Costa Rica: The South Pacific Coast

Whitewater raft through pristine jungles, or bathe in natural hot water springs. Slide through a canopy of trees on a high wire. Visit coffee farms and banana plantations. Sunbathe on beaches of black volcanic or powdery white sand. Watch a nighttime volcano eruption put on a fireworks display of ruby-red hot lava. See endangered giant sea turtles dig nests and lay their eggs. Climb to the top of a high volcano and look down into its crater filled with a turquoise blue lake. Visit one of the many butterfly farms, or stare back at a poisonous snake at a Serpentarium. Surf, snorkel, hike, bike, camp, eat, dance, read a book - Costa Rica offers a smorgasbord of pastimes for your pleasure. We've been many times and find more to do and see each time we visit. Maybe we'll see you there on our next trip! The Pacific coastline wiggles and stretches 1,016 km (631 miles) around three peninsulas - Buriya, Nicoya and Osa - and in the process forms two significant gulfs, Golfo de Nicoya and Golfo Dulce. Although it has a narrow landmass - little more than 300 km (200 miles) at its widest - a series of rugged cordilleras (mountain ranges) part its length and form the great Continental Divide. High mountain ranges separate the climate between east and west coasts. The southwestern corner of Costa Rica is the least populated, and by far the least visited, area of the country. It borders a largely unpopulated part of Panama; consequently, large sections of primary rainforest have been spared from development. In a cooperative effort with neighboring Panama, a huge chunk of Costa Rica and a part of Panama were set aside as La Amistad International Park, a mountainous wooded area that straddles the Continental Divide. Contiguous with Chirripu, Hitoy Cerere, TapantÌ-Macizo de la Muerte, and other parks, the total area under an umbrella of protection is 340,000 hectares/839,800 acres. The pride of Tico conservationists is Corcovado National Park, a huge primary and secondary park on the Osa Peninsula. The South Pacific region boasts wonderful scenery, fabulous beaches, dramatic mountains, endless rainforests, big tube waves, white sand beaches, dark green hillsides of coffee, plus a dolphin and whale playground - with tons of budget hotels as well as remote luxury eco-lodges to enjoy. the beautiful Osa Peninsula is now drawing eco- and adventure tourists in increasing numbers. Stunning Drake Bay and its northern section of pristine Corcovado National Park can be reached by charter plane from Pavas, San Jose, or by an 1 1/2-hour boat trip from the Sierpe River. The small airport at Puerto Jimenez, the peninsula's most important town, has made it a lot easier to access the beach towns and southern Corcovado Park. Bordered to the west by the warm Pacific Ocean and the east by a marine paradise, the Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf) is where playful dolphins follow your launch and huge humpback whales come to breed. Drake Bay is one of the most stunningly beautiful areas of Osa and a gateway way into Corcovado park, also a base to explore Cano Island. Tiny Cano Island, whose entire 196 hectares/480 acres are a designated biological reserve, lies only 20 km (12 miles) off Drake Bay. It's covered by virgin and secondary tropical rainforests and has several hiking trails. It was once used by pre-historic Diquis people as a graveyard and repository for those fascinating stone balls. Although the graves have long been looted, the spherical stones remain and you can see them up close on your hike. All the details are here - where to stay and eat, how to get around, the sights to see and the activities, from shopping to hiking.