Best things to do and see in Northern Costa Rica?

Best things to do and see in Northern Costa Rica? Asked by newbie3787496 56 months ago Similar Questions: things Northern Costa Rica Recent Questions About: things Northern Costa Rica Games & Leisure > Travel.

Similar Questions: things Northern Costa Rica Recent Questions About: things Northern Costa Rica.

Windsurfing, beaches and more It depends on when you're going, of course, but here are some ideas I've found:The world famous Laguna de Arenal is the best windsurfing spot in Costa Rica with winds getting up to 30 knots. Laguna Arenal is considered one of the three best windsurfing spots in the world from December to March. Playa Grande, GuanacasteAn important part of the Marino Las Baulas National Park, the stunning beach of Playa Grande with its pristine shoreline and clear blue sea, is one of the best beaches on the Guanacaste coast.

Lying in the North Pacific Coast in Guanacaste province, Playa Grande is home to the endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles that come ashore every year to lay their eggs on the beach. Incorporated into the national park in 1990, Playa Grande is open top the general public only during the day during the ‘arribadas’ or turtle nesting season. At night the park’s police are on patrol to ensure that the turtles and their eggs are protected, especially from poachers and overzealous tourists who pose a considerable threat to these gentle giants as their eggs are considered to be aphrodisiacs and an eastern delicacy.

The turtle hatching season here is from October to May and it is indeed a sight to see. If you are in the area around this time, it is definitely worth your while to see millions of turtles coming ashore under the cover of darkness to lay their eggs. Another popular reason for visiting Playa Grande is for the excellent surfing found here on the main beach.

Playa Grande is much more quiet than say Playa Tamarindo, but the surf here is equally good. In fact according to some expert surfers the breaks and swells are consistent enough for it to be rated as among the overall best surf spots in the country. Further north of the beach is excellent for swimming if you are not a surf fan.

Since this beach is part of a protective enclosure, no hotels have any rooms facing the beach. However, there are a handful of hotels on Playa Grande that are both affordable and economical. By law no one is allowed to roam the beach at night especially during the nesting season and no lights are allowed on the shore.

The reason for this is because the lights scare away the turtles. There is only one hotel next to the beach, the Hotel Las Tortugas that was built before the Marino Las Baulas National Park was established. Run by Louis Wilson, who played a key role in the setting up of this park, the hotel is a wonderful place to enjoy the area’s superb natural beauty as well as rent surfboards, kayaks, snorkeling equipment and horses.

Possibly the only drawback of Playa Grande is that it is not the most easily accessible beach. Tamarindo is the closest beach, and is a couple of kilometers south of Playa Grande. With no direct road you can also reach Playa Grande by crossing the estuary between the beach and Playa Tamarindo.

The shortest way to get to this beach is to arrive at the Liberia International Airport and take it from there. http://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cID=23La Fortuna - Arenal Volcano Travel GuideArenal Volcano is located near La Fortuna, Costa Rica. This is the volcano with most activity in Costa Rica. In the area around are many attractions and tours available for tourists like birdwatching, hiking, rafting, canopy tours, hanging bridges, waterfalls, rain forest, caves and more. A few hours from Monteverde Cloud Forest and beaches you can enjoy.

http://www.world66.com/centralamericathecaribbean/costarica/lafortunaarenalvolcanoMonteverde167km (104 miles) NW of San José; 82km (51 miles) NW of PuntarenasNext to Manuel Antonio, this is Costa Rica's most internationally recognized tourist destination. The fame and accompanying traffic have led some to dub it the Monteverde Crowd Forest. Nevertheless, the reserve itself and the extensive network of private reserves around it are incredibly rich in biodiversity, and a well-organized infrastructure helps guarantee a rewarding experience for both first-time and experienced ecoadventurers.

Monteverde translates as "green mountain," and that's exactly what you'll find at the end of the steep and windy rutted dirt road that leads here. Along the way you'll pass through mile after mile of often dry, brown pasturelands. All of these pastures were once covered with dense forest, but now only small pieces of that original forest remain.

The village of Monteverde was founded in 1951 by Quakers from the United States who wanted to leave behind a constant fear of war as well as an obligation to support continued militarism through paying U.S. taxes. They chose Costa Rica primarily because it had no standing army. Although Monteverde's founders came here to farm the land, they wisely recognized the need to preserve the rare cloud forest that covered the mountain slopes above their fields, and to that end they dedicated the largest adjacent tract of cloud forest as the Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve.

Perched on a high mountain ridge, this tiny, scattered village and surrounding cloud forest are well known among both scientific researchers and ecotravelers. Cloud forests are a mountaintop phenomenon. Moist, warm air sweeping in off the nearby ocean is forced upward by mountain slopes, and as this moist air rises, it cools, forming clouds.

The mountaintops of Costa Rica are blanketed almost daily in dense clouds, and as these clouds cling to the slopes, moisture condenses on forest trees. This constant level of moisture has given rise to an incredible diversity of innovative life forms and a forest in which nearly every square inch of space has some sort of plant growing. Within the cloud forest, the branches of huge trees are draped with epiphytic plants: orchids, ferns, and bromeliads.

This intense botanic competition has created an almost equally diverse population of insects, birds, and other wildlife. Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve covers 10,400 hectares (25,688 acres) of forest, including several different life zones that are characterized by different types of plants and animals. Within this small area are more than 2,500 species of plants, including 400 types of orchids, 400 species of birds, and 100 different species of mammals.

It's no wonder that the reserve has been the site of constant scientific investigations since its founding in 1972. The reserve was originally known only to the handful of researchers who came here to study different aspects of life in the cloud forest. However, as the beauty and biological diversity of the area became known outside of academic circles, casual visitors began arriving.

For many, the primary goal was a chance to glimpse the rare and elusive quetzal, a bird once revered by the pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas. As the number of visitors began to grow, lodges began opening, word spread, more lodges opened, and so on. Today Monteverde is a place of great and fragile beauty whose popularity threatens to destroy the very beauty that draws people to it.

That said, and despite the hordes of ecotourists traipsing its trails, Monteverde is still a beautiful place and offers a glimpse into the life of one of the world's most threatened ecosystems. However, if your primary goal is to sight a quetzal, you should also consider visiting other cloud forest areas around Costa Rica. In particular, consider the San Gerardo de Dota and Cerro de la Muerte areas, which have several specialty lodges, where you'll find far fewer crowds and usually better chances of seeing the famed quetzal. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/monteverde/3152010001.htmlAnd of course there are plenty of local dining spots that are good.

You should have plenty to keep you busy. I hope this helps! Sources: http://www.languagecrossing.com/Destinations/Costa_Rica/Things_To_Do_In_Costa_Rica/ .

Many locations including Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal and others. Northern Costa Rica The northern zone, roughly defined as the area north of San José, between Guanacaste province on the west and the lowlands of the Caribbean coast on the east, is a naturalist's dream come true. Small, isolated lodges abound, and the sheer diversity of terrain, flora, and fauna is astounding.

Slight changes in elevation create unique microclimates and ecosystems throughout the region. There are rainforests and cloud forests, jungle rivers, mountain lakes, lowland marshes, and an unbelievable wealth of birds and other wildlife. In addition to its reputation for muddy hiking trails and crocodile-filled rivers, the northern zone claims one of the best windsurfing spots in the world (on Lake Arenal, which is free of crocodiles, by the way) and Costa Rica's most active volcano.

Arenal Volcano, when free of clouds, puts on spectacular nighttime light shows. Adding a touch of comfort to a visit to the northern zone are several hot springs and a variety of hotel options that vary in their levels of luxury. -----------------Lake Arenal Attractions-Arts, Crafts & Downhome Cooking -- If you're in the area, don't miss Toad Hall (tel.

692-8020). Located 9km (5 1/2 miles) outside of Nuevo Arenal, toward La Fortuna, this roadside gallery and cafe serves up excellent breakfasts, light lunches, and a wide range of coffee drinks and desserts. It also has one of the better-stocked galleries in the country.

You'll find the works of Lil Mena, Cecilia Figueres, Patricia Erickson, and Barry Biesanz, among others, as well as a good selection of craftworks. You'll find The Lucky Bug Gallery, another excellent little roadside arts-and-crafts and souvenir shop, attached to Willy's Caballo Negro restaurant. A Private Garden -- Continuing clockwise on the road around Lake Arenal will bring you to the town of Nuevo Arenal, where the pavement ends.

If you continue another 4km (2 1/2 miles) on the dirt road, you'll come to the Arenal Botanical Gardens & Butterfly Sanctuary (tel. 694-4305; Nov-May daily 9am-5pm; $8 admission). This private garden was started only in 1991, but it's already quite beautiful and extensive.

Not only are there many tropical plants and flowers to be seen, but the butterfly garden also is quite large and well stocked, and there are usually scores of hummingbirds here-----------------------Arenal Volcano Attractions-Experiencing the Volcano--The first thing you should know is that Arenal Volcano borders a region of cloud and rain forests, and the volcano's cone is often socked in by fog. Many people come to Arenal and never get to see the exposed cone. Moreover, the volcano does go through periods when it is relatively quiet.

The second thing you should know is that you can't climb Arenal Volcano -- it's not safe due to the constant activity. Several foolish people who have ignored this warning have lost their lives, and others have been severely injured. The most recent fatalities occurred in August 2000.

Still, waiting for and watching Arenal's regular eruptions is the main activity in La Fortuna and is best done at night when the orange lava glows against the starry sky. Although it's possible simply to look up from the middle of town and see Arenal erupting, the view is best from the north and west sides of the volcano along the road to Tabacón and toward the national park entrance. If you have a car, you can drive along this road, but if you've arrived by bus, you will need to take a taxi or tour.

Arenal National Park constitutes an area of more than 2,880 hectares (7,114 acres), which includes the viewing and parking areas closest to the volcano. The park is open daily from 8am to 10pm and charges $6 admission per person. The trails through forest and over old lava flows inside the park are gorgeous and fun.

(Be careful climbing on those volcanic boulders. ) However, at night the view from inside the park is no better than on the roads just outside it. If you don't have a car and are staying in La Fortuna, every hotel in town and several tour offices offer night tours to the volcano.

(They don't actually enter the park; they stop on the road that runs between the park entrance and the Arenal Observatory Lodge. ) These tours generally cost between $7 and $15 per person. Often these volcano-viewing tours include a stop at one of the local hot springs, and the price goes up accordingly.

Note: Although it's counterintuitive, the rainy season is often a better time to see the exposed cone of Arenal Volcano, especially at night. I don't know why this is, but I've had excellent volcano-viewing sessions at various points during the rainy season, whereas during the dry season the volcano can often be socked in solid for days at a time. The bottom line is that catching a glimpse of the volcano's cone is never a sure thing.

Taking a Soothing Soak in Hot Springs--Arenal Volcano has bestowed a terrific fringe benefit on the area around it: several naturally heated thermal springs. Located at the site of the former village that was destroyed by the 1968 eruption, Tabacón Hot Springs Resort & Spa (tel. 519-1900; www.tabacon.com) is the most extensive and luxurious spot to soak your tired bones.

A series of variously sized pools, fed by natural springs, are spread out among lush gardens. At the center is a large, warm, spring-fed swimming pool with a slide, a swim-up bar, and a perfect view of the volcano. One of the stronger streams flows over a sculpted waterfall, with a rock ledge underneath that provides a perfect place to sit and receive a free hydraulic shoulder massage.

The resort also has a spa on the grounds offering professional massages, mud masks, and other treatments at reasonable prices. (Make appointments in advance. )In addition to the poolside swim-up bar, there's a restaurant and separate snack bar and grill here.

You can sign a credit card voucher when you enter and charge your food and drinks throughout your stay. This sure beats pulling soggy bills from your bathing suit. Entrance fees are $29 for adults and $17 for children under 9.

The hot springs are open daily from noon to 10pm (spa treatments can actually be scheduled as early as 8am, and guests at the hotel here can enter at 10am). There's a slight discount for entering after 7pm. Management sometimes enforces their policy of limiting visitors, so reservations are recommended during the high season (late Nov to late Apr).

Across the street from the resort and down a gravel driveway are Las Fuentes Termales, another bathing spot fed by the same springs and run by the same folks. You'll find several large pools here, but far more basic facilities and no view. Admission is $8 weekdays, $10 weekends.

There are changing rooms and showers, but you won't find the Disneyland atmosphere, pampering spa treatments, or magnificent gardens that prevail at the Tabacón resort. Baldi Termae (tel. 479-9652), next to the Volcano Look Disco, are the first hot springs you'll come to as you drive from La Fortuna toward Tabacón; however, I find this place far less attractive than the options mentioned above.

The main attraction here is the swim-up bar set in the center of the circular concrete pool. Admission is $17. However, just across the street from Baldi Termae is the unmarked entrance of a new hot spring option, Eco Termales (tel.

479-8484). Smaller and more intimate than Tabacón, this series of pools set amid lush forest and gardens is almost as picturesque and luxurious, although the spa services are much less extensive and there is no view of the volcano. Reservations are absolutely necessary here.

Admission is $15. Check for more on: Sources: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/northerncostarica/ .

Here is an answer In the northwest the cattle-ranching province of Guanacaste is often called "the home of Costa Rican folklore", and sabanero culture dominates here, with exuberant rag-tag rodeos and large cattle haciendas. Limón Province, on the Caribbean coast, is the polar opposite to ladino Guanacaste and home to the descendants of the Afro-Caribbeans who came to Costa Rica at the end of the nineteenth century to work on the San José– Limón railroad – their language (Creole English), Protestantism and West Indian traditions remain relatively intact to this day. Most travellers only venture up here to see the perpetually active Volcán Arenal, using the nearby town of La Fortuna de San Carlos as their base.

To the east is the steamy Sarapiquí area, with its tropical forest ecolodges and research stations of La Selva and Rara Avis. Further north, the remote flatlands are home to the increasingly accessible Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro, which harbours an extraordinary number of migratory and indigenous birds. The climate in the north is hot and wet, more so in the east than in the west near Guanacaste, where there is a dry season.

There's a serviceable bus network, though if you're travelling outside the La Fortuna or Sarapiquí areas, you'd probably do better with a car. As for other facilities, the area around Volcán Arenal is best geared up for tourists, even boasting a couple of excellent five-star hotels. Between Boca de Arenal and Los Chiles in the far north, on the other hand, there is a real shortage of accommodation, though fuel and food are in good supply.

The far north of the Zona Norte is an isolated region, in many ways culturally – as well as geographically – closer to Nicaragua than to the rest of the country and mostly devoted to sugar cane. Tourists come here to see Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro, a vast wetlands area and – at 192km from San José – one of the most remote wildlife refuges in Costa Rica. You can visit Caño Negro on a day-trip from the capital or on an excursion from La Fortuna or any of the larger hotels in the Zona Norte; getting there independently, as with everywhere in Costa Rica, is more complicated. Few tourists make it to LOS CHILES, a border settlement just 3km from the Nicaraguan frontier, and other than soaking up the town's end-of-the-world atmosphere, there's little to do, except perhaps try to rent a boat or horse to go to Caño Negro, 25km downstream on the Río Frío.

The only other reason you might come to Los Chiles is to cross the Nicaraguan border, although the majority of travellers still cross at Peñas Blancas, further west on the Interamericana. Two luxury buses per day run from C 12, Av 7/9, in San José to Los Chiles (5.30am & 3.30pm; 5hr), stopping at the small bus station. Also pulling in here are the almost hourly buses from San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada).

Return buses to San José leave Los Chiles at 5am and 3pm, but be sure to check these times in advance. You can change dollars and travellers' cheques at the Banco Nacional on the north side of the soccer pitch (Mon– Fri 8am–3.30pm); it also has an ATM accepting Visa/Plus/Cirrus/MasterCard. Spartan Caver Let Amazon know if this was a great or lame answer and vote.

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2 Thank you for the info. I have heard numerous stories about how bad the roads are. Have you driven to any of these destinations?

I will be in Playa Hermosa as a base and traveling around with a Rav 4 type rental.

Thank you for the info. I have heard numerous stories about how bad the roads are. Have you driven to any of these destinations?

I will be in Playa Hermosa as a base and traveling around with a Rav 4 type rental.

3 I haven't been there but I've heard exactly the same things. I knew a girl from Costa Rica when I was in college and she told me quite a few stories. My neighbors go down there once a year or so, too, and they've told me about how bad driving can be.

If you've got a good SUV you should be fine, but don't expect most roads to be anything like what we have in the U.S.

I haven't been there but I've heard exactly the same things. I knew a girl from Costa Rica when I was in college and she told me quite a few stories. My neighbors go down there once a year or so, too, and they've told me about how bad driving can be.

If you've got a good SUV you should be fine, but don't expect most roads to be anything like what we have in the U.S.

" "Does anyone have suggested places to visit while in Costa Rica? Looking for adventure and beaches. " "Can you buy Imperial beer anywhere outside of Costa Rica?" "Living/teaching in Costa Rica?" "What should and what shouldn't I do while visiting Costa Rica?" "how much money did you need to retire in Costa Rica.

What's the best place to eat at in San Jose COsta Rica.

Does anyone have suggested places to visit while in Costa Rica? Looking for adventure and beaches.

How much money did you need to retire in Costa Rica.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.