Costa Rica Facts and Figures

Set in the spectacular Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and looking to the Atlantic Ocean the Cahuita National Park is one of the most stunning parks in the country. This park is located in the province of Limon, 42 kilometers south of Puerto Limon and was created in 1970 to protect the largest coral reef in Costa Rica.

Covering a land area of only 1607 hectares, the park protects about 22,400 acres of ocean and marine life and is one of the most beautiful regions of the country. The biggest attraction of the park is not so much their land but their world under water which is home to an impressive and fantastic marine life and the largest coral reef of Costa Rica. Tourists from all over the world come in droves to this national park because it offers many opportunities for snorkeling and diving for and for its beautiful palm trees. Also you can enjoy white sand beaches and incessantly blue and crystal clear waters that are ideal for swimming.

Home to a large amount of marine life, some of the common inhabitants under the water are the sea urchin, the queen angel fish, the blue parrot fish, green turtles, eels, the barracudas, the cucumbers, marine shrimps, the lobsters, sponges, manta rays, 3 species of sharks and turtles Carey. Among the many mammals that are found in the lands of the park, you can see the opossums, monkeys, frogs, pacas, iguanas, basilisk, pork spins, and several species of birds including ibises, herons, gulls and the fisherman.

During the earthquake of 1991, the coral reef of Cahuita was very affected but despite this it has more than 35 species of corals including brain coral and fan coral that you could see when you are in the area. This national park offers great opportunities for camping and also has large number of resorts, hotels and lodgings in the surrounding area.

The Wildlife Refuge Gandoca Manzanillo is located in one of the most wonderfully and beautiful regions in Costa Rica. Located just a few miles north of the border with Panama in the County of Talamaca, this refugee protects some of the flora and fauna of this region, which is in danger. Is set on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, in the province of Limon and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, is classified as a tropical rain forest and take care of the only bed of oysters found in a mangrove swamp along the reef of the coast.

The Wildlife Refuge Gandoca Manzanillo includes several rare habitats such as lowland forests, wetland and mangrove swamp also safeguards the only palm swampy Orey and jolillo of Costa Rica. This wild reserve is very important from the ecological point of view because it contains the only intact mangrove swamp in the Atlantic and the small primary rainforest that is here is the only one of this style in the region. With a unique habitat that reserve is a strip of beach of 10 miles with 740 acres of forest, a coral reef and 2 swamps. The Wildlife Refuge Gandoca Manzanillo is also spawning a region of several species of turtles like the Leatherback; also you can find west Indian manatees, crocodiles, alligators, dolphins and tarpon. The spawning season of the turtles is March to May. There are several species of birds like frigate birds, woodpeckers, parrot, eagles and toucans.

Potrero Beach in Costa Rica consists of a bay with gray sand beach and clear blue water of 4 kilometers long, with mild to moderate waves, an ideal place for swimming, fishing, diving sports and other water activities and also it is perfect for capturing the sun. Potrero presents a lush vegetation of mangroves and a beautiful estuary that has an extension of 4 kilometers. It is very close to the beautiful Flamingo beach, which in turn provides high quality services of all kinds. Potrero Beach in Costa Rica has hotels, cabins, lodges and camping areas. It is easy to get to this point for virtually all year and is located near the main town in the area. Although its tourism development has been increasing in recent years, is still a beach with a relaxed atmosphere.

Potrero Beach in Costa Rica is located 280 km from the city of San Jose, 60 km from Liberia International Airport and about 24 km from the local airport located in the town of Tamarindo. To get to Potrero Beach the tourists should take the following routes: Liberia-Guardia-Philadelphia-Huacas-Playa Brasilito and from there directly to the place. The asphalt road ceases to be in good condition about 4 miles from Playa Brasilito.

Potrero Beach in Costa Rica is part of the extraordinary series of beautiful beaches of the called Costa Dorada in the North Pacific of Costa Rica, which have different characteristics, including the colors of the sand, sea, vegetation and the type of attractions that they offer. All of this gives the visitors a variety of options for entertainment and fun for tourism. Potrero is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beaches in the area.

Potrero has a wonderful warm and sunny weather during most of the year, being one of its main attractions. The sun shines for almost the entire day during the dry season which runs from December to April. It can reach temperatures of up to 36 degrees centigrade in the hottest days. The heat and rainfall of about 1800 mm per year give the area varied and lush vegetation that contributes to its exotic atmosphere.

Due to its location could be said that Potrero Beach is one of the places that has managed to retain much of its natural environment, allowing tourists to enjoy the a part of the varied natural beauty of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A very short distance from Potrero Beach in Costa Rica is Playa La Penca, a beach well known among locals for its white sand and calm seas.

The visitor from Potrero Beach will find a mix of beautiful beach and abundant nature trails that allows the tourists to can enjoy the sun, sand, palm trees and tropical forest of great beauty, something unique for those looking to get the full experience of nature of Costa Rica in its ultimate expression.

Potrero Beach in Costa Rica is characterized by its wide beaches, located in the heart of a stunning bay, which offers the possibility to enjoy a quiet and safe access to the sea. It is an ideal place for families, students, couples, seniors and anyone in search of a place of relaxation, health, entertainment and a spectacular sun bath.

It is believed that the port or Bahia Drake in Costa Rica south pacific was used by Sir Francis Drake in the seventeenth century and also was the place where this English privateer hid one of their most precious treasures, but Drake is mostly known for being one of the major tourist destinations and more distant in Costa Rica.

The town of Agujitas (Drake), in which they reside approximately 1000 people, its economy is sustained by the tourism. The place is far from the main track and can only be reached by car during the dry season. The sea and the Sierpe River, which passes an efficient service of boats, and a small airstrip are the only ways of communication during the rainy season.

Following this path you can go to beautiful beaches, the last of this is San Josecito that is surrounding the Corcovado National Park that is another great site for swimming and diving. Some area hotels have their own boats and offer tours of about a half days for fishing or just traveling.

Whale watching in the Costa Rica south pacific town of Drake Bay

In a small strip of land located north of Agujitas, there is a place of indigenous villages of indigenous heritage of the area. For visitors looking for typical souvenirs just need to arrive to this area, traditional materials and techniques are employed here by expert craftsmen. There are miles and miles of beautiful coastline with rocky cliffs and sandy coves that stretch from Bay Agujitas (where it is located Drake), toward the edge of the Corcovado National Park, which is approximately at a distance of 12 miles in a southerly direction. Along this coastline are some of the most remote and spectacular ecological hotels of Costa Rica. Each of these hotels offers an “all inclusive” service and there are also transportation services by boat offered for the same hotel as a way to facilitate the arrival at their facilities.

Drake Bay is home to beautiful hotels designed to meet the wishes of those tourist who love the natural beauty of the country . It is also one of the main points for many other adventures in the South Pacific of Costa Rica. The diving near the Caño Island, for example, is a wonderful experience that lets you see an incredibly diverse marine life and a stunning landscape under water. From January to September this area is the fate of humpback whales, which can be admired next to the dolphins in one of the many tours offered by the hotels. Known as a destination for world-class fishing and bear several records in this sport, this area will certainly provide an unforgettable experience. The tourist can be accommodated in one of the exclusive fishing hotels where the fisherman will meet other fans, or stay overnight nears the Corcovado National Park to explore the jungle. Corcovado has an enormous biodiversity which is still preserved thanks to its remote location and the fact that most of the National Park has suffered minimal environmental impact in the past.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country in Central America. Its northern border with Nicaragua and southeast with the territory of Panama. Is bathed to the east by the Caribbean Sea and west by the Pacific Ocean. Its capital, political and economic center is San Jose. The official language is Spanish.

The land limits of Costa Rica with Nicaragua are defined by the Canas-Jerez Treaty of 1858 and the Laudo Cleveland of 1888, and with Panama by the Echandi-Fernandez Treaty in 1941. The maritime boundary with Colombia is defined in the treaty Facio-Fernández in1977 and the treaty Gutierrez-Lloreda in1984, with Ecuador in the treaty Gutierrez-Teran.

Costa Rica, one of the most consolidated democracies of America, has maintained a good political stability, despite the economic and social difficulties of the past two decades. Costa Rica won worldwide recognition for having been the first country to abolish the army on 1 December 1948. Its human development index, one of the best in Latin America, puts it in fourth place behind Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Costa Rica ranks fifth globally according to the Environmental Performance Index, 2010. Among Latin American countries, Costa Rica ranks first in the ranking of the competitiveness index tourism, and the 44th place worldwide

The Atlantic coast of Costa Rica is a beautiful area full of natural places to enjoy an interesting vacation. This North coast of the Caribbean of Costa Rica is located near the border with Nicaragua, in Barra del Colorado, boasts an excellent fishing for shad, which attracts fishermen from all over the world. Other fishes can be caught in the area include sea bass and Calba, swimming upstream from December to January.

North of the Caribbean includes the Costa Rica Caribbean coast from Rio San Juan to the town of Limon. The city of Limon is the center of this Corridor, simultaneously working as a stay-scale center for distribution and hiking. Some of the main attractions of this zone are the green turtle nesting beaches of Tortuguero National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Barra del Colorado, a privileged site for sport fishing of sea bass, the shad and other species. The products based in the nature are favored in the Atlantic, particularly the observation of wildlife because it is a world-renowned site for the observation of birds and turtles.

The natural wildlife refuge Barra Colorado in Costa Rica was created in 1985 and is located on the northern tip of the Caribbean region on the border with Nicaragua. It has 78,977 hectares, where there are canals, lakes, rivers, wetlands, forests, hills, with less than 250 meters above sea level, continental islands and waterways. The precipitation in this region is about 5500 to 6000 mm per year, so there is no dry season proper.

Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica, established in 1975 is one of the most biologically diverse wildlife zone of Costa Rica and offers a lush landscape of the country. The Caribbean south of Costa Rica extends from Limon to the border with Panama. Limon is the primary tourist center and operates as a center of scale and distribution. The region boasts a unique blend of beach in the country, natural resource and Afro-Caribbean culture in the towns of Cahuita, Puerto Viejo and Gandoca Manzanillo. This zone is quite different from the typical developments in the Caribbean Islands which prints a special potential to differentiate the costarrican product properly.

The beaches in this part of Costa Ricaare of high quality and allow the mixture of adventure activities and natural history that is definitely complemented with the culture, cuisine and music of the zone. Is a beautiful place to enjoy the coral reefs, sandy beaches full of colors (from black, yellow and gray), coastal vegetation and forests of average height.

Cahuita is a community with a mixture of cultures where you can enjoy a variety of local and international cuisine; there are all kinds of facilities to exploit the visit to the National Park that is located there. Some companies that conduct tours to the reef and other areas of Talamanca and the surrounding area. There are also places to enjoy the typical music. The town of Puerto Viejo as well as the community of Cahuita in Costa Rica have various facilities to enjoy their visit. There are companies of lodging, travel, tour guides association that offers tours and excursions to other areas of Talamanca. There are also restaurants of outstanding national and international cuisine and at night you can enjoy music and dance traditions of the Caribbean of Costa Rica.

Near the main tourist spots in the area you can find bars and restaurants where you can enjoy the delicious local food. These areas have the particularities that are fairly intact, although they have not experienced the real estate development that occurs in other parts of the country as in the Central Pacific. Despite this there are hotels and cabins to suit all tastes and budgets so that tourists will not be deprived of amenities.

The Guanacaste National Park is located in the province of Guanacaste, North Pacific of Costa Rica, 36 kilometers north of the city of Liberia, this park was created on June 5, 1991 through Executive Order. It has an area of 32,512 hectares. It contains a wide biological diversity distributed in the forests: very humid tropical, humid tropical, cloudy and dry tropical.

The upper parts of the park are represented by the massifs of the volcanoes Orosi and Cocoa. It is also important to mention that among the hill of Orosilito and the Volcano Cocoa, the Tempisque River is born, that together with other rivers like the Colorado and Ahogado, will form the Tempisque River, the main collector of Guanacaste.

For its size, diversity and location, both on the Atlantic side and the Pacific of Costa Rica, the park has a great diversity in its evergreen rain forest. The forest on the tops of Cocoa and Orosi volcanoes is primary, excel as the epiphytes bromeliads and orchids, there are ferns, mosses and Araceae. In this park of Costa Rica there are about 3,000 species of plants. The dominant species are the marie, the Tempisque, the cork oak, the capulín, the jicaro danto and the golden fruit.

There are a lot of birds, is easy to find 300 species, including the kettle, the goldfinch, the Oropéndola of Montezuma, the tucancillo, the king of zopilotes, the oropopo or owl eyeglasses, the bird bell, the umbrella bird, the magpie and The cargahuesos, among others. Some of the most representative mammals are the tepezcuinte, deer, jaguar, the cariblanco, puma, the tapir, the pizote, the peccary, armadillo, the two fingers sloth and the tolomuco.

Estimates about the number of species of butterflies are about 5,000 species.