Misty cloud forests, black sand beaches, rushing river rapids and amazing wildlife account in making Costa Rica a dream destination for decades. It attracts all, be it casual nature enthusiasts or hardcore adventure travelers with its ancient tradition, rain forests, beaches, volcanoes, wetlands, wildlife watching, cruise shipping, scuba diving and adventure touring. This beautiful Central American country is renowned worldwide for its national parks, biological reserves and wildlife refuges.
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Costa Rica Volcanoes:
Costa Rica is a home to more than 60 volcanoes. These beautiful but destructive elements reside along the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, Tilarana Mountain Range and Guanacaste Mountain Range. Out of the whopping number, only six of them are active. Arenal Volcano, one of the six active ones, lies directly adjacent to Lake Arenal. Another one is Turrialba, a large vegetation-covered stratovolcano that has three well-defined craters. Irazu is Costa Rica’s highest volcano that has a broad summit, vegetated flanks and a history of frequent eruptions. Poas is one of the most active volcanoes that is well vegetated and has a summit area containing three craters along a north-south line. Next on the active volcanoes list is Miravalles, an andesitic stratovolcano that is one of five post-caldera cones along a northeast-trending line within the Pleistocene. Last but certainly not the least is Rincon de la Vieja, a remote volcanic complex in the Guanacaste Rang. It is the largest volcano in northwest Costa Rica. These volcanoes make a magnificent view and bring many adventure enthusiasts to Costa Rica.
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Rivers, Lakes and lagoons of this paradise:
Costa Rica is blessed with abundant rivers, lakes and lagoons that enhance its beauty immensely. The largest river is Rio Terraba, in the South Pacific area, while Tempisque River in the North Pacific area of Guanacaste is the second largest. Other rivers that leave the vacationers delighted are Reventazon, Matina, Pacuare and Sixaola on the Caribbean Coast, Naranjo, Savegre and Parrita in the Central Pacific area and San Carlos, Sarapiqui and Rio Frio in the Northern Plains. Costa has a number of lakes, both natural as well as artificial. Two largest lakes are the Arenal Lake and Cachi. Exemplifying the beauty of nature are lagoons like Laguna de Coter, Laguna Sierpe, Laguna Hule, Laguna de Gandoca – Manzanillo, Laguna Corcovado. All of these provide a unique series of activities and sports, such as windsurfing, freshwater fishing, canoeing, kayaking and boat tours as well as sightseeing.
National parks and wildlife in Costa Rica:
The amazing Central American country has many national parks and nature preserves that are home to thousands of animal and plant species. They protect different habitats like cloud forests, rainforests, mangrove forests, coastal areas, beaches, mountains and volcanoes. Some of the national parks and nature preserves are a must visit are Corcovado, Tortuguero, Carara, Manuel Antonio, Santa Rosa, Chirripo, Poas, Irazu, La Amistad, Cahuita and Braulio Carillo.
Tourists come to Costa Rica to see animals, wildlife of many different types, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects. It includes creatures such as monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, manatees, herons, sea turtles and poison dart frogs. Costa flaunts some 500,000 to a million species of flora and fauna, 208 species of mammals, 850 species of birds and thousands of species of beautiful butterflies.
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Exotic forests of Costa Rica:
The forests of Costa Rica are what the country is most famous for. Some of the world’s richest cloud forests lie in the highlands of this heaven. These forests make a perfect eye treat for the hikers, birdwatchers, sightseeing and biologists. Providing a cool climate with fresh air to breath, they are home to thousands of unique species of flora and fauna. Costa Rica’s rich and green tropical forests are a major attraction. The tropical jungles and rainforests are considered to be among the richest in the world. Situated in the North Pacific Coast, the Central Pacific Coast, the Nicoya Peninsula and other areas, including the Islands of the Gulf of Nicoya, the famous Tropical Dry forests have large trees that appeal to the tourists coming here. They are a home to many insects, reptiles, mammals and beautiful birds. All these forests have opened avenues for activities like hiking, adventure sports, bird watching, sightseeing and much more.
Via: TravelingCostaRica