Everybody seems to be hunkered down in a funk. The leaves have fallen, the days are getting colder. The Boys of Summer are freezing their bats off and nearly ready to put them away until Spring. A Costa Rica vacation may be just what the doctor ordered. Here are some great reasons to take that Costa Rica vacation now.
1. Airfares are unbelievable right now. They have not been this cheap for years. And, with Costa Rica tourism down by about 15% this year, an informed and frugal traveler can really take advantage of the plight of hotels and resorts. Luxury resorts like the Hilton Papagayo are offering rates around $160.00 a night, seniors pay even less, and more budget-conscious folks who travel Costa Rica can stay at very nice Costa Rica hostels (some with private rooms) for about $12.00. For the best bargains, visit between May and mid-November. Tip: look for a cash discount because many places offer substantial price reductions for cash. Do not be shy: ask and ye shall receive!
2. Visit one or more of hundreds of pristine Costa Rica beaches. Uncrowded, tropical beaches on two coasts. Black sand beaches, brown sand beaches, sea shell beaches, rugged rock-strewn beaches. Explore the same Caribbean beach where Columbus named Costa Rica 600 years ago. Fish off of Drake Bay, named after Sir Francis Drake, who visited the Costa Rica Pacific coast a decade before sinking the Spanish Armada and saving England.
3. Frolic on the same Costa Rica beaches as Britney Spears or Mel Gibson (you need to bring your own Russian model). Do not forget to bring your surfboard because some of the best surfing on the planet is found here. Most beaches are completely free but if you prefer to visit a very popular national beach park called Manuel Antonio, there will be a small entry fee.
4. Consider becoming an ecotourist. Check out Ostional National Preserve on the fabulous Gold Coast, where thousands of olive ridley sea turtles come ashore in massive nestings, called “arribadas”, perhaps the largest spectacle of its kind in the world. Arribadas occur year-round but the biggest (sometimes involving hundreds of thousands of turtles) typically are when the moon is in its last quarter during the months of July to November. Or, head over to the Caribbean coast and tour Tortuguero National Park, the biggest green sea turtle nesting preserve on earth.
5. Costa Rica has been called the “Switzerland of Latin America.” This mountainous little country has nearly as many species of birds as in the entire continental U.S., nearly 1000 in all. You can hike every inch of Africa without seeing as many species of butterflies as Costa Rica has. One of every five animal and plant species on the world are found in this country.
6. If you are adventurous and fit, visit magnificent Corcovado National Park on the southern Pacific Coast, a place National Geographic calls “the most biologically intense place on earth.” Though small, it is true wilderness that hosts the largest remaining population of scarlet macaws in Latin America, including crocodiles, monkeys, and six kinds of wild cat, including the spectacular jaguar, all living in some of the tallest primary forest remaining in this region of the world. Bring your camera, bandaids for blisters, and mosquito repellant.
Writer Victor Krumm lives in Costa Rica. Visit his acclaimed website about Costa Rica Vacations and be sure to check out the magnificent Seven Wonders of Costa Rica