Costa Rica

An oasis of peace in troubled Central America, Costa Rica is a country of magnificent active volcanoes set amidst glorious rainforests. It is the ideal destination for those who want to see a variety of volcanoes within a short time, including the very active Arenal. Aside from active volcanoes, Costa Rica offers tropical rain and cloud forests, rivers for whitewater rafting, pristine white, black, and pink sand beaches, and an abundance of wildlife and exotic plants. Eco–tourism could be a term invented for this country, or maybe it was here that the concept was proven. Rather than profit from the destruction of rainforests, Costa Ricans (“Ticos”) decided to use them as a magnet for the emerging tourism market. About 25% of the country's land is now protected as National Parks and forest reserves. There is an increasing number of privately owned reserves, some bought with charitable donations from all over the world. The reserves showcase the country's remarkable flora and fauna, which include over 1,000 types of native orchids and 850 species of birds.

Costa Rica has over 200 volcanic centers, most of which are less than 3 million years old. Five volcanoes are known to have been active in historical times: Rincón de La Vieja, Irazú, Arenal, Po's, and Turrialba. A few others, such as Miravalles and Barva, still show fumarolic activity and are thought to be potentially active. Unfortunately, much remains unknown about the activity of all the volcanoes, because written records in Costa Rica only go back about 250 years.