{"id":27640,"date":"2021-07-15T12:44:03","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T10:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelandkeepfit.com\/2021\/07\/15\/costa-rica-a-practical-guide\/"},"modified":"2024-04-22T10:20:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T08:20:50","slug":"costa-rica-a-practical-guide-when-to-go-what-to-see-and-how-to-organize-a-memorable-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelandkeepfit.com\/en\/2021\/07\/15\/costa-rica-a-practical-guide-when-to-go-what-to-see-and-how-to-organize-a-memorable-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Costa Rica – a practical guide – when to go, what to see and how to organize a memorable trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Costa Rica is definitely one of my favorite countries. I was supposed to stay there for two weeks, but it turned out to be three months which was still not enough. In Spanish, Costa Rica means Rich\/ Abundant Coast. The name of this beautiful Central American country fully describes it. Costa Rica stretches between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and the shores of both are truly amazing. This narrow isthmus is overgrown with lush tropical vegetation with many wonders of nature. The inhabitants are constantly smiling and are incredibly hospitable. The enthusiasts of active recreation will not be bored here – Pura Vida!<\/p>

For me, Costa Rica is the discovery of the year, and I am its self-proclaimed ambassador;) My visit to Costa Rica was supposed to be two weeks long, but I stayed there for over three months. I fall head over heels in love with this place, and now I urge everyone to add it to their travel list. Many of you have already traveled on my recommendations, and for those who still have this journey ahead, I have prepared a practical guide for their visit to Costa Rica. I think that this knowledge, in a nutshell, will be a good starting point for planning your trip. In addition, on the blog, you will find a lot of extensive posts about unusual places that you must visit while in Costa Rica<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Costa Rica \u2013 the most important information<\/strong><\/h2>

Costa Rica<\/strong> is a country located in Central America<\/strong>, which is the southern part of North America. This relatively small country covers an area of about 51,000 km2 and is inhabited by less than five million people. The capital and largest city is San Jos\u00e9<\/strong>. Its metropolitan area also includes other important cities – Alajuela<\/strong> with its international airport, Cartago<\/strong> and Heredia<\/strong> – the former capital cities of Costa Rica<\/strong>. Other important cities are Puerto Limon on the Caribbean coast, Puntarenas and Quepos on the Pacific coast, and Liberia, with its second international airport.<\/p>

Costa Rica is an upland-mountainous country located in the zone of seismic activity which means that earthquakes are possible, and there are volcanoes – some of which are active. The most important mountain ranges of the country are the Cordillera de Guanacaste<\/strong> with\u00a0 Miravalles volcano<\/strong> (2021 meters above sea level), the Cordillera Central<\/strong> with Iraz\u00fa<\/strong> (3432 meters above sea level) and Turrialba<\/strong> (3421 meters above sea level) volcanoes<\/strong>, and the Cordillera de Talamanca<\/strong>, with the highest peak of the country – Chirrip\u00f3 Grande<\/strong> (3820 m above sea level). The lowlands are located on the coasts and valleys of the most important rivers, including San Juan, Tempisque, Reventaz\u00f3n, and Ca\u00f1as<\/strong>. Between the Central and Talamanca Cordillera, there is the Cartago highland. At the foot of the Central Cordillera<\/strong>, there is the Meseta Central inter-mountain basin where San Jos\u00e9 and other important cities – Cartago, Alajuela, Heredia are located. The basin is inhabited by over half of the inhabitants of Costa Rica. The Caribbean coast is a low lagoon-type coast<\/strong>. On the other hand, the Pacific coast is characterized by a well-developed coastline. There are numerous bays here, including Golfo Dulce<\/strong>, Bah\u00eda de Coronado<\/strong>, Nicoya and Papagayo<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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There is an equatorial climate in Costa Rica. Nature is characterized by an extraordinary richness of fauna and flora. Over have of a million species can be observed here, which is almost 4% of all estimated species on Earth<\/strong>. Costa Rica is one of the 20 most biodiverse countries in the world<\/strong>. It’s all thanks to its location. Together with Panama, it forms a kind of land bridge between North and South America – they are located in the so-called The Isthmus of Panama<\/strong>.<\/p>

In pre-Columbian times, the area of \u200b\u200bpresent-day Costa Rica was inhabited by Indian cultures. Christopher Columbus arrived here in 1502<\/strong>. He expected to discover the legendary land of gold here. We owe the name of Costa Rica, meaning “Rich Coast”<\/strong> to no one else but Columbus. In the years 1561\u20131565, the area was conquered by Juan Vasquez de Coronado on behalf of Spain. He also founded the first capital of Costa Rica – Cartago. Until independence, the local Indians took up arms against the Spanish colonizers. The proclamation of independence took place in 1821<\/strong>, and together with the neighboring republics, Costa Rica created the United States of Central America or the United Provinces of Central America. However, the new state did not turn out to be permanent, and since 1839 Costa Rica has been an independent republic<\/strong>. In 1871, the constitution was passed, and it was later amended several times. In 1949, the then-president Jos\u00e9 Figueres Ferrer disbanded the army, and since then, the state has only a paramilitary police force.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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When is the best time to come to Costa Rica?<\/strong><\/h2>

There are two seasons in Costa Rica:<\/strong> dry (December to April)<\/strong> and rainy (May to November)<\/strong>. However, it is worth knowing that what weather you will get depends largely on the season and the region to which you go. The biggest differences are between the coasts, where it is sunny most of the time, and you can enjoy the charms of beaches all year round, and the mountainous interior of the country, including the Central Valley with the capital of San Jos\u00e9, where it can be cool in the dry season, especially at night.<\/p>

The best time to visit Costa Rica is from the end of November or the beginning of December<\/strong>. Then the rainy season usually ends and until March there is the sunniest weather with relatively low rainfall.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How long should I stay in Costa Rica?<\/strong><\/h2>

Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination. It is chosen not only by travelers but also by vacationers. When planning a trip, it is worth remembering that a week is definitely not enough<\/strong> for this beautiful, distant country. Two weeks is a better option, and it may not be enough anyway.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What’s the best way to get to Costa Rica from Europe and the USA?<\/strong><\/h2>

There are two international airports in Costa Rica: San Jos\u00e9 and Liberia<\/strong>, but when it comes to flights from Europe, we will land at the capital airport. When deciding to travel to Costa Rica from Europe, you must take into account at least one change, and sometimes even two. Airlines that offer such connections are:<\/p>