can be spotted.

Playa Dominical

Dominical is a dark sand beach, with strong and whirling waves, perfect for surfing.  When the tide goes down, it is possible to spot several groups of goose barnacle, unique on the Pacific Coast.

Playa Garza

Located South of Boca Brava River, (literally Angry Mouth) one of the river deltas of the Terraba River. Although not recommended for swimmers, it has excellent waves for professional surfers.

Bahía Drake (Drake Bay)

In Sierpe  take a boat  to the Bahía Drake; after an unforgettable trip of one and half-hours across the wide sea. You'll be in one of the most charming bays of the Zone; ideal for fishing and  surfing and nature hiking in  one of the main accesses to the Osa Peninsula and the  renowned Corcovado National Park.

Playa Pavones

Located on a semi-open bay and features light brown sand.  Pavones’ main attraction is its open front swell, which forms the world famous “long left hand break”, a great challenge for surf lovers and unique to America.

Chirripó National Park

Chirripó National Park is located in the Talamanca Mountain Range about 20 km. North East of San Isidro de El General. It reaches up from 1,400 m tsore sea level to the slopes of the Caribbean and to the Pacific to 3,819 m, to the peak of the mountain of Chirripó, the highest point of Costa Rica. It covers an area of 50,150 hectares and was established on the 19^th of August 1975.

Parque Nacional Marino Ballena

The Park was created to protect the coral reefs and the migration of the Humpback whale (ballena  jorobada). Its extension includes 13km. of sandy and rocky coast, and the beaches of Uvita, Pedregosa, Ballena, Arco y Piñuela; as well as to the rocks of Las Tres Hermosas, the park also includes 4,500 ha. of marine park, that surrounds Ballena Island.

The beautiful environment of the coast attracts resident and migrating colorful birds, like the pato chanco (neotropic cormorant), the garceta azul (blue spoonbill), the ibis blanco (white ibis) and the gavilán pescador (osprey), among others. It is  also a rich and attractive area for diving.

Corcovado National Park

Situated along  the western coast of the Península de Osa and its interior, Corcovado protects 41,788 hectares of shallow lagoons, marshs lands, mangroves, rivers, humid forest and cloud forest; as well as 46 km. of sandy coast. According to National Geographic Magazine. "This the  most biologically intense place on earth"

Indigenous Reserves

In the Southern Pacific Region there are  the principal, Indigenous groups of the Cabécares, Guaymíes, Bri brís and Borucas. The community of the Borucas is situated in the Boruca-Terraba Reserve, 8 km. off  the Panamerican Highway towards Palmar Norte. The Reserve belongs to the Borucas, who maintain among their traditions the Baile de Los Diablitos (Dance of the Devils).

Piedras Blancas National Park

Piedras Blancas, together with the Corcovado National Park and the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, constitute an important biological corridor that, protects a great diversity of species of flora and fauna in the Golfo Dulce.

Cerro de La Muerte

It is located 30 km. North or San Isidro de El General.

At 3,451 meters above sea level, this mount is part of the Talamanca Mountain Range.  From the highest points it is possible to see both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts while enjoying the gorgeous surroundings.

Kayaking:

Because of  its tranquil waters, Golfo Dulce offers kayakers a vacation of a life time with tours that follow the coastline. The Coto and the Sabalo rivers, are also appropriate places to enjoy this activity.

Whales and Dolphins

Observation:

Whale watching is best  from August to November in these months they arrive into the Golfo Dulce to give birth to their calves  an area denominated Los Mogos.  After a short  nuturing period, whale and calf continue their voyage to the North Pacific. With two species of dolphin, those who tour the gulf will find an opportunity to see the dolphins year round.

Fishing:

Golfito is one of the world's  most  popular places for  sport fishing. Many tour operators and fishing camps can provide outings to fish for  tuna, marlin, Sailfish, Robalo, dorado, etc.