If you are embarking on a Central or South American journey and Costa Rica is one of your stopovers, then you certainly need to find a reliable Costa Rica vacation guide to make the most out of your stay. To get a brief overview of what you should learn from a good vacation guide, read on and be armed with the basics.

Costa Rica is part of Central America and its neighboring countries are Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south. On its western side, there are the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and on its eastern side, there is the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

You may be surprised to know that the best time to visit Costa Rica is during the early parts of the rainy season of May to July. Some towns in the country even experience an elevation in terms of visitors, making the tourist officials regard it as a 'mini-high season'. During this period, traveling might a bit more challenging due to the slight downpours and rain showers. Pack your raingear and bit more patience for the ultimate Costa Rican wild adventure. The mountains and high plateau also offer cooler temperatures to the visitor.

There are many different regions in Costa Rica. There are the Plains of the North, Guanacaste, Nicoya Peninsula, Central Valley, Central Pacific, Caribbean Costa Rica, South Costa Rica and Cocos Island National Park.

The capital city is Costa Rica is San Jose and their official language is Spanish. Other cities in the country are Alajuela which is the location of Juan Santamaría International Airport, Cartago which is the country's first capital and Heredia where tourists can visit coffee plantations. Quepos city is also notable as it is located in the Central Pacific coast and is the entry point to the Manuel Antonio National Park.

There are also the cities of Jacó which has a worldwide reputation as a surfing paradise and where superb dining selection abounds, Liberia which is the gateway to the fantastic beaches of Guanacaste and Pochote which is located on Whale Bay near Puntarenas. Their second largest international airport is also located just outside of Liberia providing easy access.

Of course, an excellent Costa Rica vacation guide book should not be quick to miss the cities of Puerto Limón which considered the main city on the Caribbean side of the country, Puntarenas where one can take the ferry going to Nicoya Peninsula, Parismina which is located in Tortuguero Canals and Tamarindo City which is also quite famous as a beach haven for tourists.

Although English is widely used in some areas populated by tourists and many businesses are operated by European entrepreneurs, it is recommended that you learn some Spanish and a few frequently used expressions.

The Spanish words 'Ma'e' means 'dude' and is generally used among friends; 'Pura Vida' literally means 'pure life' but is used by Costa Ricans to express agreement or enthusiasm. A 'pulpería' is a general merchandise store, while if you hear the word 'tuanis', it should be an expression of 'okay' for most natives.

Costa Rica is a beautiful tropical paradise that welcomes all visitors seeking an escape from the hectic everyday stress of urban life. The people of Costa Rica are friendly and helpful in providing you with a great vacation.

By: Jim Kesel
James Kesel, MS, is the publisher of the Inexpensive Costa Rica Vacation website at http://www.costa-rica-source.com, providing great information on vacations and travel in Costa Rica. A Costa Rica Vacation Guide will assist you in making your vacation one to remember.

If your wanderlust is pushing you towards the direction of Latin America, then it is very likely that you have looked at Central America. You probably have also looked at Costa Rica travel info for help in planning your vacation. If you are not all familiar with this beautiful tropical paradise then this is the place to start.

Costa Rica is located in the middle of Central America. It has Nicaragua to the north and Panama on its south; while it has the Pacific Ocean on it west and the Caribbean Sea on the east. The main regions of it are: Guanacaste, Nicoya Peninsula, Central Valley, Central Pacific, and Caribbean Costa Rica, Plains of the North, South Costa Rica and Cocos Island National Park.

It has two major international airports that service the country. One is the Juan Santamaría Airport which is accessible to 3 cities: Alajuela, Heredia and the capital city of San José. The other one is the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport which is located in Liberia in the Guanacaste region of the country.

In addition there are lots of domestic airports scattered all over the country. There is one each in Limon City, Barra del Colorado, Tortuguero, Pavas, and La Fortuna. There is five domestic airports in South Puntarenas namely: Carate, Coto 47, Drake Bay, Puerto Jimenez, Palmar Sur, and Golfito. For North Puntarenas, they have the Tambor Domestic Airport and the Quepos Domestic Airport. For Guanacaste, aside from their international airport in Liberia, they also have domestic airports in Tamarindo, Nosara, Punta Islita, and Carrillo (Samara).

Another crucial bit of Costa Rica travel info is the location of the major cities of the country. There are the aforementioned and well known cities of Alajuela, San José, Tamarindo and Liberia. Cartago is the first capital of Costa Rica and Jaco is one of the famous surfing spots of the country. Other cities worth visiting are Pochote which is across Puntarenas, Parismina which is on the Tortuguero Canals, Puerto Limón which is the main country on the Caribbean side, and Heredia which is famed for their coffee plantations.

Since Costa Rica is well known as a world class ecotourism destinationf, the country is blessed with many splendid parks that should not be missed when visiting. There is the Tapanti National Park, Cahuita National Park, Corcovado National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, and Chirripo National Park. Tourists can also pave a visit to Arenal Volcano, Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserves and to the Pacuare River and Protected Zone. If you are a bird watcher then you will want to bring your life list and expect to double it in size without much effort.

Last but definitely not the least, the beaches should not be forgotten when in Costa Rica. Many aficionados listed the following as the top ten beach spots that should be enjoyed when in the country: Nicoya Peninsula, Manuel Antonio, Montezuma, Playa Tamarindo, Corcovado, Mal Pais, South of Limon, Jaco and Tambor. Surfing is a major draw on many of the Pacific beaches especially during the winter months when Northern storms send great waves south to be enjoyed by both the novice and expert.

The best way to enjoy Costa Rica is to take your time and enjoy it with a smile. That is the only way to get lost in Costa Rica's Tropical Paradise. Remember if you miss something on your first trip you can always come back for another visit to paradise.

By: James Drummond
James Drummond, MS, is the publisher of the Inexpensive Costa Rica Vacation website at http://www.costa-rica-source.com, providing great information on vacations and travel in Costa Rica.

My friends and I have been planning to go on a trip to Costa Rica this coming Spring Break. And we were wondering of places we could visit in Costa Rica during our vacation. So I did some research about the place, and I never thought that Costa Rica could be as beautiful as I heard.

As I explore more possibilities of where to go, I get more excited and anxious to go on the trip as I learn more about it. I've been seeing beautiful places on the internet and a lot of people are suggesting that it is a really good place to have a vacation. So I planned a tour for my friends and I to be able to check out as many places as we can during our stay. Here is the list of places I want to see.

• San Jose

Since Costa Rica is known to have a lot of Spanish heritage, I decided to visit the city of San Jose. I heard they have a pleasant mixture of both traditional and modern Spanish architecture in San Jose. Teatro Nacional caught my attention mostly, the Parque Central, and the Legislative Assembly building interests me as well. Someone told me about the National Museum and the Museum of Gold is worth a visit. I am also planning for us to see the Parque Nacional, Parque Bolivar, and the Parque Morazan. San Jose is also the center for good excursions to the beautiful Meseta Central region.

• Caribbean Coast

Me and my friends are such beach bums, so I looked for locations that has lots of beaches. And the Caribbean Coast has the most numerous beaches; among them is the Puerto Limon which is the biggest in all the Caribbean Coast.

I heard about this Paradisus Resort and they have lots of daytime and evening activities like water sports, scuba diving, tennis and paddle tennis, and discos and bars to visit during the night. I learned that they have a world-class spa with Jacuzzi, steam bath, gym, spinning room, and sauna. Also we might enjoy their variety of facial and body massages. They even have a batting cage, archery which I would love to try, bicycling, and rock-climbing as the latest addition to their resort.

At the south of Limon, Puerto Viejo can be found and it is said to be a beautiful place to watch the sunrise. Then enjoy the tropical rainforest, palm swamps, coral reefs, and the idyllic Caribbean beach after the sunrise by just heading straight to Manzanillo.

• Poas Volcano National Park

It is a smoldering Poas Volcano as the name suggests, and it has the ONLY dwarf cloud forest in Costa Rica.

• Tortuguero National Park

An area of great ecological diversity, this park protects the Atlantic green turtle that lays their egg on the ground. The exciting part here is the way of transportation to the park is only through a network of canals and lagoons, pretty interesting.

• Corcovado National Park

It is a virgin rainforest that has lots of endangered species. I'd love to take a look at those endangered species. I also want to see their most popular bird sanctuary and the biggest tree ever in Costa Rica.

That's the end of my list and I hope my friends would agree on the choices that I made so we can all enjoy a nice vacation and tour in Costa Rica.

By: Francheska Saunders
I'm Cheska, currently my goal is to be a fashion designer or even a fashion icon. I am into modeling because I love what the models do. I always wanted to go to Europe, but so far, I only have traveled different states of the America. But I am planning to go out of the country soon. I'm still young and I will still have a lot of opportunities to do that.