BIRD
WATCHING
With roughly 18% of the
territory dedicated to National Parks and reserves, Costa Rica offers a unique
opportunity to watch and study its avifauna in a natural, undisturbed setting.
Mountains, seashores, mangroves, highland and lowland forests, subalpine páramos,
rain forests and more are all easily accessible from anywhere in the country. The opportunity of discovery
awaits you in Costa Rica, where the preservation of our natural resources
will guarantee a unique travel experience.
Costa
Rica, where you can find more than 840 different bird species in an area no
larger than West Virginia. From quetzals to brown pelicans and humming birds,
there are more bird species here than in all of North America combined.
FISHING
On the Pacific, it's common to release a dozen or more sails
and even a marlin or two in a single day, and not unusual to release more
than 20 sailfish a day. There are also dolphin (including the long-standing
International Game Fish Association's all-tackle record 87-pounder), giant
yellow fish, tuna, wahoo, cubera, roosterfish, a variety of snapper, grouper,
blue runners, rainbow runners, snook and much more.
The Caribbean Coast offers an entirely different type of fishing,
with fine lodges and a even a luxury houseboat accommodating anglers and nature
lovers in pursuit of tarpon, snook, and other species.
Most operators on the Caribbean have put in bigger and faster
boats in recent years, and are now able to get out the river mouths more frequently
when the surf is up and where tarpon often spread for acres just offshore.
The larger boats are also
able to make the longer runs to the less frequently fished San Juan River
where it forms the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Giant
marlin, sailfish beyond number, high-jumping tarpon, record-class snook, and
a dozen or more hard hitting fresh water species....Costa Rica has them all!
SURFING
Surfers love Costa Rica! From anywhere in the country,
the warm surf is only a few hours away. There are river-mouth breaks, beach
breaks, reefs and, the experts say, one of the longest left hand curls in
the world. Almost constant, manageable wave action means no long waits to
hop on your board.
There
are lodges catering to surfers, 4-wheel-drive vehicles to access the most
remote beaches - even charter airplanes to accommodate your board.
No wonder the surf magazines are
targeting Costa Rica as a world surfing hot spot.
SCUBA
DIVING
Guanacaste's
(Northwest Province) coastal waters offer a spectacular array of large marine
life ranging from a tiny fluorescent damsel to a six foot white tip reef shark
to a possible encounter with a giant manta. For the more experienced and daring
this area offers a chance to swim side by side with whale sharks, bull sharks
and much more. The underwater landscape of cliffs, canyons, and tunnels makes
for some of the most adventurous diving in the world.
Diving
in Costa Rica is unusual in comparison to traditional diving destinations.
Because of vast amounts of plankton and other organisms in the Pacific Ocean,
there is an astonishing amount of large marine life that can be seen on any
given dive. Visibility ranges anywhere from 30' to 100' and the temperature
of the water averages 80 degrees F.
HORSEBACK
RIDING
Horseback
riding will take you at the edge of country roads, through pastures and along
forest trails. Riding is great fun - once you get used to the different saddle,
stirrups, and neck-rein steering. Although not strictly necessary, a little
equestrian experience will stand you in a good stead since ranch horses are
usually rounded up for trail duty. If you never rode a horse do not worry.
Assistance on how to control your mount is offered before setting out on any
trail ride.
BIKING
Claimed
to be one of the world’s fastest growing sports, with its mountainous terrain
and thousands of miles of highways, bi-ways and forest trails, Costa Rica is
the ideal spot for mountain biking.
WATER
RAFTING
Costa
Rica shares the beauty and abundant white water of its rivers with the rest
of the world. Costa Rica has been recognized internationally for its efforts
in conservation, reforestation and education of the local population. Costa
Rica's wildest water rafting rivers are: Pacuare and Reventazón, which
flow from the mountains of the Talamanca range towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Costa
Rica offers some of the world's finest whitewater rafting and kayaking rivers.
Wild and untamed, these big, brash rivers plunge through spectacularly beautiful,
largely unexplored tropical wilderness. Enjoy with us our tropical rivers,
whether an expert or beginner, nature lover or thrill seeker, rafting enthusiast
or active kayaker, one of our expeditions is for you.