Jungles, Jaguars, Jade and Jolly
People
You
will find more vacation home exchange opportunities in Costa Rica than in any
other country in Central America. The reason is simple -- It’s a great place to own a tropical getaway
home; and for many expat North Americans and Europeans, a great place to live or
retire.
Aside from its
natural beauty and impressive biodiversity, Costa Rica is a happy, healthy
place to live. It ranked first place in the Happy Planet Index of human well
being measured by the New Economics Foundation in 2009 and 2012. Its standard of living is one of the highest
of any Central American country. The literacy rate is 94.9%. It has the second
highest life expectancy in the Americas – higher than the United States. To
top it off, Costa Rica
is a peaceful country with a stable democratically-elected government. It has
not had a standing army for more than half a century.
Costa Rica is not a big country. You can drive from
its Pacific shore to its Caribbean
coast in about three hours. Although
small, the country boasts five percent of the existing biodiversity in the
world. Over 25 percent of Costa Rican territory is dedicated to conservation in
natural parks, biological reserves, wildlife refuges, and a series of protected
area that capture the attention of ecotourists and adventure travelers from
around the world.
Costa Rica is a land of volcanoes, eleven to be exact;
seven are active. The most awesome is Poas, 20 miles from the capital city of San Jose. Nearly a mile across, Poas has the largest
active volcano crater in the world. You can hike to the crater’s edge, see a
lake at the bottom of its slopes, and experience the uneasy thrill of knowing
what power lies beneath it.
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| #0197: Costa Rica, Guanacaste -- Three bedroom home near the cloud forest |
The jungle -- its
rain forests, waterfalls, and rivers – tumbles across the mountainous landscape
westward to the Pacific
Ocean and eastward
to the Gulf of
Mexico. Pristine beaches separate the jungle from the
sea.
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#0267: Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Liberia
- Private five-bedroom home swap |
If you like
adventure, you can go zip lining through the jungle canopy in the company of
howler monkeys, toucans, and macaws; or be adventurous at ground level on a rafting
trip down a jungle river where you’re likely to see tapirs, sloths, manatees,
river otters, all kinds of birds and reptiles, and, if you’re lucky, a jaguar.
Puntarenas, in the central pacific
region of Costa Rica,
is a port town where cruise ships docks and passengers disembark to mingle with
non-cruising vacationers for beach-front dining and shopping. Other boats dock
there as well -- tour boats to take you to exciting places like Tortuga Island
or Costa Rica’s exotic pacific islands; and charter boats to take you to unparalleled
sports fishing
Guanacaste, Costa Rica’s
northwestern province is a favorite with tourists who enjoy strolling on white
sand beaches, exploring volcanoes and waterfalls in magnificent national parks,
or dining and dancing with gusto in Tamarindo or Liberia
-- Guanacaste’s two largest towns. Liberia
is home to Costa Rica’s
second international airport, where many visitors from abroad enter the
country.
Limon Province encompasses the entire Caribbean coast, from Nicaragua to Panama. Here is where pristine beaches meet majestic mountains and prehistoric rainforests. Tortuguero National Park, in the northern half of the province, is a protected sea-turtle nesting area. You can observe turtles, and other wildlife in the park, from boats that cruise the area via water channels. For city life, head for Puerto Limon, the provincial capital where you’ll find of a variety of attractions, unique architecture, and beautiful
San Jose, the capital city, is the cultural hub of the country with excellent museums, art galleries, restaurants, and bustling night life. A visit to the Jade Museum presents a fascinating look at the world’s largest collection of Pre-Columbian jade art, some objects dating from 500 BC. Lush parks dot the area, among them Los Quetzales National Park, which covers three types of rainforest and 14 distinct ecosystems. The diversity of animals and brightly colored tropical flowers is amazing.
Mike DiPrima
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