Costa Cruises

Costa Rica: Wild Jungle and Rainforest

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on January 20th, 2010

Mangrove forests, the mysterious flooded forests, which can be reached only by boat, are the largest intact thickets of mangrove trees in Costa Rica. The entire region is as a fascinating piece of paradise. There are hundreds of species of only birds here, including a special type of hummingbird, found only in this secluded corner of our planet.

For herons, owls, parrots and various types of wading birds, these forests are an excellent nesting and feeding place.

However, the diversity of the forest is striking not only with birds, but reptiles, among them – caimans, crocodiles, boas, tree frogs, iguanas and river turtles. Even mammals are not left unattended in this flooded forest, which is home to various types of monkeys (howler, squirrel monkeys, white-Capuchins), as well as sloths, and nosuhi.

Mangrove forests are very important to the overall environmental situation in the region, because they are a breeding ground for many species of fish and shrimp. In the absence of such forests, their biological diversity would be significantly reduced.

Traveling at a comfortable boat, accompanied by professional guides will leave an unforgettable experience on tourists. The green maze of canals, rivers and unspoiled wildlife await you.

You can just sit back and relax – the boat will gently guide you on all the most beautiful places.

Tours, lasting from 4 to 6 hours, start at the pier Aguila, where you had 25 minutes to reach the delta of mangrove forest. Here a study of numerous rivers, lagoons and hidden channels will begin.

Cities of Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on January 12th, 2010

Alajuela, Atenas and Kepos are well-known for their landscape surroundings with their pristine nature. There is a wonderful combination of the mountain air and the see. Here come tourists who prefer peace and calmness for big cities. It’s a great vacation place for families with children.

There is a luxurious resort place in Galgamank , which is famous for its great coffee taste. Moreover, you can find a great variety of fish, where almost no place can have it.

Garza is for lovers of active leisure. Diving is widely developed at this resort place with its exotic nature and the warm ocean.

Golfo Dulce is considered the most ecologically prosperous place on earth. They cook here freshly caught tuna and Mahi-Mahi for the gourmet. There is a lavish local beef as well.

Drake Bay is a diving resort place. The water in the ocean is full of the diverse wildlife and is very transparent. In the island of Cano you are likely to meet swarms of exotic fish, sea turtles and white reef sharks.

Amazing city of La Cruz: despite the oil refining industry, its completely neat resort area is special for a wonderful family vacation.

Lemon City and Los Suenos are very well known among tourists. They are typical Caribbean towns with beautiful beaches, flourishing vegetation and wildlife.

In Miramar focused, perhaps, the most of the attractions throughout Costa Rica. It’s the most favorite place for almost all the tourists.

In Monteverde enjoy their rest the lovers of adventure and wildlife. It’s the coolest place in Costa Rica.

Papagayo is a typical Costa Rican resort place, and the weather is much milder, with no winds and intense heat. Good for a holiday with family and children and lovers of solitude.

The best place for surfing is Playa Hako and Playas del Coco. The town is engrossed in the tropical plants, here one can find plenty of fruits. In Playas del Coco the infrastructure and numerous attractions are widely developed.

Playa Flamingo is the best place for scuba diving. It is situated near Cahuita National Park Oroshi with its volcanoes, mud volcanoes and sulfur springs.

Film-makers often choose the town of Potrero to make films for its marvelous nature. It has one of the most beautiful lakes.

Punta Arenas and San Pedrosa Montes are provincial Costa Rican resort towns with plenty of attractions. Here is a place for lovers of serene and calmness. In contrast, Puntarenas is a city of night life with its great infrastructure entertainment.

Puerto Viejo is famous fir its Devil’s Bridge with its amazing nature shape .

Puerto Limon Viejo is located on the shores of a volcanic lake. Here is rather quiet, windless with its beautiful beaches.

Sarapiqui stands on the river with the same name. Tourists are boating, enjoy the nature, visit the National Park Tortuguero.

San Jose – Capital of Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on December 5th, 2009

Before 1824, when San Jose was declared the capital of Costa Rica, it was a small rustic village in the central part of the country. The capital of the state at that time was the city of Cartago, founded by the Spaniards at the beginning of colonization.

Juan Mora Hernandez, the first legitimately elected leader to take over the authority, has transferred the government to San Jose and the city began to develop.

Nowadays, the capital of Costa Rica is the largest city in the country, the center of economic and political life. This is a modern city located in the central part of the country, with numerous hotels, well developed trade and the entertainment industry. The population according to the latest census was 347000 people. For such a small country like Costa Rica, this is a tangible indicator. Also, the city is the central transport hub, lying in the center of all the arteries of the country, serving as an interchange locations of all visitors arriving by international airlines.

Climatic indicators of San Jose, by virtue of its position relative to sea level, are more moderate than in the entire country. Thus, the average temperature is around 25C and remaines stable within this range throughout the year.

Because of the unstable seismic situation, the city’s architecture is different with its low-rise buildings. Despite some congestion of tourists, there is always what to see and do in San Jose. There are a lot of sights and monuments of historical heritage here. Here are just some of them.

National Park
This is a green island in the middle of city streets. Surrounded by shade and coolness here is a marble monument to the defenders of the fatherland in 1856 from the foreign invaders.

Metropolitan Park
Being far away from major urban sites, the park is home to sports (tennis courts, swimming pools, football, basketball, baseball, bicycle), as well as public recreation. It has places for picnics. There is an artificial lake.

Area of Culture
This place is located in the center of the capital. In addition to numerous architectural monuments that surround it, on weekends souvenirs and handicrafts are sold here. This is an excellent opportunity for tourists to buy gifts for themselves and their loved ones. In addition, the connoisseurs of painting and sculpture can get to know the work of local artists and buy something for their home collection.

Indigo Hotel in Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on December 1st, 2009

InterContinental Hotels Group have opened the first hotel called Indigo Hotel in Costa Rica. Indigo San Jose Forum Costa Rica Hotel has opened its doors to the country’s largest city of San Jose, in the first quarter of 2009.

It was planned to open a hotel Holiday Inn Express San Jose Forum, but later some changes were made in the plan and the hotel was named Indigo. It should be noted that hotels of this had already been popular in North America, including Canada and Mexico.

The hotel, according to architects, should reflect the local culture, nature and geographical position. This is why it is decorated with photographs depicting tropical flowers, waterfalls, coffee beans and tropical forests. In addition, following the change of seasons, the hotel is changing photos, music, aromas and menus. There will always be changes that will help the hotel to be always fresh, whereas even the most frequent guests will always expect a unique experience.

The hotel offers accommodation in 100 rooms, equipped with everything necessary for comfortable living.
The hotel is located in one of the fastest growing areas of San Jose, Santa Ana, a 15-minute drive from the airport Juan Santamaria. It is surrounded by major shopping complexes, boutiques and restaurants, as well as business complexes Forum Business Park I and II.

A bistro and bar Phi, several small meeting rooms, fully equipped business center, outdoor pool and fitness center ‘Phi’tness Studio with cardio equipment are also available on its territory.

Currently, there are already several IHG hotels in Costa Rica, including the Real InterContinental Hotel & Club Tower Costa Rica, Crowne Plaza Corobici San Jose, Holiday Inn San Jose – Aurola and Holiday Inn Express San Jose Airport.

Costa Rica National Cuisine

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on November 23rd, 2009

The basis of the national dishes of Costa Rica are primarily rice, black beans and meat, fruits, fish and vegetable. All this is prepared with various sauces and onions. Typically, local cooks rarely use spices in their dishes, but usually ketchup or chili sauce is served with any dish.

National dish of this exotic country is casados. It’s a mixture of rice and beans with vegetables. It is served with beef, pork or chicken. There are a few other dishes of Costa cuisine that are equally popular. This includes baked fish called the ala plancha, pastry stuffed with meat, cheese or chicken called arreglados, marine fish in lemon juice, seasoned with onion and coriander and, of course, shells called conchas.

Due to the variety of climate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables – from apples to tropical species grow in Costa Rica.

Rum holds the leading position among the alcoholic drinks of Costa Rica. The best varieties of rum are Centenario, Abuelo and Platio. In addition, coffee liqueur Cafe Rica, as well as light beers Imperial Bavaria and Pilsen is especially popular.

Coffee of Costa Rica is considered one of the best in the world; this is why it is consumed here in huge numbers. It is served on the table in small jars and poured into tiny cups. This coffee is only on the second place with its flavor saturation. The coffee beans from Guatemala are on the first place. Cocoa also grows in Costa Rica. It is used to make the Swiss chocolate. However, the berry of cocoa can not be eaten raw. It is not recommended to eat them fried as well. To be suitable for eating, they must undergo a long process of treatment. There is also a herbal tea popular throughout Costa Rica, which is brewed according to old recipes.

Costa Rica is the Happiest Country in the World

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on November 19th, 2009

According to the rating of Happy Planet Index (HPI), Costa Rica today is the greenest and most peaceful country in the world. Rating is based on research conducted in the field of ecology and the moral health of citizens of different states of the world.

Britain is in the middle of the list, taking 74th place out of 143 possible. The United States is at the 114th place. Russia was also in the rating and took the 108th place. The top ten was fully occupied by the countries of Latin America, while most African states were at the very end of the rating.

HPI shows in which countries and how widely the natural resources of the planet are used. Also, the compilers are interested in how comfortable citizens consider their life to be.

Thanks to HPI, it became clear that the happiest people on Earth are Costa Ricans. On average they live longer than residents of the United States. The care for the environment in Costa Rica is at the same height level. However, in countries with rapidly growing economies , such as the United States, India and China, 20 years ago, people were happier, and the environment was better.

The Dutch were recognized to be the happiest nation in Europe. Residents of the Netherlands live an average of more than a year longer than U.S. residents, although the degree of satisfaction with life among the Americans and the Dutch is the same. In addition, in the Netherlands, natural resources are consumed more carefully, and ecology is given the utmost importance.

Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on November 18th, 2009

This paradise, discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502, is, without exaggeration, the crown jewel of Central America. And not only because Costa Rica in translation from Spanish means “rich coast”, but because of incredible contrasts, a staggering number of interesting objects, fantastic wealth of nature, as well as Latin America’s traditional hospitality and the feeling of complete security.

The attractiveness of Costa Rica, as the diamond has many facets. None of all the countries of the New World can boast with as many attractions per square kilometer as Costa Rica. In just one day spent here, you can see forever green rainforests and volcanic wasteland, savannah and rain forest on the mountain slopes, hundreds of kilometers of pristine beaches, a variety of national parks, scenic river valleys, and waterfalls, pearly. In addition, Costa Rica has long received the status of “Leader of active rest” for a terrific variety of proposals: from rafting on the swift mountain rivers and trekking to the volcanic craters in the region to the best windsurfing and entertainment in the spirit of Tarzan – the flight over the tops of trees in the jungle with the help of special devices. Costa Rica also has the right to claim the laurels of “the most democratic and safe country” in the region.

Costa Rica welcomes tourists with consistently good weather and pleasant climate. The country’s capital, San Jose, as well as the main airport, Juan Santa Maria, is located at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level, which ensures a steady stream of pure mountain air and requires no additional acclimatization upon arrival.

It is said that Costa Rica is one big national park. Surprisingly, for such a small area more than 50 different reserves and more than 100 private conservation areas, whose total area is about 30% of the country are located here! About 70% of all growing plants on Earth can be found in Costa Rica.