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Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination due to its Latin American charm and mix of historical and cultural interest. The warm weather and excellent snorkelling and diving opportunities bring in tourists and you can surf off the coast of Costa Rica too. Split into seven provinces, and then into a further 81 ‘cantons’, with each of the 81 governed by a Mayor. The seven provinces are; Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas and San Jose, each of which have their individual charms and cultural differences. With so much to discover it can be difficult to decide what to do, so with that in mind, here’s a mini-guide to Costa Rica.

Attractions – When visiting Costa Rica you’re spoilt for choice as there are a huge number of things you can do. With a tourist industry worth $2 billion annually, Costa Rica is the most visited Central American country and boasts annual visitor number of 2 million. But it is the vast number of activities which make the place so impressive, drawing tourists for the scuba diving, surfing and with a large ecotourism base too. There are large numbers of protected areas and national parks and is in the top ten destinations in the world for ecotourism.

Culture – The Costa Rican motto says it all, “Pura Vida!” translates to “This is living!” and gives a great insight into the zest for life that its people have. Its location explains its unique flair as Costa Rica was often the point at which the South American and Mesoamerican cultures met. The Spanish conquistadores arriving in the sixteenth century had influences in the northwest of the country whilst the centre and southern parts have Chibcha influences. All of this makes for a fantastic mix of cultures making the country what it is today. It’s also a very proud country and boasts many cultural interests such as its impressive national theatre building and various museums charting its interesting history.

Costa Rica is a fantastic place to visit and well worth thinking about when you’re deciding where to go. Happy holidays!