Bay Area Travel Guide

Costa Rica- A Tropical Paradise

Costa Rica is a tropical paradise that offers beautiful nature opportunities, beaches to relax on, and numerous activities to experience. Visitors will enjoy white sand beaches, tropical animals and wildlife, rainforests, hot springs, excellent surfing spots, snorkeling, adventurous rafting and more! Popular attractions that provide these unique activities include:  Arenal National Park, Tortuguero National Park, and Manuel Antonio National Park.

Arenal National Park is home to Costa Rica's most active volcano. The park's main attraction is the Tabacon Hot Springs. These hot springs are natural geothermal pools that are fed by the Tabacon River, which begins at the Arenal volcano. It creates a tropical playground for vacationers to explore as it offers a variety of different size pools and water temperatures. Visitors will also have the opportunity to massage their body under a heated waterfall located at the mouth of a river. And be sure to check out the night tours to catch the volcano's mini-eruptions that illuminate the evening sky.

The Tortuguero National Park is full of navigable lagoons and canals. Vacationers will view several types of turtles nesting on the beaches such as: the Green Sea, the Leather Back, and the Hawksbill turtles. Night tours are given to experience the nesting of these turtles. Other popular activities at the park include: kayaking, canoeing or riding motorized boats through the lagoons and canals where other exotic animals can be found.

Manuel Antonia National Park is a charming combination of extensive white sand beaches, coral reefs and the rainforest. The beautiful rainforest is home to sloths, iguanas, and rare squirrel monkeys, which can be seen up close when walking the hiking trails. There are also opportunities to spot dolphins and whales as they often migrate to this area. The beaches in the park are ideal for relaxing in the sun, surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving as there are spectacular views of coral reefs.