Costa Rica '99: The Complete Guide With Beaches, Wildlife, Cloud Forests, Volcanoes and Trips to Panama

A comprehensive guide to travel in Costa Rica, which covers tours, accommodation, dining recommendations and excursions to Panama.

Pleasures and Pastimes

Archaeological Treasures
Though Costa Rica was never part of the Maya empire and has nothing to compare with the ruins of Guatemala and Mexico, it was home to some sophisticated cultures prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Those people may never have erected temples to rival those of Tikal and Palenque, but they left behind a treasure trove of gold, jade, ceramics, and stonework, which can be admired at several San Jose museums. Pre-Columbian Costa Rica was home to some incredibly talented artisans, and thanks to good laws prohibiting the export of their works, museums such as the Museo de Jade and the Museo de Oro house collections that could be envied by the nations of the former Maya realm. Though the country's most impressive pre-Columbian heritage is found in the museums, there is one noteworthy archaeological site: Monumento Nacional Guayabo, a partially excavated city of 20,000 surrounded by protected rain forest.

Dining
Costa Rica and Panama are veritable gardens of fresh vegetables and fruit, which means that most cooking is tasty regardless of the recipe. Just don't expect anything spicy, since the local fare tends to be mild. Typical Costa Rican food is available from the ubiquitous and inexpensive sodas (small cafes). In San Jose, a string of higher-priced restaurants serve an international smorgasbord of recipes -- Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Peruvian, you name it. Panamanian food is similar, though a bit greasy, and that country boasts an even greater selection of international cuisine than Costa Rica. The typical Costa Rican main course is called a casado, which consists of rice, black beans, a shredded raw cabbage and tomato salad, meat or fish, and sometimes fresh cheese, a fried egg, and platanos (fried plantains); this is standard fare at most sodas and small restaurants. The national breakfast dish is gallo pinto (fried rice and beans), usually served with a fried or scrambled egg, sour cream, and tortillas.

Horseback Riding
Because horses remain one of the most common forms of transportation in Costa Rica, you can ride just about everywhere in that country. Experienced equestrians should be pleased with the spirit of the horses in Costa Rica, but even if you can't remember when you were last in the saddle, exploring a bit of the countryside on horseback is recommended.

Flora and Fauna
Costa Rica and Panama possess an almost unfathomable wealth of natural treasures, with more species of plants and animals than scientists have been able to count, and a variety of scenery that ranges from barren mountain peaks to luxuriant lowland forests. Because Costa Rica is such a small country, it is easy to visit many different ecosystems, and see some of the plants and animals that are contained in them, in a short period of time. Costa Rica has made a concerted effort to preserve its natural heritage, and it has paid off: more than 13% of Costa Rica's national territory is under the aegis of the parks system, which contains nearly all the country's ecosystems.

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
The options for observing the marine life off the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama range from simple snorkeling sessions off the beach near your hotel to a full-fledged scuba diving safari. Coastal reefs submerged off Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast are home to colorful coral gardens and hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates. The country's most extensive reef is protected within Parque Nacional Cahuita, but there are several other good diving spots spread between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo. The Pacific coast has less coral diversity, but more big animals, such as manta rays, sea turtles, and even whale sharks.

Sportfishing
Anglers have long flocked to Costa Rica, drawn by phenomenal offshore fishing all along its Pacific coast and the abundance of snook and tarpon in the rivers and coastal canals of the northern Caribbean. The Pacific charter fleet is scattered along the ports and beach towns from Playa del Coco, in the northwest, to Zancudo, deep within the Golfo Dulce, making sportfishing possible from almost every resort on the west coast. Those fully equipped boats usually head a few miles out to troll for marlin and sailfish, but they also catch plenty of tuna, dolphin, wahoo, and roosterfish. The balmy Caribbean offers a more languid type of angling -- casting into the murky waters of canals and rivers, where silvery snook and tarpon lurk, waiting to burst into the air when hooked.

Surfing
Both Costa Rica's east and west coasts are dotted with innumerable surfing spots, from the radical, experts-only reef break at Puerto Viejo, on the Atlantic Coast, to the mellower waves off the town of Tamarindo in northern Guanacaste. Together with Jaco, Tamarindo is one of the country's most popular surfer hangouts, and thanks to boards for rent and manageable waves, they are good spots for people who have been away from the sport for a while. More consistent and less populated breaks are found nearby those two towns, such as Hermosa, a short drive south of Jaco.

White-Water Rafting
Costa Rica and western Panama together constitute a rafter's paradise. It is no coincidence that several Olympic kayaking teams include Costa Rican rivers as part of their winter training schedule. Nevertheless, the warm weather (water temperatures average about 70degF), spectacular river scenery, and the wide variety of runs make these countries worthy destinations for neophytes and experts. Costa Rica's most popular rafting river is the Reventazon, on the country's Atlantic side, which has an excellent first-time run and intense class IV and V sections that are fit for experts only.