Insight Guides - Insight Guides Explore Costa Rica (Travel Guide eBook)

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the worlds most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destinations many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments options are shown in the Food and Drink box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised AZ of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafs and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, plus a handy language guide and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Recommended Routes For...

Away from it all

Go off grid at an eco-lodge on the Osa Peninsula or a castaway lodge across the Golfo Dulce ().

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Children

Introduce youngsters to endearing baby sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary in Cahuita ().

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Foodies

Savor San Joss eclectic downtown restaurant scene ().

Alamy

History and culture

Explore pre-Columbian culture at San Joss Gold or Jade museum ().

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Outdoor adventure

Hike in the highland Cloudbridge Reserve ().

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Tropical nature

Take a walk in Monteverdes cloud forest ().

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Views

Take in idyllic views of the Orosi Valley ().

Shutterstock

Wildlife

Seek the resplendent quetzal in the highlands ().

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Explore Costa Rica

With an astonishing array of natural habitats, exotic flora and fauna, and miles of pristine coastline, Costa Rica is a magnet for nature-lovers. Outdoor adventures and off-the-grid experiences abound, within a sustainable framework of genuine ecotourism.

From impoverished, neglected Spanish colony to progressive, democratic republic, Costa Rica has made some wise public policy decisions along the way. Among them was the creation in 1955 of the first national park, protecting Pos Volcano, which set the country on a conservation course that has made it one of the worlds premier ecotourism destinations.

Fisherman mending his net, Puntarenas

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Geography and Layout

Wedged between Nicaragua and Panama on the Central America isthmus, Costa Rica stretches between 8 and 11 degrees above the equator. With a land area of just 51,000 sq km (20,000 sq miles), Costa Rica extends only 460km (286 miles) from top to bottom, and at its narrowest point, measures 120km (74.5 miles) across.

Small as it is, four mountain ranges, which separate east from west, present challenges in traveling around the country. Two-lane, winding roads have to climb up and over mountains, and snake along indented coastlines.

There is no countrywide train service, but buses are plentiful and relatively cheap. Many remote destinations are reachable only by boat or small plane. To get to some of the off-the-beaten routes described in this book, driving a car, preferably with four-wheel drive and a good navigation system, is the best option.

White-faced capuchin

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

History

Since the army was abolished in 1949, governments have devoted a large percentage of the countrys resources to education, health, and conservation. The resulting social peace has made Costa Rica a relatively safe and pleasant place to visit.