Costa Rica Travel Guide

Located in Central America right between Panama and Nicaragua, the sun kissed country of Costa Rica is surrounded by the North Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea on either side. Though these geographical details can be read up in any high school textbook, this isn’t the only reason why this gorgeous nation draws over a million tourists to it every year. So, if you are planning on traveling to Costa Rica this season, it would be wise to do your homework first and acquire a few basic details and travel information about the country. There are many travel magazines and websites dedicated to educating and providing useful insights to travel enthusiasts about the beauty of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica boasts of a wild yet beautiful wildlife that ranges from crocodiles and sloths to poison-dart frogs and large lizards. You could go on forest treks wherein you’ll get to experience the incredible flora and fauna of this nation. From exotic bird sightings to butterflies and insects hovering all over, visiting Costa Rica is an out of the world experience.

Yes, the country indeed boasts of a fascinating wildlife along with multiple ecosystems that coexist to preserve and maintain the natural reserves. Despite of the political unrest that exists within its neighboring countries, Costa Rica has still maintained absolute peace and harmony with all its neighbors. Throughout its vast and lonely stretch of coastline, tourists can laze on the beaches and soak up the sun or opt for a number of entertaining activities like surfing, snorkeling, swimming and fishing.

Costa Rica is home to a number of rain forests and several active volcanoes. When traveling in Costa Rica, you can choose your preferred mode of transport – right from rental cars to the public transport – traveling within the country is safe. Guides will allow travel freaks to gather enough information pertaining to accommodation and travel agencies. There are many Costa Rica travel packages available today that can help by making your holiday a lot more organized, and more affordable to say the least. To gain an upper edge when traveling within this beautiful country, it would be wise to first collect whatever useful information you can come across before venturing forth.

Costa Rica Travel Information

Before going ahead and booking your Cost Rica travel vacation, here are a couple of things you need to know about the country, which could come of use to you when traveling:
Weather – Because it lies in the Tropical zone, Costa Rica experiences two main seasons – the dry season (mid December to April) and the rainy season or winter. San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica experiences temperatures that range from 67 degrees Fahrenheit to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowlands on the other hand are warmer while the coastal regions are humid.
The Best Time to Go – Because the temperatures in Costa Rica are more or less consistent, it is considered to be one of the hottest vacation spots for travelers all year round! However, the country draws the most tourists between the months of December and April. Christmas and spring break are the busiest times of the year.
Transportation – From traveling by air and car rentals to ferry services, ships and taxis, transportation is not a problem in Costa Rica. So, if you were worried about traveling within the country, then you can relax a bit more. Both, international as well as domestic carriers serve the nation daily.
Places to Go to – Costa Rica has a number of spots for sightseeing – Paolo Verde National Park, Buena Vista Hot Springs, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Canopy Tour and Water Slide, Tabacon Hot springs and Arenal Volcano, Poas Volcano and Grecia-Sarchi, Tortuga Island, Butterfly Farm, San Jose City Tour, Braulio Carrillo National Park, Central Valley ATV Tour, Reventazon River Rafting Class III and Pacuare River Rafting Class III-IV are just a few of the places you can go to!
Things to Do – With so many reserves and national parks, Costa Rica provides opportunities for a large number of outdoor recreational activities like trekking, river rafting, scuba diving, mountaineering, cycling and other such activities. If you enjoy forests and mountains, you can go in for rainforest safaris, volcano expeditions, climbing, ATV driving, horseback riding, cave explorations and tree house lodging. If you are into water-based activities, then you can go in for jet skiing, scuba diving, floating, kayaking, windsurfing, surfing and snorkeling.
Costa Rica Travel Packages

When going through the various Costa Rica travel packages, always choose the one that will provide you with everything that you want. Costa Rica travel packages vary from being economic to extremely luxurious – so choose carefully. Regardless of your choice, going on a Costa Rica travel package will give you the freedom to explore and discover the awe-inspiring beauty of Costa Rica.

So, choose a vacation package that will allow you to do all those things that you want to. At the end of your stay in this country, you should be left wanting more.

Yes, Costa Rica offers the best and most magical combination of active volcanoes, verdant rainforests, lush green plantations, white sandy beaches and an excellent tourist infrastructure in the form of resorts and hotels. Besides this, Costa Rica is now the most popular wedding and honeymoon destination in the world. With the right holiday package, your Costa Rica travel vacation should be a raging success!

Costa Rica Accommodation, Hotels in Volcano Arenal

Costa Rica is a small country in Central America, located between Nicaragua to north and Panama to south, being also bordered by Caribbean Sea in its eastern side and the Pacific Ocean on the western part. Many people know generally little things about the central region of America, one of them being the fact that countries from there are ruled by non-democratic regimes and are pretty dangerous for foreign citizens. This opinions are based on facts happened in the 70'-'80 of last centuries, when many revolutions and coup d'etat in the area generated this unwanted reputation. Still, Costa Rica has been always an exception to this rule, this country being safe from political convulsions and enjoyed a stabilized democracy and economically development. This led to a fast growing tourism industry and a good development of accommodation units in the country.

Hotels in Costa Rica offer great accommodation, but tourists find good housing also in vacation rentals such as homes, condos, villas, cottages and mountain cabins. Everywhere in the country are great vacation resorts where holiday makers can enjoy the splendid tropical nature and friendliness of local people (called "ticos") alike. Costa Rica is divided in 7 provinces (Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas and San José), all of them featuring many vacation attractions and interesting things to see and to do.

One of the major attractions in Costa Rica are the volcanoes. Many tourists are interested in this natural wonders and on this land can be found several active volcanoes such as volcano Irazu (the highest one, with 3,432 meters), volcano Poas (having one of the largest active craters in the world), volcano Turrialba, volcano Rincon de la Vieja, Miravalles, and volcano Arenal, located in the northwestern part of the country and being the only volcano in Costa Rica constantly active. Due to this fact, volcano Arenal is visited yearly by an "army" of vacationers who want to see flowing the stream of hot lava. The big number of holiday makers visiting the area led to a fast development of the accommodation units in the region. Hotels in volcano Arenal region belong to the best in Costa Rica and generally feature excellent amenities, good food and some of them even organize different tours of volcano, but also to other attractions in the area. Some of the best hotels near volcano Arenal are Hotel Magic Mountain, Hotel Volcano Lodge, Hotel Occidental El Tucano, Hotel Royal Corin, Hotel Arenal Kioro, Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort, Hotel Lomas del Volcan, Hotel Arenal Manoa, Hotel El Bambu de Sarapiqui, or Hotel Arenal Paraiso Resort & Spa, to enumerate just a few of them. Beside hotels, there are available a big number of vacation rentals like cabins, homes, villas and cottages, representing an alternative solution at accommodation needs of tourists.

After holiday makers enjoyed the splendors of incandescent lava (the night views are really spectacular!), they can follow to stay in hotels in volcano Arenal region and take tours to other regions of the country, like the capital city San Jose, or can head straight to hotels settled in the Pacific region of Costa Rica and enjoy a few days of beach vacation filled up with water sports (surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving and sailing are great there!) or just relaxing in hammocks under the rich shadow of palm trees...Indifferently where tourists go, accommodation in Costa Rica is great and memories gained in this country will be remembered always!

Costa Rica Property, Medical Tourism Factor

Costa Rica has been named as one of the top destinations for health tourism, a growing industry of people travelling abroad to have cosmetic surgery that is too costly back home. Other countries in the top 5 were Malaysia, Panama, India and Brazil.

These countries are most popular because of their advanced, high quality health services, and low costs. Malaysia and India attract people from all over the world, as do Costa Rica Brazil, and Panama, but the latter three attract the most U.S. citizens, because of the above reasons as well as their Americanised cultures.

Costa Rica's medical tourism industry is one part of the economy that has been growing lately, and experts predict this is a market sector that will continue to see growth for the foreseeable future, especially given that these places are developing people's trust having been popular with medical tourists for a few years now, and benefiting from word of mouth. Trust is an integral part of a developing country becoming popular with medical tourists.

David Stanley Redfern Ltd releases have touched on the growing medical tourism industry in Costa Rica before, but only that growth in the sector will continue Costa Rica's ability to grow economically, and how the incoming visitors are strengthening the rental market in Costa Rica.

The factors not mentioned were, that countries like Costa Rica, in order to maintain their reputation as a medical tourism destination, must make themselves attractive to specialist surgeons from more advanced countries. To do this they rely on the ability to provide high quality rented accommodation. This is excellent news for the Costa Rica property market.

Medical tourism is yet another growing string to Costa Rica's economic bow, which already has unique tourist attracting features, like the fact that it boasts five percent of the world's ecology, in only 0.003% of the world's land mass. But other places in Latin America have equally rich and diverse ecological systems; Costa Rica is set apart by its stability and safety, making it ideal for family holidays.

Costa Ricans readily boast that their country has no need for an army, the country is so peaceful that schoolchildren oversee election parades, and there are more doctors in the country than policemen and women. Perhaps the latter feature played a part in Costa Rica ranking above the U.S. in a recent study into world health services, and also plays a part in Costa Rica's success in the new medical tourism phenomenon.

Find out more about Costa Rica property

About David Stanley Redfern

David Stanley Redfern Ltd is one of the U.K.'s leading overseas property investment specialists. The reasons for this are an incomparable range of international properties spanning 40 destinations worldwide, and unrivalled customer care, which lasts long after the purchase has been completed. Experienced, professional staff and membership to the overseas property market's regulatory body: the Association for International Property Professionals, as well as their stringent due diligence procedures gives buyers the confidence that any purchase with David Stanley Redfern is a safe one.

Media enquiries should be directed to Liam Bailey at media@davidstanleyredfern.com

Things to know traveling to Costa Rica

Before traveling outside your native country to another country you should prepare yourself. Learning about the country before you go can prevent common problems or confusion. Cultures vary throughout the world and sometimes a simple misunderstanding can become a big deal. Learning about the basic life, culture and laws of a country you are traveling to can help you to be prepared and have an enjoyable vacation.

The basic things you need to know include how to get around, business hours and various other points. Once you get to Costa Rica you need to know how to get around from place to place, especially if you are not within walking distance of your destination. Buses are the main form of transportation. It is the most cost efficient and easiest way to get around. Do be aware that the buses in Costa Rica are small and sometimes cramped. You will not be able to take along luggage and if you need a lot of legroom you will be in trouble. Another form of transportation is a rental car. They are quite more expensive and you need to have insurance that will cover the rental car in case of an accident. Also know that most rental cars are standards, so if you do not know how to drive one you may be out of luck. Business hours in Costa Rica are much like that in the United States. Typically they run from 8 or 9 AM to 3 or 5 PM. Everyday a lunch break takes place between noon and 2PM. Also on Sundays most places will be closed. Costa Rica runs on Central Standard time, which means some of those traveling from the US may get to avoid jet lag all together. The healthcare system in Costa Rica is very advanced. They have an excellent system that offers up-to-date medical care in modern hospitals. You can most often find doctors that speak English as well. These basic facts will help you to get used to life in Costa Rica, but there are some more things you should get to know.

In Costa Rica there are some legal things you need to know. If you are renting a car be aware that Costa Rica is a good place to have an accident. Drivers here rank low for auto accident rates. The speed limits are posted either on signs or painted on the pavement and you should always be aware of them. The speed limits range from 45 to 55 MPH in general. Costa Rica laws require that all luggage is screened through customs and declarations must be filled out for certain items like food and anything valuable. Alcohol is legal for those over the age of eighteen. Also be aware that prostitution is legal in Costa Rica for those over eighteen. When you are ready to leave Costa Rica you should know you will be required to pay an exit fee approx. 27.00. These helpful hints about legal do’s and don’ts will help you avoid problems while in Costa Rica.

It is always nice to know about little things that are often overlooked on travel websites or in brochures. The water heaters in hotels in Costa Rica are not like those in the United States. You will find they are mostly plastic tubes with an electrical gadget in the nozzle. This means hot water may not always be hot. The busiest time in Costa Rica is during what is called the high season. The high season is between December and May. You may find that getting reservations can be difficult during this time. You usually do not have to tip while out in Costa Rica. A 10% tip is added to your bill. Another good thing to know is that the sewer systems can handle toilet paper unlike those in other countries. The water system in Costa Rica is treated and safe to drink. The electricity in Costa Rica is the same as in the United States. They do not use the grounding prong in some locations, so be aware of the need for adapters for this reason. Dancing is big in Costa Rica and you can find dance clubs all over. Laundry mats are not common in Costa Rica. Most people send their laundry out to be washed. Some vacation rentals offer a washer/dryer as an amenity. These helpful little hints can help you get through your vacation without a mishap.

Costa Rica is a lovely, peaceful country. There is a lot to see and do. Once you have decided on Costa Rica get to know a little more about the country so you can enjoy everything it has to offer.

We traveled to Costa Rica on vacation in 2001. Fell in love with the people and their country. Purchased property on the last day of our vacation and built a villa in 2002. Handles villa rentals for five additional villas. Two, three, four and five bedroom villa's available, all of which are surrounded by Costa Rica’s biodiversity and over looking the Pacific Ocean. Find more useful information about Costa Rica by visiting our web site.
www.costarica-vacation-getaway.com
info@costarica-vacation-getaway.com

Food and drink – what to expect in Costa Rica

A traditionally mild, not over-spiced cuisine, the Costa Rican food has absorbed influences from the Caribbean, South America and Europe into its culinary cauldron. Many dishes are simple with the staples of rice and beans tending to form the basis of most rural cooking. Costa Rican’s are also heavily dependant on locally grown fresh produce, particularly members of the squash family including courgette (or zucchini), zapallo and chayote (known as the "Christophine" throughout the Caribbean). Other tropical fruits and vegetables are also widely available and usually of good quality. The plantain, like in most of the neighboring Caribbean, is a particular favorite and can be served in a variety of ways; from just simply fried in butter, to being served in a honey and sugar sauce.

The most famous dish of Costa Rica has to be "Gallo Pinto" (literally translated as "spotted rooster"), a dish brought into the country by Nicaraguan immigrants. The dish consists of rice, coriander, onion and black or red beans and is often served for breakfast or lunch. "Casado" is a similar dish consisting of rice and beans, served with pork, steak or chicken and usually accompanied by a small portion of salad and fried plantains. This dish is customarily served as a dinner and is widely available throughout Costa Rica and can provide tourists with a hearty, low-cost meal.

The influence of nearby Mexico can also be seen in Costa Rican cooking – the use of corn tortillas and "gallos" (resembling a soft Mexican taco), are extremely popular. Locals stuff their "gallos" with a vast array of different fillings, usually a combination of diced meat, vegetables and spices. They make an extremely versatile snack or meal that, again, won’t cost the earth and are widely available throughout the country.

In terms of fish, Costa Rica has a plentiful supply of abundant fishing waters. With 212km of coast along the Caribbean Sea and a whopping 1,016km along its Pacific coast you would expect to find the country saturated with well-priced, extremely fresh fish. Unfortunately most of the fish is exported elsewhere so whilst fish is still readily available in Costa Rica and usually very fresh, the prices can be a little high, especially when compared to the island’s staples.

If you’re wondering what to wash it all down with then the drink Costa Rica is most famous for is indubitably coffee; the nations largest export alongside bananas. Costa Rican’s drink a lot of coffee; it tends to be strong and served with milk. Most of the best stuff tends to be exported so expect the quality to vary throughout Costa Rica from the sublime to the pretty awful. Don’t be surprised to find it served alongside your dinner as well. Other favorite local drinks are "Horcheta" (a cinnamon flavored cornmeal drink), "Agua Dulce" (a sweetened water based drink usually served at breakfast) and the typical lunchtime drinks "refrescos", which consist of liquidized fruits mixed with either milk or water.

For those seeking some intoxication in their beverage then the best bet is probably beer with Imperial and Bavaria being two of the favorites. Wine is not such a good option, locally produced stuff is a definite no-no and imported stuff tends to be pricey with the exception of wines coming from Chile or Argentina. The local moonshine is known as "Guero" and is so cheap that they virtually give the stuff away, it’s made from sugar cane and is a favorite of the locals, even the poorest of whom can afford it. In more rural areas you can expect to find a drink called "Vino de Coyol" – a wine that’s made from the extracts of a spiny palm, this stuff is apparently lethal so tourists should certainly beware when mixing it with the hot, equatorial climate. Babylon-Idiomas
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Costa Rica – VW Vans and Crawling Things

For better or worse, man has tamed Mother Nature in many countries. My general impression is this isn’t the case in Costa Rica.

San Jose to Carrillo

Roughly ten of us had decided to head to Costa Rica for a week to stay at a friend’s place just outside the beach town of Carrillo on the west coast. We flew into San Jose and were supposed to be met by a rental company representative that had two new VW vans for us.

As often happens in such situations, we weren’t met by anyone much less a person with vans. Calls were made but not answered. Lunch was had. Calls were made again and finally answered. After a bit of "intense" conversation, we were told the vans would be at the airport in 15 minutes. Roughly two hours later, two VW vans apparently stolen from Woodstock rolled into parking lot. The trip had certainly started on a sour note, but we decided to cut our losses and take the vans.

As we rolled out of San Jose, it was starting to get dark. Unaware that a new highway had been opened, we followed the old route which wound through the mountains and added two hours to the trip. Two hours that would haunt us for days.

As the hours passed, we laughed away the time reliving the past. I was sitting in the back of the van with Stuart, a nurse in San Diego, and Picasso, a graphic designer for surf clothing companies. We were all in shorts and flip flops, which was appropriate for the heat and humidity. How I wished I had worn pants and boots.

As we drove along, we happened to come upon a little village. Little cafes and stores passed us as we drove down the road. So did street lights. Bright street lights. Street lights that lit up the inside of the van.

And the things in it.

Cockroaches. Big cockroaches. They were climbing on the walls of the van and across the floors. A few even took off and flew from one wall to the other.

This is the part in the movie where the men, Picasso and I, take action to protect our female companion, Stuart. Of course, who believes what they see in the movies? In our case, Picasso screamed like a little girl and started stomping on the floor and kicking the walls. I, in turn, did the ultimate crunch, which is to say I whipped my legs off the ground with such speed as to make a drill sergeant weep with joy. I then jumped off the bench just to make sure there weren’t any of the little buggers in my shorts. Stuart, on the other hand, just laughed at us.

Our driver whipped over to the side of the road to find out what the heck was going on. The other van pulled over as well and discovered they had a cockroach problem as well. We were apparently driving the hive around the country.

After obtaining a little liquid courage at one of the cafes in the village, we came up with a solution for keeping the creepy crawlies at bay. More liquid courage, drivers excepted. Much more.

New bravery in hand, we reclaimed the vans and hauled it to Carrillo as fast as possible. Picasso danced the cockroach crunch throughout the remainder of the trip, which made for a messy van and the need for new flip flops. I hoped I was imagining things crawling on my legs. Stuart just kept laughing.

Nature is beautiful, except when it ain’t! Travel Journals

know about- Costa Rica

More than one million tourists visit Costa Rica each year. What draws so many people to this lightly advertised destination? Natural beauty and diversity are the answers. Costa Rica covers only 0.03% of the surface of the planet but it has about 6% of the world's biodiversity.

Visitors encounter seas, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and an abundance of flora and fauna. Twelve major life zones provide habitat for over 10,000 kinds of flowering plants, 850 bird species, 3,000 butterfly species, and 209 species of mammals. Volcanoes, rainforests, cloud forests, lowland jungles, the Pacific coastline, and tranquil Caribbean beaches stretch across seven provinces. Thirty percent of the land is protected by national and private reserves, which harbor more than five percent of the world's plant and animal species.

Costa Rica is Central America's jewel. It's an oasis of calm among its turbulent neighbors and an ecotourism heaven, making it one of the best places to experience the tropics with minimal impact.

Costa Rica boasts 20 national parks, 8 biological reserves, and a wealth of other protected areas to enchant those who marvel at the wonders of nature. It draws ecotourists from around the globe. Activities include horse-back riding, hiking mountainous paths in the cloud forests, guided bird-watching tours, volcanoes, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, canopy tours, golf and much more.

Ticos, as the people of Costa Rica are known, are famous for being hospitable, and are quite happy to live up to their reputation. They seem to be well aware that their country is a special place, and they go out of their way to accommodate their visitors, explaining things that might seem foreign to a foreigner, and helping make their stay as enjoyable as possible.

Northwest Costa Rica, the Guanacaste province is for the active soul, drawing visitors with its beaches, rivers, waterfalls and natural attractions. Forming the eastern border is a group of volcanoes that form the Cordillera de Guanacaste and Cordillera de Tilarán.

From the mountains flow various rivers that roll down and form an alluvial plain drained by the Rio Tempisque, which empties into the Gulf de Nicoya. The name Guanacaste is derived from quahnacaztlan, a native word for the guanacaste tree, which is Costa Rica’s national tree.

With a new airport at Liberia, tourism to Guanacaste has boomed.

Costa Rica is a tropical country with two seasons – dry and wet. The Guanacaste Province is the driest region of the country with less than 55 inches of rain in the coastal areas.

Costa Rica occupies a territory of around 20,000 square miles in the southern part of Central America, and includes several small islands mostly on the Pacific side. It is much like the state of Florida with two long coastlines. The country is only about 200 miles long and 70 miles wide at the narrowest part.

Costa Rica is often compared to Switzerland and Hawaii because of its mountains and forests. Unlike many areas of Mexico, Central and South America, Costa Rica remains beautiful year-round. This is partly because it borders the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and has a string of towering volcanoes on the Central Plateau. Combine all this and you have a unique tropical paradise with 11 climatic zones.

The high season in Costa Rica, December through April, is the dry season. The green season, which lasts from May to November, usually sees sunny mornings, with rain showers in late afternoon and evening. Overall, the climate is tropical, with an average temperature of 72°F (22°C). It can be much hotter along the coastal areas of the country, and much cooler in the mountains.

In the past, agricultural exports, like bananas and coffee, have been the staple of the Costa Rican economy. However, tourism has always played an ever-increasing role, and now it has become the dominant economic force. Ecotourism travel is the most preferred for expansion because it will provide a sustainable resource for tourism for generations of Costa Ricans to come. Costa Ricans love to show off their country, and sincerely welcome all travelers and vacationers.

San Jose, population over one million, is the capital and cultural heart of Costa Rica. Other major cities (by population) are: Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Liberia, Limón and Puntarenas.

To enter the country you now must have a valid passport. Some countries now require your passport to be valid for at least 6 more months in order to leave your country to come here. Check with you embassy or airline. Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time, six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour behind EST in the States. It does not currently use daylight saving time.

No shots are required. The water in the major cities of Costa Rica is safe and most hotels and restaurants offer purified tap water. You might prefer to drink bottled water or seltzer to be sure. Costa Rica has excellent, low-cost medical care and well-qualified practitioners. Many North Americans come to Costa Rica for cosmetic surgery or dental work.

Costa Rica is a safe destination for 99% of its tourists, but it’s always a good idea to exercise caution whenever one travels. In general, the country has a low crime rate. In most cases, crimes are simple thievery - non-violent crimes of opportunity, so just exercise caution, as anywhere in the world.

Costa Rica has a reputation as one of the most stable and prosperous Latin American countries.

Costa Rica has something for everybody! Whatever your interests; eco-tourism trips bird watching, adventure tours, fishing, diving, rafting, canopy tours, golf, all inclusive hotels, vacation homes or just relaxing on an unspoiled tropical beach, you will find all of that and more in this tropical and secure paradise.

We traveled to Costa Rica on vacation in 2001. Fell in love with the people and their country. Purchased property on the last day of our vacation and built a villa in 2002. Handles villa rentals for five additional villas. Two, three, four and five bedroom villa's available, all of which are surrounded by Costa Rica’s biodiversity and over looking the Pacific Ocean. Find more useful information about Costa Rica by visiting our web site.
www.costarica-vacation-getaway.com

Costa Rica Twitter

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica, pronounced [re̞ˈpuβ̞lika ð̞e̞ ˈko̞sta ˈrika]) is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

Costa Rica, which translates literally as "Rich Coast", constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949. Costa Rica has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index, ranking 50th in 2006. The country is ranked 5th in the world, and 1st among the Americas, in terms of the 2008 Environmental Performance Index. In 2007 the Costa Rican government announced plans for Costa Rica to become the first carbon neutral country by 2021. According to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index and is the greenest country in the world. The HPI measures how much of the Earth's resources nations use and how long and happy a life their citizens enjoy as a result

Article Source: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa