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Guanacaste NP
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Cerro Manuel Antonio NP Chirripó Corcovado NP
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16 THE GUIDE TO LATIN AMERICA
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Puerto Limón Panama Canal
PANAMA Osa Peninsula
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Want some more action? Adrenaline junkies can zoom over the forests on a range of aerial bridges and zip-wires – canopy tours originated in Costa Rica. For greater heights, hike up Cerro Chirripó, the country’s tallest peak. Alternatively, investigate the enigmatic stone balls of the Diquis Delta, ancient relics up to 2m wide, which are still a mystery to archaeologists.
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Capital: San José Population: 4.8 million Language: Spanish (English usually OK) Lorem ipsum Time: GMT-6 International dialling code: +506 Money: Colón (¢) 1 Not required by UK nationals Visas:
1 WHEN TO GO Costa Rica is now easier than ever to get to thanks toVolcán new direct flights from the UK. Its two coastsNPhave different weather Tenorio patterns:Tortuguero the country’s NPPacific coast is dry December to April; the Caribbean shores is drier between August and October. Costa Rica has long periods of sunshine and, due to its proximity to the equator, doesn’t really have a winter season.
1 Delve into the cloud forest of Monteverde, home to the aptly named resplendent quetzal and thrilling canopy zip-wires Head to Arenal for hiking, cycling, 2 hot pools and a dramatically beautiful – currently dormant – volcano 3 Explore the lush waterways of Tortuguero, paddling down the canals in search of caiman, monkeys and tropical birds Venture to the pristine Osa 4 Peninsula, one of the most biologically dense and dramatic places on the planet 5 Saddle up for a ride across the slopes of a volcano at the Rincón de la Vieja national park
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Barranquilla Cartagena Ciudad Perdida Maraca (The Lost City) San Blás B Islands PANAMA Lake For more information, go to: www.lata.travel/costarica Darién
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Copán ruins
Dividing the Caribbean from the Pacific, the Central, Tilarán and Guanacaste mountain ranges contain six active volcanoes including mighty Arenal, which sometimes spews red-hot lava, illuminating the night sky. For something less explosive, Rincón de la Vieja and Volcán Tenorio national parks have spluttering mud baths and steaming thermal pools in which you can wallow.
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slightly: visit the laid-back hangout of Jacó and enjoy the golden-sand beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park. Further south still, the Osa Peninsula offers Costa Rica’s most remote and possibly its most rewarding wilderness. Here, Corcovado National Park offers some of the best rainforest trekking in Latin America. On the Caribbean coast is Tortuguero, a huge national park comprising coast and junglefringed waterways that teems with bird and insect life. If you’re lucky you may see a huge leatherback turtle lumber out of the ocean to lay soft, leathery eggs in a sandy nest. You might also catch the looping flight of a toucan or the vivid flash of morpho butterflies. The capital city, San José, perches in the 1 heart of the central highlands, C A R Ion B BaEloose A N line of volcanoes Sthat E A runs the length of the country.
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he higher powers were not being entirely equitable when they designed Costa Rica: this compact country was given far more than its fair share of natural riches. It’s thought to have the densest biodiversity of any country on the planet, and more than 25% of it is protected by national parks and reserves. Quetzals flit through the moss-draped cloud forest, monkeys howl, hummingbirds buzz, frogs come in a spectrum of dazzling shades and leatherback turtles nest on virgin beaches. In short, a nature-lover’s paradise. Lakeit’sYojoa In the far north-west, Guanacaste has the largest remaining area of dry forest in Central America and is a Unesco Natural World Heritage site. Further south, the Nicoya Peninsula’s beaches are hidden in secluded coves, separated by rocky outcrops and fringed by palms. The Central Pacific coast ups the pace
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