Costa Rica sits along the famous “Ring of Fire”, an area surrounding the Pacific ocean and identified by volcanic and seismic activity. As you fly into its international airport, you’ll probably pass three active volcanoes: Poas Volcano, just miles from the airport; Irazu Volcano, famous for erupting the day that John F. Kennedy visited Costa Rica; and Turrialba Volcano, Irazu’s twin.

All are favorite Costa Rica attractions for the thousands of tourists visiting this little country every year.

With occasional exceptions, Turrialba has been essentially sleeping since the mid-19th century when it erupted so ferociously that ash spread as far north as Nicaragua. However, it’s beginning to show signs that it may be awakening. Within the last few months, , it suddenly shot ash into the atmosphere and showed enough seismic activity that seismologists issued an evacuation alert for a few dozen people living along its slopes.

Located about 30 miles from Costa Rica’s capitol city, San Jose, it overlooks a sparsely populated area of farms and cattle ranches.

Its rich slopes are also home to a wide variety of plant and animal life, including many exotic birds and animals.

Turrialba Volcano is one of only a few active volcanoes on the planet where visitors are typically allowed to walk inside its crater. But, just getting to the volcano itself can be quite an adventure in itself because the only way to get to the summit is by a poorly maintained road (more of a rut-filled trail really) which is frequently impassable during the green season.

Below Turrialba is the mysterious Lost City of Guyabo, now a national monument and one of only two places in Central and South America that’ve been designated an International Heritage of Civil Engineering—the other being Peru’s Machu Pichu. No one knows the actual name of the lost city or nearly anything of its inhabitants except that they lived in the area for hundreds of years or even longer,, then mysteriously disappeared about the time that Christopher Columbus landed along the Caribbean coast and named the magnificent area he saw “Costa Rica—the Rich Coast.”

The only traces they left behind were wide, paved roads (now leading into impenetrable forests ), aqueducts that still hold water after five centuries of disuse, and beautiful stone petroglyphs carvings.

Though lightly visited, Turrialba and Guyabo are Costa Rica attractions you ought to think about taking in on your next Costa Rica vacation.

And, one more thing, if you have a hankering to experience the only volcano on the planet where you can drive to its summit and see the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the same time (on a clear day), visit Turrialba’s sister, Irazu.

With winter right around the corner, it’s time for some tropical fun and now you have got a opportunity to win a free Costa Rica holiday. While there, take a hike on the wild side, visit lovely Turrialba Volcano.

Original resource

Costa Rica lies on the east side of the Ring of Fire where four of Earth’s plates converge, creating the conditions for the formation of Andesitic type volcanoes. A flight over Costa Rica reveals a surreal, prehistoric landscape. Volcanoes stretch out like a spine over the green mountainous terrain. There are 600 active volcanoes in the world, 42 of these are in Central America. Costa Rica has 7 active and 60 dormant or extinct volcanoes.

The most famous, active volcano in Costa Rica is Arenal. A visit to the Arenal Volcano is the quintessential volcano experience. Its black conical shape rises imposingly from pristine primary rainforest. Imagine yourself rocking gently in a hammock on the porch of your private cabin, sipping a tropical drink while listening to Howler monkeys calling for the afternoon rain. As the sun sets, the smoking boulders that roll down the steep slopes of Arenal become fiery red, creating a magnificent fireworks display, compliments of Mother Nature.

In the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica you will find three active volcanoes. Rincon de La Viejo (The Corner of the Old Lady) is connected with an old legend. The Guatuso Indians of this region believed there was an old witch who lived at the top of the mountain and sent smoke out of the top when she was angry. The 34,800 acre Rincon de La Vieja National Park could be called the Yellowstone of Costa Rica with its bubbling mud pots, fumaroles, and hot springs.

Miravelles is another volcano. The geothermal activity from this volcano has been harnessed by ICE, the national power company. Tenorio volcano has 4 peaks and 2 twin craters. The Tenorio Volcano National Park is home of the Rio Celeste. Two crystal clear rivers travel down the slopes of Tenorio, when they merge into one larger river, the Rio Celeste, a chemical reaction takes place and the river turns an astonishing blue. Spots along the river have blue sulfur bubbles rising to the surface like floating globes. The Rio Celeste waterfall is the highlight of this magical place.

Around the Central Valley are the Poaz, Irazu and Turrialba Volcanoes. You can drive up to the craters of Poas and Irazu. Poaz has the second widest crater in the world, one mile in diameter. Within the smoking, bubbling cauldron a 300 foot, smoking mini-volcano has formed. Irazu is Costa Rica’s highest volcano reaching 3432 meters above sea level. On clear days, the vista reveals the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Its crater is filled with jade green sulfurous water. The Turrialba Volcano has been active since 6300 BC. Costa Rica’s most important archeological site, Guayabo National Monument, is located in the rainforest at the base of this ancient mountain. This village housed an estimated 1000 people between 1000-1400 AD. A self guided hike, winds through bird filled forests and petroglyph carved ruins.

About The Peace Lodge

Located less than one hour from the San José (Juan Santamaria) Airport, the Peace Lodge is the perfect place to begin or end your vacation.  You don’t need to spend your first or last day in a city hotel. Please come spend them in the rain and cloud forest with us and still be close to the airport. We are also only 20 minutes from the Poás Volcano, another “must see” attraction in Costa Rica.

Capture the Essence of Costa Rica

Welcome to the Peace lodge, the ultimate awakening of your senses. Here every magical sight, wondrous smell and sensual touch create irreplaceable memories of a journey you wish to take again and again. We pride ourselves on offering our guests the most unique luxury mountain lodge experience in Costa Rica.

Located on the grounds of La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park just one hour from the San José International Airport, the award winning Peace Lodge introduces its guests to a symphony of purely Costa Rican experiences celebrating the natural wonders of the rain forest and the splendid creatures that inhabit this magical environment.   The ultra upscale accommodations are uniquely themed to complement the inherent beauty of its rain and cloud forest setting and the detailed architecture exudes a natural elegance and sophistication with every room boasting a Jacuzzi tub and stone fireplace along with showers that transform into waterfalls with the turn of a knob.   Picture perfect views of the La Paz River Valley and the towering Poás Volcano complete the experience.

The Peace Lodge was recently featured on the Travel Channel’s “Honeymoon Hotspots International” program as one of the eight most romantic honeymoon destinations in the world outside of the United States.   In addition to being the best honeymoon rain forest hotel destination, the Peace Lodge is one of the famous boutique hotels of the Small Distinctive Hotels of Costa Rica.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park was the only privately owned park to be nominated by the readers of La Nacion Newspaper (the largest newspaper in Costa Rica) to be one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica”.  The Park has also been featured on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and over twenty International travel and nature programs.  You will also see the Peace Lodge and its sister property The Springs Resort & Spa featured as the Costa Rican Dream vacations on The Wheel of Fortune.

Each and every room boasts a Jacuzzi tub and stone fireplace along with waterfall showers. From the handcrafted canopy beds and love seats to the original stained glass and illustrated artwork you will understand the time and care put into the details of each accommodation. To insure your enjoyment of the cool mountain weather and view of the forest and Poás Volcano, we built oversized balconies complete with rocking chairs, hammocks and custom Jacuzzi tubs. The luxury boutique hotel experience continues with your choice of aromatherapy products and our selection of fine quality linens and robes.

All guests are welcome to enjoy the park before it opens and after it closes, the optimal bird watching and wildlife viewing times. We are a great option as a bird watching hotel in the greater San José area because the rain forest literally surrounds the hotel and we have many “hard to see” species visit our feeders. Guided walking tours are available, but we suggest booking these at the same time you reserve your room. Guests will be greeted in our new Reception with a postcard view of the La Paz River Valley. Complimentary internet access is available to all of our guests in the Reception as well as in the “Las Tucas” lounge.

We recommend a three-night stay for guests looking to make the most of their nature lodge experience.  Please keep in mind, as beautiful as we think our rain forest resort is, we recommend no more than a four night stay, in order for you to explore other areas of Costa Rica. Guests arriving directly from the airport will awaken to the sound of the rainforest and waterfalls rather than the city noise of San José.  The drive from the airport is approximately one hour and very scenic. We strongly believe we are the best option if you want a luxury hotel near the San José airport.

For breakfast guests can either dine on the patio viewing the Poás Volcano or have their meal served in their room. For lunch guests can choose from our delicious buffet including rotisserie chicken, hot dogs, pizza and typical Costa Rican fare in the Colibries Restaurant, rated Four Forks by the ICT or enjoy a la carte waitress service in our Big Trout Bar. Each afternoon, guests are invited to the Big Trout Bar to watch the sunset and enjoy a la carte tapas and freshly made fruit drinks lakeside.

Dinner becomes an event in our intimate dining room “Vista Poás” and our lounge “Las Tucas”.  Guests can arrive early for a pre-dinner drink, a game of backgammon or read from our lending library.

Costa Rica Resorts

Monteverde Cloud Forest

The Costa Rica Cloud Forest region is situated in the area known as Monterverde, famous for the large Monterverde Cloud Forest Reserve contained within it, and within that the world famous Arenal Volcano The Monterverde Cloud Forest Reserve (the Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monterverde), located in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica (although it also stretches in part into the Aluejela province) has become one of Costa Rica’s foremost tourist attractions (more than seventy thousand people visit the Reserve each and every year) and not without good reason. It is one of the most extraordinary wildlife sanctuaries in the whole of Central America and a Mecca for nature lovers and keen photographers, containing within it eight distinctly different ecological zones and serving as a place of protection and preservation for over four hundred species of birds including the Resplendant Quetzel, the Bellbird (which is on the endangered species list, as are nine other of the many species that Monterverde plays host to) and the Emerald Toucanet, as well as more than thirty separate varieties of hummingbirds.

Monteverde also plays home to many migratory birds (such as the elanio tijerata (Elanoides forficatus), the “pirate fly swallower” (Legatus leucopahius) and the vireo cabecigris (Vireo flavovidis), some of which come from North America following reproduction to spend their winter in the region, others of which actually arrive in Monteverde in order to reproduce), more than a hundred different species of mammals (including six species of marsupials, three varieties of muskrats, a minimum of fifteen mice and long tailed rat species, six varieties of felines, two species of deer, two kinds of wild pigs, three varieties of squirrels, and at least five eight separate species of bats), a hundred and twenty amphibian and reptile species (including the golden toad (the Bufo periglenes) which has otherwise disappeared off the face of the Earth since 1989), and thousands upon thousands of insects.

The region is also famous for having more than two hundred species of ferns, and eight hundred species of epiphytes (plants which actually grow on top of other plants) and most famously, has more varieties of orchids than any other region in the world, more than five hundred separate species in total, with thirty four of them discovered in Monterverde Cloud Forest Reserve and not believed to exist anywhere else on the planet and thus being new even to science itself. Trees in the Reserve are a phenomenon in and of themselves, with many of them standing up to thirty and forty meters in height.

The Monterverde Cloud Forest Reserve contains over ten thousand and five hundred hectares of tropical rainforest (ninety percent of which is virgin forest), consisting of half a dozen ecological zones. There is a pamphlet available at the entrance for those wishing to walk the trails of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve by themselves, however it is strongly advised to not set out without at least one experience guide by your side, not just for safety reasons, but also for the sake of them frequently being able to point out examples of unique fauna and flora that visitors may well otherwise overlook. The park includes the Monterverde Nature Centre (an information area), gift shop, restaurant and a guest lodge which can house up to forty seven guests at a time.

The Arenal Volcano (also known under various other names, such as the Volcan Arenal, Pan de Azucar, Canaste, Volcan Costa Rica, Volcan Rio Frio, and Guatusos Peak), situated around ninety kilometers to the northwest of the Costa Rica capital city of San Jose, lies within the Arenal Conservation Area, (which covers an astonishing two hundred and four thousand hectares of land, including the Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal) and strikes an imposing picture, reaching up into the sky as it does an impressive one thousand, six hundred and thirty three meters. Conically shaped, with a crater spanning a hundred and forty meters (four hundred and sixty feet) in length, it is the most active volcano in the whole of Costa Rica and indeed is regarded as one of the most active volcanoes on the entire planet, which needless to say makes it an absolute must see for any tourist. That being said, visitors should be prepared for the possibility that the view of the Arenal Volcano can often be obscured by the sheer volume of smoke that the volcano itself emits.

For the best likelihood of seeing the volcano, trips in the early hours of the morning during Costa Rica’s dry season are best advised. The volcano is considered to be young in geological terms, believed to be less than seven thousand years old, yet it already has a colorful history, being sacred to pre-Columbian tribes yet also being seemingly inactive until the twenty ninth of July 1969, when the giant suddenly awoke from its slumber as a result of a massive earthquake, resulting in the complete destruction of the villages of Tabacon and Pueblo Nuevo, whose entire populations were wiped out by the volcano’s new found fury, the eruption even being felt as far away as Boulder, Colorado in the United States of America. Since that fateful day, the volcano has been alive and grumbling on a regular basis, with constant eruptions, and lava flows and smoking cinder blocks being constantly spewed from the giant’s mouth.

On some days, the volcano (the western side being its active vent, but explosions and eruptions can still occur on all sides) has even been known to erupt several times within the space of a single hour, with sulfur dioxide, rocks the size of houses, fiery lava and chloride gases streaming outward. Much of the area surrounding the Arenal Volcano is rainforest, and in addition to the Monterverde Cloud Forest Reserve, there are several other nature preserves such as the aforementioned Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal which occupies twelve thousand and sixteen hectares all by itself. There are in fact a total of sixteen other protected reserves within the overall scope of the Arenal Conservation Area and another, smaller volcano, Chato (also known as Cherro Chato, which translates literally as Mount Chato), which has a collapsed crater containing an emerald lagoon that is entirely surrounded by forest. Unlike Arenal, Chato is currently an inactive volcano and is believed to have been that way for around three and a half thousand years now. Accommodation near Chato can be found in the form of the Arenal Observatory Lodge and the Museum of Vulcanicity. The area lies in the region between the Guanacaste and Tilaran mountain ranges. Access to the park can be found from La Fortuna or from Tilaran and the north shore of Lake Arenal, which is a site of primary importance to the whole of Costa Rica, situating the Lake Arenal Dam, which is the nation’s largest hydroelectricity project, which has been running since 1980 and is responsible for generating forty percent of the country’s hydroelectric power.

The Costa Rica Cloud Forest Region is like nothing else on Earth. Any traveler taking a vacation in Costa Rica without taking a trip to this region would be missing out on one of the most amazing experiences the country has to offer.

In Costa Rica there are many volcanic formations. They belong to so called Pacific Rim of Fire. Seven are considered to be active. Their activity is connected with fertile soils, which cover the majority of Costa Rica territory. The highest Costa Rica`s volcano is Irazu, the most active is Arenal and Poas has the second widest crater in the world. (diameter 1.5 kilometers).

Many of them are within the national parks. Costa Rica major volcanic peaks are strato-volcanoes. The type of magma that fuels most Costa Rica volcanoes is thick, viscous, and so filled with gases that the erupting magma often blasts violently into the air.

The most serious eruption was that of Irazu volcanoe in 1963. It errupted clouds of smoke and ash that kept San Jose in a blanket of ash for two years.

Volcano Orosi The legend has it that in the past on the top of volcano climbed the Indian military group. There was an earthquake. One of them screamed that it`s a sign for the presence of silver. From the depths of the volcano came a powerful, echoing voice replying, “Plata, no; oro, si.” (“Silver no, Gold Yes.”). It`s crater is covered by forests. The first study of this volcano was made by Carlos Sapper in 1899.

Volcano Cacao It`s placed in the Cordillera Guanacaste range. It has an open crater towards the south-west of which there is no recorded activity. On its steep slopes, numerous streams and rivers are born that flow into lake Nicaragua and the Nicoya Gulf as in the case of Tempisgue river. On its slope, at an elevation 1.050 mtrs. there is a Cacao Biological Station. It stands out also with a large number of petroglyphs.

Volcano Rincon de la Vieja It appeared millions years ago. It means “the corner of old lady” and is attributed to indigenous people of the Guatuso tribe living on the eastern side of the volcano who believed that an old witch lived on top of the mountain and would send columns of smoke into the air whenever she got annoyed.

It has 9 craters (Rincon – 1.806 mtrs., Von Seebach – 1.895 mtrs., Santa Maria – 1.916 mtrs.) and is considered as the third most active volcano in Costa Rica. Santa Maria crater is considered to be by some people as the separate volcano. It`s main crater has elipse shape, 500 meters of width and 100 meters of depth. On its bottom there is a hole with bubbling 250 Celsius lava. To the east of crater there is a lake, waterfalls and bubbling mud holes. In the terrain called Las Hornillas, the fumaroles hiss like kettles spitting up odiferous steam and gases. The last vital eruptions took place in 1966-1970. They were accompanied by clouds of ashes, earthquakes and tremors. The lighter eruptions took part in 1984, 1891 and 1996.

Volcano Miravalles It`s situated 15 kilometers from Bagaces, (the highest in Cordillera Guanacaste). It contains 5 cones along a North-East trending line. The only reported historical eruptive activity was a small steam explosion in 1946. On its slopes a few mud bubbling pots and thermal springs. On the volcano foot lies Costa Rica`s Electricity Institute geothermal project. In the middle of XIX century there was a trial of organizing German colonization. On cloudless days, from the top it`s possible to see Nicaragua Lake.

Volcano Tenorio It`s in Guanacaste province. It`s the easternmost volcano of Cordillera Guanacaste. It consists of four volcanic peaks and two twin-craters (sometimes called as separate volcan of Montezuma). It`s covered with savannah grasses, rain forest at mid-elevation and above by clouds forests. From the western slope of Tenorio flows down the Tenorio river and from the southern slope rivers Tenorito and Martirio.

From its top spreads the sight for Guatuso and San Carlos lowlands, Lake Nicaragua, Cano Negro National Reserve and Arenal Lake. From its slopes snakes down the Rio Frio. A legend exists of an eruption in 1816, but the volcano was observed to be densely forested in 1864 and is not considered to have erupted in historical time. Since 1989 it has been under a pre-feasibility study to determine its geothermal potential. In 1998 the vicinity of the volcano there was a earthquake that measured 6.5 on the reicter scale

Volcano Tenorio National Park. It`s known among others for the hot springs (with the temperatures up to 94 C) and bubbling holes. At the foot of Tenorio spread the plantations of macadamia.

Volcano Arenal The most… Read More

Costa Rica map and Volcano locations

Lake Arenal is one of the major attractions in Costa Rica. Located near the world famous Arenal Volcano, this lake is one of the sources of Costa Rica’s electricity. The place is magnificent with its surrounding rolling hills with dense forest areas in some places and patches of pasturelands in some places while dominated by the perfect cone of Arenal Volcano mostly on the east side.

The tranquility of Lake Arenal is best for people who would like to unwind form busy schedules and for honeymooners who would like to be left alone most of the time! The shorelines near Lake Arenal are best for early morning walks and those romantic moonlight walks you are planning with your partner. You can also go horseback riding following the shorelines with the wind blowing you hair.

There isn’t much partying at Lake Arenal so if you are planning to rock and roll all night, you might find this place inappropriate. But if you are a big fan of sports fishing, this place is definitely for you. Lake Arenal is known as one of the best place to catch a rainbow bass or a flying Machaca. Fly fishermen flock to this place primarily for the Machaca, which could reach about 9lbs within the lake. So if you plan to catch some flying fish in Lake Arenal, bring 8-10 wt. rods and 9 ft. leaders and smaller (size 4-8) poppers and streamers as your going to get a lot of resistance from these huge fishes. For best results, you should go fly fishing from January to February and August o December when the Machaca are its peak.

Arenal and La Fortuna area Hot Springs

Tabacon Hot Springs

Tabacon is the nicest of the three hot springs resorts in the area. Offers a huge variety of hot springs baths of varying temperatures, from steaming hot, to lukewarm. Aside from the eden-like hot springs gardens that are worked into the natural flow of the Tabacon River, the resorts hotel and spa feature all sorts of massage treatments. Tabacon for all of its natural beauty, is often flooded with tourists. The entrance fee is $45.00, you can also do the tour that includes ground transportation from La Fortuna and the guided tropical forest hike.

Baldi Hot Springs

Baldi really is a high quality establishment with impressive construction and even more impressive views. There are 16 different hot springs baths of varying temperatures. One of the pools is 45 C. It is also a little easier on your pocket book than Tabacon $25.00, so with Baldi you really can’t go wrong. Baldi has excellent night time views of lava flows when weather permits. Also, there is a huge pyramid from which you get a great view of the entire area from the foot of the Arenal Volcano. The views here are the best you will find from any hot springs resort in La Fortuna.

Eco Termales Hot Springs

The atmosphere is one of privacy and exclusivity. Eco Termales does not advertise, requires reservations, and limits the number of patrons to 100 at a time. The pools are cozily tucked within a corner of tropical jungle with big green trees towering over them. This place is purposely a little out-of-the-mainstream, thus offering something that the other places do not: privacy. Even though the ambience is one of tranquil privacy, there are no views of the Arenal Volcano. The hot spring baths are equally relaxing here, so you really don’t sacrifice much of the experience. Eco Termales offers five hot spring pools, and one cold pool. Since a visit here is relatively economical, you will feel good about your time invested at Eco Termales.

VILLA FOR RENTAL

Around sixty five kilometers from the capital city of San Jose, Turrialba is located in the beauitul and lush Central Valley in the province of Cartago in Costa Rica and is a relatively tiny farming community comprising around sixty thousand people. Turrialba offers its population and visitors some absolutely breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside and is a quaint, low key little township and one of the very rare places in the county that offers direct access to the crater of a volcano – in this case, the Turrialba Volcano in the Turrialba Volcano National Park, situated just fifteen kilometers northwest from the centre of town.

The volcano is active, though has not had an eruption since the late nineteenth century, and the area is, oddly, one of the least visited of all the volcanoes in Costa Rica. Stand on that crater, however (it is safe to climb) and you can even see the Barva, Irazu and Poas volcanoes on the horizon.

Othe tourist attractions in Turrialba include the Rios Pacuare and Reventazon, two rivers which have become world famous for their white water rafting opportunities. The rivers are frequently used as training grounds for both kayakers and even world class white water rafters and dozens of trips are organized on a daily basis, making them an ideal destination for both families and thrill seekers.

Also lying near to Turrialba are the Center for Agronomy Research and Development, which collects and researches plant and tree life from all over the world and takes up an astonishing two thousand acres of land, and Costa Rica’s Guayabo National Monument, the only publically accessible site in the whole nation that allows visitors to look at what life was like in the pre-Columbian era.

With excellent accommodation and accessibility, Turrialba should be on every tourist’s list of places to visit in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica accommodations

Costa Rica has abundant geothermal energy resources, but only about 35 MW will come from this energy source by 2016, compared to the total of about 4 GW of power capacity the country plans to have installed by that year. This represents only about a 2% share of geothermal in the country’s energy portfolio. The 35 MW will come from the Pailas geothermal power plant, which is expected to start commercial operation in 2012.

One would think there has to be a good reason for ignoring such an abundant energy resource, and one would be right. The reason is preservation of natural resources, in this case national parks. Most of the geothermal hotspots, suitable for geothermal development are right smack in the middle of national parks, and as such, according to the country’s laws, are not available for development. Instead, Costa Rica uses fossil fuels to produce much of the needed electricity, along with hydropower as a clean source of energy. Alas, rain has been falling in the past years, but it seems it did so in all the wrong places, keeping the water accumulations low, reducing the amount of electrical energy produced at river dams.

The country’s electricity institute, Instituto Costarricanese de Electricidad, claims about a 1000 MW of geothermal power generating capacity could have been developed so far, had the government done anything to speed up the process of legal framework adaptation to allow geothermal development in these areas. One of the main arguments for allowing developments in the protected areas, is the fact the country’s is paying a high price for protecting its wilderness, by burning fossil fuels instead.

Artical Resource

Costa Rica National Parks

Driving in Costa Rica

If you do any driving in Costa Rica, you will almost certainly do some traveling on the Pan-American Highway. This is the main artery of Costa Rican travel and is heavily used. However, the main highways are constantly improving in quality and in general are not unpleasant to drive. The roads to the more popular beaches are fairly well kept, but there are pot holes that you would not expect in North America.

The biggest problem with driving in Costa Rica isn’t the roads, it’s the slow-moving vehicles (mostly trucks) that cause delays and the dangerous passes that frustrated drivers make in attempt to overtake them. You will probably have to make a few passes on double yellow lines if you rent a car and want to get anywhere fast, but use caution and drive VERY defensively. As there are few traffic cops in Costa Rica, drivers tend to be a little aggressive in their maneuvers. Roads to more remote locations (Osa Peninsula, Dominical, Monteverde) are (at times) in very poor shape and require a very sturdy 4×4. Driving times can vary greatly depending on traffic and road conditions.

When renting a car in Costa Rica, make sure you’ve allowed yourself plenty of travel time between destinations. The mileage can be misleading when planning short trips, road signs are in place. Any foreign visitor aged 18 or older with a valid driver’s license from his or her country can drive a car in Costa Rica for 90 days. Proof of entry to the country is required for a police officer to accept a foreign license, so always carry your passport when you drive. Driving at night is not a good idea. Also, please be advised of the risk of leaving unattended luggage or valuables in your rental car. Bear in mind that you will probably average speeds of 70 to 80km (44 to 50 mph) per hour on highways and 40 to 50 (25 to 32 mph) on back roads. Safety belts are required by law.

Most of the major brands are located in Costa Rica and most have locations outside of San Jose. Avis, Hertz, Dollar rent a car, Economy rent a car are just a few major rental car agencies. There are also many local agencies to choose from, many of which have better pricing but may have older models. In most cases you will not need a 4×4 drive vehicle if you are visiting most of the popular beach locations but its a good idea to choose a 4×4-  you never know what is around the bend.

Does the sound of renting a car and venturing out in a foreign country scare you? Can you see yourself turning right when it should be a left? Costa Rica’s road signage is not comparable to the USA and its better than you may think but its not something you need to think or worry about now that there is GPS mapping available. Most if not all Car rental agencies are now offering GPS systems too and we highly recommend including it in your rental. It will save you time and a lot of frustration not to mention the secure feeling of knowing where you are going. There is no better way to see Costa Rica than to set out on your own in a rental- as long as you have done your homework online and have a good idea of what you would like to see and do.

La Fortuna, COSTA RICA, November 2010 – Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort has earned a spot for the first time among the Top 15 list of Central and South America Resorts on the 23rd annual Condé Nast Traveler’s “Readers’ Choice Awards.” The luxury resort, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, and its Grand Spa, a member of The Leading Spas of the World, offer a world-class eco-vacation set among the rainforest and thermal springs of the Arenal region of Costa Rica. Conde Nast Traveler also recognized the resort for its efforts in poverty relief in this year’s “World Savers Awards” competition.

100% carbon neutral, as of March 2009, the resort and spa invite guests to participate in their green initiatives through voluntary contributions, programs to give back to the local community, and more. The resort and spa are repeat winners of Spa Magazine and SpaFinder’s “best in Central America” awards with accolades ranging from “best environmental practices” to “best mineral springs spa” and “best spa for affordability.”

Conde Nast Traveler readers participated in a survey in which they ranked their favorite resorts based on Activities/Facilities, Food/Dining, Location, Overall Design, Rooms and Service. Award-winning resorts excelled in all six areas, and Tabacón’s blend of luxury accommodations, impeccable service, and distinctive setting near the world famous Arenal Volcano and Tabacon hot springs, set it apart from the competition, winning it an overall 81.7 points out of 100.

ABOUT THE CONDE NAST TRAVELER “READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS”

Every year since 1988, a select sample of Condé Nast Traveler readers have taken the Readers’ Choice Survey. The survey invites participants to rank their favorite cities, islands, hotels, resorts, airlines, car rental agencies, and cruise lines. The questionnaire is available to all readers through a secure Web site. Fans rate each candidate in their respective areas based on a five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. All scores are averaged to determine a candidate’s final score for each criterion. Global Market Insite, Inc., of Boston tabulated the final results of the 25,916 responses. http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/readerschoice.

ABOUT TABACÓN GRAND SPA THERMAL RESORT, La Fortuna/Arenal, Costa Rica

Certified carbon neutral resort as of May 2009 and the first hotel in the world to receive the Seven Stars and Stripes “green” certificate, Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort is at the forefront of Costa Rica’s sustainability efforts. The resort has updated guest rooms and swimming pool areas, a rainforest-set spa ranked one of the “10 Best Eco-Spas in the World” by Concierge.com, and views of the “live” Arenal volcano. Tabacón is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, the Leading Spas of the World, and Healing Hotels of the World and the recipient of three-leaf designation for Sustainable Tourism.

The Grand Spa has 11 outdoor treatment bungalows, Yoga studio, and a menu of indigenous treatments including Watsu in outdoor thermal river pools and Volcanic Mud Wraps. The Spa, also noted as a “great value” and as “one of the Top 10 Spas in Latin America” by Travel + Leisure in their World’s Best Awards, features a three-unit Temazcal surrounded by the energy of the nearby Arenal volcano.

Costa Rica resorts