Costa Rica is a tropical hidden jewel in Central America.

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Orotina Carara National Park Crocodile Bridge Herradura Beach & Los Sueños Resort Jacó Hermosa Beach Playa Esterillos, Playa Palma, Playa Bandera, and Playa Bejuco

It is notorious for its natural beauty and friendly people. The country's natural attractions, wildlife, and reputation for enlightened conservation lure tourists from all over the world. Costa Rica has some of the region's best surfing, beaches galore, and a tropical atmosphere that provide for an exciting vacation.

The Central Pacific has Costa Rica's most sought after images: snapshots of gorgeous sunsets over its rocky coastline, huge marlin and snapper that attract sport fishermen from all over the world, rugged rain forests that sprawl just meters from soft sandy beaches, and waves that break high and low for surfers of all abilities. A few spots see most of the traffic, but the visitors vary from vacationing tico families and foreign backpackers to resort-hopping honeymooners, all of whom are satisfied by the well-developed tourist infrastructure and convenient public transportation. The major beach towns of Jacó, Quepos, and Manuel Antonio are invariably more crowded and a bit pricier than Costa Rica 's more remote Caribbean side. Peace-seekers, however, need only move on to less-visited Playa Hermosa, Playa Esterillos Oeste, or Dominical for more remote, unspoiled scenery and long stretches of empty beach. Dry or wet season, the Central Pacific will pamper you - are you ready?

Costa Rica 's Central Pacific region provides a realm of activities for vacationers to experience. Its bountiful national parks offer various activities for the extreme sports athletes to more relaxing sightseers. Try hiking, taking canopy tours, bird watching, or turtle watching through the parks. Experience zip-lining, which is zipping across the top of the jungle canopy on flying foxes. If it's too high for you, horse back riding is available practically everywhere. Activities aren't just found in the tropical forests, but also on the grand beaches.

Hermosa Beach on the Pacific Coast allegedly has some of the best surfing in Central America . If surfing in the waves is too much to handle, try windsurfing, snorkeling, diving, deep-sea fishing, kayaking, white-water rafting, or old-fashioned swimming.

Manuel Antonio National Park is Costa Rica 's most famous national park and most frequently visited. It encompasses a small, forested area, where many monkeys - especially the squirrel monkey - and raccoons inhabit. Three exquisitely, beautiful beaches fringed with coconut palms - promoting a tropical paradise - reside at this notable park.

The Central Pacific's climate is divided into two: a dry season running from late-December to mid-April is the most pleasant with temperatures averaged around 81 degrees, and the beaches drenched in sunshine with the bright sun shining 11-12 hours a day. The "green" or rainy season is characterized mostly by sunny mornings and early afternoon showers.

Orotina 

Though it boasts lively streets and an extremely friendly, laid-back population, Orotina has never been a major stop on tourists' itinerary. However, the town is a regular stop for locals buying cheap and tasty typical eats on their way to the beach. The parque central is clean and relaxing, and the town makes a decent base from which to explore Iguana Park , 14km away. Most travelers pass by Orotina en route to Jacó to the south or Puntarenas for the beautiful Nicoya beaches.

A lively event you should not miss if you are in the area right before Easter Week is the Feria de la Fruta de Orotina (Orotina Fruit Fair), where you are likely to see a cornucopia of tropical fruit and other foods like you have probably never seen.

Carara National Park . 

It was created on April 27, 1978 , and currently measures 5,242 hectares (about 12,52 acres ). It was part of the huge Hacienda El Coyolar, one of the biggest ever in Costa Rica , where the last significant stand of primary forest of its kind has been preserved.

The reserve is located 90 km ( 60 miles ), from San Jose , on the right side of Grande de Tarcoles River following the coastal highway.

Carara is a transitional zone from the dry Northern Coast of Costa Rica to the Southeast's very humid coast; its unique location includes three life zones, the tropical humid forest, pre-mountain tropical rainforest, and mountain rainforest.

Carara has the ten finest hardwood and softwood of Costa Rica , which are identified by informative signs along the trails: crabwood. Spanish cedar, rain tree, cojoba costaricense, hymenea courbaril acosmium panamense, purpleheart, and tabebuia rosea.

Some of the rarest and most spectacular animals of tropical America are also here; scarlet macaw, Great curassow, Fiery-billed aracari, Black and Green poison arrow frog, great anteater and American crocodile. These are endangered species with reduced populations.

Carara National Park also has numerous archaeological sites including one of the main Pre-Colonial settlements in Costa Rica .

Interesting data

• Mean annual temperature: 27ºC (78ºF)
• Mean annual precipitation: 2.800 mm ( 1002 inches )
• Drier months: March and April
• Distances: Tárcoles 2 km , Jacó 17 km , Orotina 25 km

Notes:

• In spite of its biological diversity, many animals living in Costa Rica are hard to observe because of their migratory or reproductive habits, because they are nocturnal or because the forest is too dense to see them clearly. Move quietly and sharpen your observation skills in order to have better appreciation of the richness of this area).
• All protected wildlife areas have rules that regulate the protection of resources and the activities of visitors. This reserve operates under these rules for public use and all visitors must respect them.
• If you need help or have questions, please ask the rangers or volunteers, they will be ready and willing to help you.
• All living things, plants and animals, alike, share this planet with you. Please respect them.
• Enjoy the forest's peace and natural sounds. Do not play radios or make loud noises that might disturb the tranquility within it.
• Please keep yourself on the trails. The signs are for the benefit of all. Do not deface or destroy them.
• This area is a natural preserve. We invite you to observe, enjoy and take as many pictures as you like. Please do not remove plants, animals, stones or other materials as souvenirs.
• Please collect you garbage and take it with you.
• Do not feed the wildlife. They can suffer serious health problems if they eat people's food.

Crocodile Bridge 

About 3km north of Carara National Park, on the highway to Puntarenas and San José, is the Río Tárcoles Bridge, more commonly called the Crocodile Bridge for the dozens of crocodiles that live in the muddy river and doze by the trail. There you are likely to see 10 to 30 of the immobile reptiles lounging on the banks of the river, some measuring more than 15 ft . and weighing over 400 lbs.

Herradura Beach & Los Sueños Resort 

Not long ago, Playa Herradura, 7km north of Jacó, was little more than a quiet fishing village. Today it is home to one of Costa Rica 's largest and most luxurious resorts. Nevertheless, the secluded beach remains charming in a rural sort of way that is becoming increasingly rare in the country.

Anyone seeking a drastic contrast from Jacó will enjoy a quiet daytrip here on the calm, palm-lined, black sand shore. During the day, keep busy exploring the abandoned crescent-shaped bay, or, during low tide, wade out to nearby Isla Herradura, an uninhabited patch of land just a few hundred meters off shore, and take a nap under the shady trees.

For those just visiting Herradura as a day trip and unable to resist the urge to jump into Los Sueños' gleaming 1-acre pool, the hotel charges US$35 per person for use of the facilities and allows US$20 of that fee to go toward dinner at their La Vista restaurant. Other activities include: sport fishing, wave runners, parasailing, banana boat rides, kayaking, boogie boarding, water raft rental, snorkeling, water bike rental, canopy tours, a mangrove and crocodile adventure, horseback riding, tennis courts, golf, and a casino. For cheaper sportfishing you can contact English-speaking Andrea José, who leads 4hr. trips with beverages and snacks. (643 2773. US$250 for 4 people).

A few beachfront restaurants make quiet and pleasant lunch stops. La Puesta del Sol , the first place off the road to the beach, serves simple local dishes and always seems to have some tico fishermen hanging around for a drink. (Ensalada de palmito. Open daily 11am-midnight.) Just a few meters down the shore is El Pelícano , a fancier Mexican joint with great guacamole and lunch specials. (Open daily 10am-10pm.) For the unlucky fisherman who returned to the shore empty-handed, Marisquería Juanita is the place to pretend you reeled in the fresh fish and lobster on your plate.

Jacó 

Jacó's main beach has gentle waves that break on cinnamon-colored dark sand, ideal conditions for beginners and intermediates. Surfers from around the world heard the call and brought a subculture with them which locals have now embraced.

Experts craving more challenging surf head to the point break in front of the Best Western and La Roca Loca , a rocky point with good rights that break over submerged rocks, about 1.5km south of Jacó. La Roca Loca is easily accessible by foot---head south along the beach on the rocks.

Hermosa Beach 

Just a few kilometers south of Jacó there is a peace to be found on the sand and crashing waves of paradise-worthy getaway Playa Hermosa.

Intermediate and expert surfers swear by Hermosa's perfectly cascading waves, regularly reaching heights of 8- 13 ft . and breaking powerfully onto the endless ink-black sand beaches. High tide translates into dozens of skilled surfers in and out of the white wash, but save for a few busy

or a memorable moon-lit ride, inquire at Hotel Terraza del Pacífico about when they plan to flood-light the waves after dark. The truly expert flock to Hermosa for the annual surf competition held by Hotel Terraza del Pacífico, usually from the first week to the end of May.

Playa Esterillos, Playa Palma, Playa Bandera, and PlayaBejuco 

South of Jacó to Quepos, the well-paved Costanera Sur highway. curves along the Central Pacific Coast , passing many quiet, deserted beaches short turn-offs from the highway. The tiny beach communities feel fantastically remote and relaxing as a result. The beaches draw vacationing tico families and some local surfers during the Christmas holidays and Semana Santa, but otherwise the long, pristine beaches and their powerful waves remain yours to discover. Surfing is good at several of these beaches, especially Esterillos Oeste and Playa Bejuco, where big waves break on soft, white sand. Conditions are generally similar to those at Playa Hermosa.