Archive for January, 2009

Costa Rica attracts millions of tourists year round thanks to its incredible biodiversity, magnificent beaches and warmth of its people.  One of the activities that have attracted nature lovers from around the world to Costa Rica is bird watching.

Although the Rincon de la Vieja National Park in Guanacaste is known more for its volcano, boiling mud pots and thermal waters, it also happens to be a great place for bird watching.

Located in the Guanacaste Mountain Range in Costa Rica’s North Pacific region, the Rincon de la Vieja National Park is home to over 120 bird species.  To be able to spot the majority of these bird species, the best thing to do is to contact one of the areas’s most dedicated guides: Jonathan Serrano.

Jonathan has been a nature guide for over 8 years at the Rincon de la Vieja National Park as well as other important regions in Costa Rica. Some of the birds that can be observed here and Rincon de la Vieja National Park are the Crested Bobwhite, the Inca Dove, the Orange-Fronted Parakeet, the Black and White Owl, the Squirrel Cuckoo, the Cinnamon Hummingbird, the Orange-Bellied Trogon, the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher and hundreds more.

Casa Salina is located at just 90 minutes from the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste and just an hour drive from all major beaches in the North Pacific.  Within the Costa Rica hotels infrastructure, Casa Salina is an eco-friendly lodge that offers top quality adventure tours in Puntarenas.

This article at Costa Rica Hotels Blog

After remaining closed over a week after the 6.2 earthquake that struck the area on January 8th, 2009, the Poas Volcano National Park has reopened to the public starting Tuesday January 20th.

None of the buildings at the Poas Volcano National Park were harmed during the earthquake.  However, authorities closed the park after the National Emergency Committee requested them to do so in order to leave the roads free of traffic so that rescue teams and volunteers could freely transit the region..

The Poas Volcano is one of the most visited volcanoes in Costa Rica’s Central Valley as it exhibits two magnificent craters.  One of the craters is called the Lake Botos as it has been filled up by nature by deep blue waters.  The other crater has a diameter of 1.5 kilometers and holds a medium sized lake that sends out boiling sulphurous gases.

The trip to the volcano unfolds exuberant vegetation and several acres of coffee plantations that are abundant in the region.  Several tour operators offer a combination of a visit to the Poas Volcano with a visit to a local coffee plantation.

Visitors are guided through the Coffee Plantation as they learn all about the plant and the weather conditions needed for its perfect growth.  The guide then proceeds to explain the entire process from the moment the coffee bean is picked to the moment when a delicious hot cup of coffee is placed on the table.

Lunch is normally served at the Coffee Plantation as guests overlook the lush green mountains of the Central Valley while enjoying a typical Costa Rican dish.

Hotels in the area are normally lodges that also function as a diary farm.  Spending the night in the cloud forest and waking up to the sounds of a diary farm is an experience that should not be missed.

This article viewed at CostaRicaHotels

OK, so the holidays have only just ended, but if you’re planning your next break to give yourself something to look forward to, perhaps you should consider Latin America — especially if you want a holiday that won’t damage anything but your wallet.