With a wealth of attractions and adventures, Costa Rica is one of the hottest vacation destinations in the Americas. Whether you want relaxation or excitement, you’ll find it. Stroll leisurely on the beach or zip through the treetops on a canopy tour. Explore urban San Jose or incredible national parks with unspoiled wilderness. Choose the Caribbean Coast or the Central Pacific Coast. Lounge beside an infinity pool or battle a billfish. Seek out exuberant nightlife or take in the lush tropical scenery. Go golfing, snorkeling, volcano viewing, river rafting, sea kayaking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. Stay in a luxurious resort or a rustic wooden cabin . . . a Mediterranean villa or an Ecolodge tent. This friendly guide clues you in, with: The lowdown on how to get to Costa Rica and how to get around after you arrive Details on San Jose and the Central Valley; the Guanacaste area, Costa Rica’s “Gold Coast”; the Manuel Antonio area, the most popular ecotourism destination; the Monteverde area with its misty cloud forests; and the rest of the country Suggested itineraries to help you make the most of your time A “Quick Concierge” section with key phone numbers, Web addresses, and other handy how-to’s for traveling in Costa Rica Like every For Dummies travel guide, Costa Rica For Dummies, 3rd Edition includes: Down-to-earth trip-planning advice What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip The best hotels and restaurants for every budget Lots of detailed maps

Lonely Planet's Best of Costa Rica is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Lounge on sugar-white beaches in Southern Nicoya, spot sea turtles in Tortuguero, and catch the surf off deserted beaches on the Costa Ballena; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Costa Rica and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's Best of Costa Rica: Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak Color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Covers San Jose, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Manuel Antonio, Volcan Arenal, Montezuma, Peninsula de Osa, Tortuguero, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Playa Samara, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Best of Costa Rica is filled with inspiring and colorful photos, and focuses on Costa Rica's most popular attractions for those wanting to experience the best of the best. Looking for a more comprehensive guide that recommends both popular and offbeat experiences, and extensively covers all the country has to offer? Check out Lonely Planet's Costa Rica guide. Travelling further afield? Check out Lonely Planet's Best of Central America guide for an in-depth look at all the region has to offer. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveler's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

A combination travelogue and guidebook that tells the humorous tale of the authors' vacation in Costa Rica while also giving valuable travel tips.

Frommer's Costa Rica Day by Day features regional and city itineraries that will help you maximize your time while touring the country's top sights. Tour the fabulous scenery of the Nicoya Peninsula, lose yourself amid the cloud forests of Monteverde, surf your way down the Pacific Coast, or witness the awesome splendor of the Arenal Volcano erupting at night. Personally researched by a longtime resident, Frommer's Costa Rica Day by Day provides in-depth coverage of this fast-changing country, with recommended accommodations in every price category. You'll visit rugged wilderness preserves and sleepy beach towns, spectacular orchid gardens and mineral hot springs at the foot of a steaming volcano. There are adventures here to suit all ages and abilities: swooping from treetop platform to treetop platform on a canopy tour, taking a dip in a jungle swimming hole, spotting playful spider monkeys as you hike through lush foliage, or watching endangered sea turtles nest on the beach. You'll also get coverage of shopping and nightlife in the San Jose; detailed full-color maps; 500 full-color photos, a full chapter on Costa Rica's intriguing history and culture, information on special-interest tours, and advice on planning a successful Costa Rica vacation. Frommer's Costa Rica Day by Day also includes a color fold-out map, and a full-color wilderness guide.

Despite its tiny size and seeming marginality to world affairs, the Central American republic of Costa Rica has long been considered an important site for experimentation in cutting-edge environmental policy. From protected area management to ecotourism to payment for environmental services (PES) and beyond, for the past half-century the country has successfully positioned itself at the forefront of novel trends in environmental governance and sustainable development. Yet the increasingly urgent dilemma of how to achieve equitable economic development in a world of ecosystem decline and climate change presents new challenges, testing Costa Rica’s ability to remain a leader in innovative environmental governance. This book explores these challenges, how Costa Rica is responding to them, and the lessons this holds for current and future trends regarding environmental governance and sustainable development. It provides the first comprehensive assessment of successes and challenges as they play out in a variety of sectors, including agricultural development, biodiversity conservation, water management, resource extraction, and climate change policy. By framing Costa Rica as an “ecolaboratory,” the contributors in this volume examine the lessons learned and offer a path for the future of sustainable development research and policy in Central America and beyond.

Costa Rica is renowned for its tropical beauty, the warmth and charm of the "Ticos"—its people's own name for themselves—and its political stability. This "Switzerland of the Americas" is widely regarded as an oasis of democracy in turbulent Central America. Since the first edition of Culture Smart! Costa Rica was published in 2005, however, there have been some important changes and, with rapid economic development, some growing pains. Over the past few years there has been a movement of population to the towns of the Central Valley. Higher education is now the norm for young Ticos, and the middle class has expanded—but so has the gap between rich and poor. Tourism took a dive after the 2009 recession, and the national debt has grown, while the arrival of multinationals and significant Chinese investment has been welcomed. Unemployment has risen, people are prepared to go on strike more readily, and there is a general disillusionment with politicians. In the face of mounting difficulties the Ticos remain remarkably peaceable, relaxed, and fun-loving. Their enthusiasm for life is seen as much in their passion for soccer as in their demonstrations in support of human and political rights. Culture Smart! Costa Rica explores and explains the complex human realities of modern Costa Rican life. Armed with this information, you will be better equipped to understand your hosts and to enjoy your visit to this beguiling and beautiful country to the full.

Coffee and brightly painted oxcarts. Quetzals, coastlines, and the Montverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Learn the ABCs of Costa Rica in this exotic, colorful tour of the small but treasure-filled Central American country.

In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend. In Search of Captain Zero is, according to Outside magazine, "A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away." In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road is a Booksense 76 Top Ten selection for September/October.

This "How-to" guide contains information about the process of moving internationally, specifically to Costa Rica. The basics of what people need to know during the first two years after relocating are covered. Several topics are discussed-Schools, Banking, Housing, Work, and Transportation to name a few. In addition, the authors share stories of their personal experiences and insights about the process of relocation to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica. Tips give the insider information that helps smooth the process for re-locators. For those choosing the Tamarindo area, Recommendations are given for various businesses, restaurants, and professionals. Includes useful:¿ Tables¿ Equations¿ Websites