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Top Attractions in Costa Rica

La Fortuna

La Fortuna is the name of a district and a small city located in San Carlos, in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica. Originally called "El Burío", La Fortuna was founded in the mid 1930s by settlers that came from Ciudad Quesada, Grecia Alajuela and other parts of the region. In 1968, the Arenal Volcano erupted to the west, killing all in its path, including 82 people. The eruption did not touch the village of La Fortuna. This catastrophe, nonetheless, helped change the destiny of the whole region, making it one of the most visited touristic destinations of Costa Rica. La Fortuna has the airport which is nearest to the Arenal Volcano, though many visitors also arrive via auto mobile, to the resorts and hotels in La Fortuna, Castillo, Palma, Monteverde, or Tilaran. Arenal is often cited by scientists as being in the top ten or top 20 of the world's most active volcanoes. La Fortuna is less than 10 km from the peak of Arenal and less than 20 km from the entrance to Arenal Volcano National Park . Other than the volcano, La Fortuna has tourist attractions such as the La Catarata de la Fortuna, a waterfall that falls from a height of 70 meters, several resorts with natural hot springs temperate enough to bathe in, other day spa services, and day-trips which involve horseback riding, whitewater rafting, hanging bridges, a "sky tram," zip-lines, mountain bike, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, and ATV or dirt bike rentals, "butterfly farm" and Venado Cavern tours, bungee jumping, Laguna Cedeno, El Salto Swimming Hole, and canyoneering. La Fortuna has a medic station but serious injuries require a medivac a police station gas station, 3 banks, 3 groceries, restaurants post office, and hardware store.

Arenal Volcano National Park

Arenal Volcano National Park is a Costa Rican national park in the central part of the country, forming the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area. The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano, which "was" the most active in the country, which had previously been believed to be dormant until a major eruption in 1968. It neighbors Lake Arenal, which is the site of the countrys largest hydroelectricity project, the Lake Arenal Dam. The park also contains a second volcano, Chato, whose crater contains a lagoon. It is also called Cerro Chato as it has been inactive for around 3500 years–coinciding with the creation and growth of Arenal itself. In and around the park are various lodges and hotels, some with their own hot springs, and others focused on the wildlife of the area. Within the national park are the Museum of Vulcanicity and a ranger station. The park lies within the 2,040 square kilometres Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area, protecting eight of Costa Ricas 12 life zones and 16 protected reserves in the region between the Guanacaste and Tilarán mountain ranges, and including Lake Arenal. The park is most directly accessed from La Fortuna, but is also easily accessed via Tilarán and the north shore of Lake Arenal. The Arenal Volcano National Park is popular with birders, as most of the 850 species identified in Costa Rica can be found within the parks borders. This includes one of the countrys most elusive and beautiful birds, the endangered resplendent quetzal. Other animal species living within the park include white-faced capuchin monkeys, jaguar, deer, coati, and snakes like the fer-de-lance and parrot snake. The park also has a strong showing of plant life, including orchids, heliconias, ferns, laurel, cirri, guayabo de monte, palms, bromeliads, and strangler figs.

San José

San José is the capital of Costa Rica, head of the province of San José, and the nation's largest city. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation. The population of San José Canton is 288,054, though the metropolitan area stretches beyond the canton limits and comprises a third of the country's population. It is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth. Though few people live in the city center, it is the most important working area of the country, which brings in more than a million people daily. Despite its problems, according to studies in Latin America, San José is still one of the safest and least violent cities in the region. In 2006, the city was appointed Ibero-American Capital of Culture. San José is the sixth most important destination in Latin America, according to The MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index 2012. San José ranked 15th in the world’s fastest growing destination cities by visitor cross-border spending.

Cahuita

Cahuita is a small city located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Cahuita is located in the Talamanca Canton of Limón Province. Cahuita is the capital of the Cahuita District. Due to its proximity to the Caribbean shoreline, Cahuita is renowned for Afro-Caribbean influence on dining and local culture. The city is specifically known for its beaches, dessert crepes and variations of grilled chicken. The Playa Negra and Cahuita National Park are close to town. Limón is north of Cahuita. Puerto Viejo is the next town south. Cahuita is served by National Route 36, which connects Puerto Limón to Sixaola. Many roads in Cahuita are composed of dirt, gravel, and stone, often making it a necessary for foreign visitors to rent a 4WD vehicle to reach local beaches and hotels on the northern fringes of town.

Orosí

Orosi is a town in the Cartago Province in Costa Rica, about 35 kilometers south of the capital San José. Orosi is situated on the Reventazón River in the Orosi Valley a deep valley and humid climate, surrounded by hills and lush vegetation, . The cultivation of coffee is the leading industry in the area. Orosi has a population of approximately 4,600 and has the oldest Catholic church still in use in Costa Rica. The church, Iglesia de San Jose de Orosi, was built in 1743 during the Colony. With its rain forests, volcanoes, hills and valleys lined with rows upon rows of coffee plants and sugar cane, the Orosi region offers some of the richest scenery to be found in Costa Rica. But the region is also rich in history and contains a number of monuments to the past, including a colonial capital founded in 1563 and archeological excavations that date back to 1000 B.C. Although this area was one of the first in the country to be settled, it has been one of the last to be developed for tourism. A few kilometers away, at the southern end of the valley, the road ends and the Parque Nacional Tapantí Macizo Cerro de la Muerte begins. This park covers about 600 km² and forms the northernmost section of a massive collection of nature parks that extends into Panamá . As a result, wildlife abounds. However, access is difficult and largely restricted apart from a few kilometers of easy trails. The abundance of birds makes it a popular place for ornithology studies. Part of the reason for the abundant growth is the heavy rainfall, which ranges up to 7000 mm in the mountains, it is the drinkable water source that supplies much of the metropolitan area is maintained.. Lago de Cachi lies to the northeast.

Monteverde

Monteverde, Costa Rica is a small community in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, located in the Cordillera de Tilarán. Roughly a four hour drive from the Central Valley, Monteverde is considered a major ecotourism destination in Costa Rica. The area is host to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and numerous other reserves, which draw considerable numbers of tourists and naturalists. National Geographic has called the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve "the jewel in the crown of cloud forest reserves". Newsweek has declared Monteverde the world's #14 Place to Remember Before it Disappears." By popular vote in Costa Rica, Monteverde was enshrined as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica, along with Isla del Coco, Volcán Arenal, Cerro Chirripó, Río Celeste, Tortuguero, and Volcán Poás. This article deals with Monteverde and its surrounding zone. This includes the larger town and tourism hub Santa Elena, as well as the nearby cluster of homes and businesses known as Cerro Plano, along with numerous reserves and attractions on the periphery of the town.

Isla del Coco

Cocos Island is an island designated as a National Park off the shore of Costa Rica, that does not allow inhabitants other than Costa Rican Park Rangers. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 550 km from the Pacific shore of Costa Rica. With an area of approximately 23.85 km2, about 8 km × 3 km and a perimeter of around 23.3 km, this island is more or less rectangular in shape. Surrounded by deep waters with counter-currents, Cocos Island is admired by scuba divers for its populations of Hammerhead sharks, rays, dolphins and other large marine species. The extremely wet climate and oceanic character give Cocos an ecological character that is not shared with either the Galápagos Archipelago or any of the other islands in this region of the world.

Arenal Volcano

Arenal Volcano, in Spanish Volcán Arenal, is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around 90 km northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. The Arenal volcano measures at least 1,633 metres . It is conically shaped with a crater spanning 140 metres . Geologically, Arenal is considered a young volcano and the age is estimated to be less than 7,500 years. It is also known as "Pan de Azúcar", "Canaste", "Volcan Costa Rica", "Volcan Río Frío" or "Guatusos Peak". The volcano was dormant for hundreds of years and exhibited a single crater at its summit, with minor fumaroles activity, covered by dense vegetation. In 1968 it erupted unexpectedly, destroying the small town of Tabacón. Due to the eruption three more craters were created on the western flanks but only one of them still exists today. Since October 2010, Arenals volcanic activity appears to be decreasing and explosions have become rare, with no explosions reported between December 2010 and October 2012.

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano

Rincón de la Vieja is an active andesitic complex volcano in north-western Costa Rica, about 25 km from Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste. Its name means "The Old Womans Corner", a reference to a local legend about a girl whose lover was thrown into the crater by her father; she became a recluse living on the mountain, and was credited with powers of healing. Rincón de la Vieja stands 1,916 metres above sea level, and its summit is the highest point in Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park. It erupted most recently in September 2011. The volcano has a large number of fumaroles and hot springs on its slopes. It is formed by felsic lava. Rincón de la Vieja is one of six active Costa Rican volcanoes: the others are Poás, Irazú, Miravalles, Arenal, and Turrialba.

Irazú Volcano

The Irazú Volcano is an active volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the Cordillera Central close to the city of Cartago. The name could come from either the combination of "ara" and "tzu" or a corruption of Iztarú, which was the name of an indigenous village on the flanks of the volcano. In Costa Rica it is known by the name of "El Coloso" due to the catastrophes that it has provoked in the past. The volcano's summit has several craters, one of which contains Diego de la Haya, a green crater lake of variable depth. At 11,260 feet , the Irazú Volcano is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. It is easily visited from San José, with a road leading right up to the summit craters and a weekly bus service to the top. It is thus a popular tourist spot. The summit of the volcano also houses a few television transmitters for television stations in San José. From the top it is possible to see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on a clear day. However, such clear days are rare, and the volcano's summit is usually cloud-covered. The volcano is contained within the Irazú Volcano National Park, which spreads across 5,705 acres . The national park contains both primary and secondary montane forests and is home to armadillos, owls, rabbits, foxes, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds.

Cocos Island

Cocos Island is an island designated as a National Park off the shore of Costa Rica, that does not allow inhabitants other than Costa Rican Park Rangers. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 550 km from the Pacific shore of Costa Rica. With an area of approximately 23.85 km2 , about 8 km × 3 km and a perimeter of around 23.3 km , this island is more or less rectangular in shape. Surrounded by deep waters with counter-currents, Cocos Island is admired by scuba divers for its populations of hammerhead sharks, rays, dolphins and other large marine species. The extremely wet climate and oceanic character give Cocos an ecological character that is not shared with either the Galápagos Archipelago or any of the other islands in this region of the world.

Parque de Diversiones

The Parque Diversiones Dr. Roberto Ortiz Brenes is an amusement park located in San José, Costa Rica. The parks motto is "healthy children helping healing children". The park was named for Dr. Brenes because it was his proposal which resulted in it being established. His idea was that the profits from the amusement park would assist to support the National Childrens Hospital "Dr. Carlos Saénz Herrera", which was established in 1964. The National Amusement Park began operating at the end of 1981. Among other attractions, the amusement park has four roller coasters: Bocaraca a Vekoma Whirlwind roller coaster. Teletren a kiddie roller coaster. Ciclon closed and removed at 2006, replaced by Disko at 2007. Ghibli another kiddie roller coaster. Bumeran a Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster. Beside the steel coasters, there are two water coasters: Reventazón Pacuare Excluding roller coasters, this park has some attractions too, starting with the youth ones: Disko Skymaster Torre Tornado Conchas Locas Carros chocones para adultos Rueda de Chicago Pulpo Family rides are present in this park: Botes de pedal Electrónicos Tren Pachuco There are a lot of kiddie attractions, located at Plaza Tio Conejo .

La Fortuna Waterfall

La Fortuna Waterfall is located in central Costa Rica, in the Alajuela Province. In Spanish, it is known as Catarata Fortuna. The waterfall drops about 70−75 meters and is located at the base of the dormant Chato volcano, about 5.5 km outside of the town of La Fortuna, near the Arenal Volcano. It is fed by the Tenorio River, which travels through the rain forest in the Arenal Mountain range until it plunges over the cliff, forming this waterfall. The admission is $11 USD for adults and $5 for children under 12. The hike down to the waterfall is a short but arduous one, along a staircase carved into the hillside. Guests are encouraged to swim in the stream and small rapids below the falls, and theres a lifeguard on duty. There are restrooms and showers in the guest facilities atop the cliff, along with a restaurant and gift shop. It should take 10 minutes to go down and about 20 to get back up to the parking lot. Open from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.

La Paz Waterfall

La Paz is a waterfall in central Costa Rica. In Spanish, it is known as Catarata de La Paz. It is 31 kilometres north of Alajuela, between Vara Blanca and Cinchona. The waterfall is located immediately alongside the road from Alajuela that leads to the northern plains of Costa Rica. The River La Paz forms the waterfall after traversing 8 kilometres of volcanic terrain, and then continues through the rainforest of the eastern side of Poás Volcano. A short path leads behind the waterfall, where a small shrine had been located. Upstream from the waterfall is La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a hotel and park, where visitors can observe many different species of local wildlife. The waterfall and surrounding area were severely damaged in the 6.1 magnitude earthquake of January 8, 2009. Landslides damaged the road that runs alongside the waterfall.

Metropolitan Cathedral of San José

The Metropolitan Cathedral of San José Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana is a cathedral in San José, Costa Rica, located on Calle Central and Avenues 2 and 4. The original cathedral was built in 1802 but was destroyed by an earthquake. It was replaced in 1871 by a design by Eusebio Rodríguez in a style which combines Greek Orthodox, Neoclassical and Baroque styles with its Doric pilasters and neoclassical pediment with steeples at the side at the front of the building. Inside, the cathedral has a notably fine colonial-style tiled floor and stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes. A vaulted ceiling spans the length of the nave with two fluted columns supporting it. At the main altar are statues of cherubs and a wooden figure of Christ. In the background is a half-cupola in the wall containing a mural of Jesus and the Holy Father. To the left of the altar is the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, adorned with wooded quadrants and floral motifs.

Cerro Chirripó

Cerro Chirripó is the highest mountain in Costa Rica, with an elevation of 3,820 metres . It is located in the Chirripó National Park and is noted for its ecological wealth. The high peaks in this and La Amistad International Park host important areas of Talamancan montane forest and Costa Rican Páramo with high endemism and an extremely high biodiversity. The peaks of these mountains, because of their height, constitute sky islands for many species of plants and animals. Snow has not fallen on the peak in the past 100 years or so, according to the University of Costa Rica, but hail is reported sometimes. The great height of Cerro Chirripó relative to its surroundings is also evidenced by its particularly high topographic prominence of 3,727 m , which makes it the 37th most prominent peak in the world. From the summit, it is possible on clear days to see all across the country from coast to coast, from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. Forest fires have occurred in 1976, in the 1990s, and in 2012. Climbing Chirripó is possible by obtaining a permit from the National Park office in San Gerardo de Rivas. From the trailhead, the summit can be reached via a 19.5-kilometre hike.

Cerro de la Muerte

Cerro de la Muerte is the highest point in the Costa Rican section of the Inter-American Highway. Its name means "Mountain of Death" or "Summit of Death," since in the past crossing the mountains from the Valle Central meant a three or four day journey, on foot or on horseback, and many ill-prepared travelers succumbed to the cold and rain. However, the peak is now easily accessible since the highway runs close by. A drivable track from the highway leads to a peak, with its cluster of telecommunications aerials. A short hike is also available from the highway to another peak marked with a barrel. A sign marks the high point of the highway at 3,335 meters , from where the vehicle track and hiking trail begin. At this altitude, overnight temperatures can dip below freezing, but the sun soon raises the temperatures in the morning, with a high risk of sunburn in the thin clear air. Record temperatures reach below 6°C. This mountain is in Talamanca range, which extends from eastern Costa Rica into neighbouring western Panama. This range was a volcanic island in the geological past, it raised result of tectonic uplift and its separation from other mountain ranges means that it has developed many endemic species of animals and plants, often with affinities to Andean forms. The higher areas are páramo habitat, with stunted shrubs, dwarf bamboo, and tree ferns, and smaller plants like blueberry, gooseberry and lady's slipper. Below this zone, the natural vegetation is oak forest with bamboo understory, an excellent place to see the charismatic resplendent quetzal. Nearly 50% of the bird species recorded from Cerro de la Muerte are endemic to the Talamanca range. These include fiery-throated hummingbird, timberline wren, sooty robin, black-billed nightingale-thrush, peg-billed finch and volcano junco.

National Museum of Costa Rica

The Museo Nacional de Costa Rica is the national museum of Costa Rica, located in the capital of San José. It is located at Calle 17, between Central and Second Avenue, Cuesta de Moras, in the Bellavista Fortress, a crenallated, ochre colored building opposite the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. The fortress was built in 1917 and was originally a military barracks: the exterior walls still have many bullets lodged in them from the country's 1948 civil war. It became the site of the museum in 1950. The entrance on the east side leads to a courtyard displaying pre-Columbian artifacts and cannons from the colonial period. The museum is organized thematically in a counter clockwise direction from the entrance with artifacts related to Costa Rica's geological, colonial, archaeological, religious and modern history. The museum had a notable collection of pre-Columbian stone tables , ceramics and a gold room "Sala de Oro" in the northeast tower. The colonial room has a notable collection of furniture and is designed to emulate that of an actual quarters in the 18th century. The museum also has an exhibit of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Óscar Arias, and a bust of José Figueres and butterfly garden in the outside "Plaza de la Democracia".

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