Travel Tip: What is the best month to Vacation in Costa Rica and Why?

The best month to vacation in Costa Rica is the month of February.  Why?  Because the weather is simply gorgeous.  There is little or no rain, the flowers are in full bloom, as well as the flowering trees.

The warm winds are  blowing.  And the nights are star studded and the moon glows.  You can almost read a book in the moonlight.

The beaches are beautiful, filled with sunshine and gorgeous sunsets.   The water is blue green and warm to swim.   There are lots of tourist which adds vitality and life to the beach destinations.

The restaurants have plenty of tourist business so they hire the better chefs during this time of  year, making the food indeed gourmet.

February also is the time for many annual cultural events in Costa Rica such the colorful oxcart parade held in San Antonio de Escazu  to commemorate the colorful oxcarts used in agriculture to haul coffee and  sugarcane.  These oxcarts date back to the 1800's when the only way to get the coffee from the central valley, across the mountains to the port of Puntarenas was by oxcart pulled by big and strong oxen.

Another large annual event is held in Palmares,  about thirty minutes north of  the San Jose international airport of Juan Santa Maria, on highway one or better known as the InterAmerican highway.  It's probably the biggest fair in Costa Rica.  There are so many festivities such Costa Rican style bullfights,  rodeos,  a craft fair, food galore (all typical Costa Rican)  and it's where you come to watch people.  The young and old dress their best.  Families come together bringing their small children to ride the colorful  Ferris Wheel and the old fashioned Merry Go Round.

So when the weather is cold, bleak, and dreary up north head south and have a great vacation in

[caption id="attachment_2857" align="alignleft" width="640" caption="Sunny Day in February, Pristine Guanacaste Beach"][/caption]

warm tropical Costa Rica!

Costaricalearn.com strives to offer helpful travel tips on vacationing in Costa Rica.  We would love to hear from you about your great Costa Rica vacation and share it with our readers.  Just go to the bottom of this article and click on no comment or reply.

Planning to Rent a Car in Costa Rica? Listen up!

If you are traveling to Costa Rica  or planning a vacation to Costa Rica, and  planning to rent a car?   And you say, "I have checked with several different rental car agencies in Costa Rica and renting a car there seems quite expensive."  Why?

There are many reasons.

1. A large portion of the cost of renting the vehicle is the insurance.  There is liability insurance coverage and then there is all the rest..collision, theft.  Ask the car rental agency to itemize each of the coverages and the cost. VERY IMPORTANT:  Reserve your rental vehicle before leaving your home country.  Then call you credit card company and ask if you can buy (from the credit card company) the insurance on the rental car.  My personal experience with American Express credit card company:  They said yes I could buy the insurance EXCEPT THE LIABILITY.  So I purchased a policy  (except for liability) thru American Express  BEFORE DEPARTING FROM THE US.

2. Maintenance on cars in Costa Rica is very high.   The roads are often not in good condition with potholes and bumps so the tires wear out quickly and have to be changed.

3. Auto mechanics in Costa Rica are not cheap and car parts are very expensive because they have to be imported and the gov slaps a big import tax on these parts, thus raising the price.

4. Costa Rica does not manufacture cars or trucks, or buses.  All are imported.  Adding to the cost of the car is the transportation from where ever it was manufactured to Costa Rica which very often is very high.

5.  Accidents in Costa Rica, such as fender bender  is common.  Costa Ricans in general are not good drivers, so we often see these fender bender accidents.

6.  If you are planning to drive outside of the San Jose (capital city) area, then rent a 4x4 vehicle.  They are higher off the ground and take the rough road conditions in Costa Rica much better than a regular car.

Can I See a Great White Shark In Costa Rican Waters?

Great White sharks tend to stay in cooler water than what we find in the tropical waters of  Costa Rica’s Pacific coastlines as well as it’s Caribbean coastlines.

So you will not likely see the Great White Shark while visiting Costa Rica.  Sorry.

This legendary great white shark is extremely fearsome to us.  We think of it  as a mindless killing machines which attack humans if we get near it.

There are around 100 shark attacks reported around the world annually and only one-third to one-half are attributed to the Great White Shark.

Great White Sharks are the largest predatory fish on Earth. They grow to an average of 15 feet (4.6 meters)   And some can weigh up to 5,000 pounds (2, 268 kilograms)
They get their name from the white color of their underbelly.  They swim very very fast, like a torpedo, and their powerful tails can propel them through the water at up to fifteen miles per hour (24 km)

The most scary thing is their mouths are lined with serrated, triangular teeth arranged in rows.  These teeth can number up to three hundred!  They love to eat sea lions, sea turtles, and even some smaller whales.

These creatures are believed to be decreasing in numbers at an alarming rate. This is due to over fishing and sometimes they are accidentally caught up in gill nets.

Where can I go to likely see a great white shark?  On the southern coast of South Africa is where a very large colony of great whites congregate.  Also the southern coast of Australia,  Mexico’s Isa Guadalupe, New Zealand, California coastlines, and the central Mediterranean  in the Adrian  Sea.  A great white has even been seen off the coast of Cuba!

If you are planning a vacation to Costa Rica you would love to have our recently filmed DVD "Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular"  travel video. Which beautifully showcases the 10 most popular vacation destinations in Costa Rica.  Go to our home page of costaricalearn then go to the top of the page and click on "Buy our Video"  You can view a 3 minute preview and all the instructions on ordering the video are right there!

[caption id="attachment_2840" align="alignleft" width="470" caption="Great White Shark "][/caption]

SPOTLIGHT COSTA RICA- Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal, and La Fortuna, Costa Rica, Sky Tram & Sky Trek Tour

If you are planning to travel to Costa Rica on vacation and want to visit the most popular area for great outdoor adventure then Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal, and the area around La Fortuna is where you should go.

If you are flying into the central valley of Costa Rica to the Juan Santa Maria International Airport, than by car you are three and one half hours from the Arenal Volcano.  If you fly into the Liberia International Airport in the northern zone of Costa Rica,  by car you are three  to three and one half hours from the Arenal Volcano.

Let's say you have  two  full days to stay in this area and want to experience the activities that are the most fun.  First, I recommend the sky tram and canopy tour and do it first thing in the morning when the weather is usually best. This is offered by a company called Sky Trek and you can purchase it right at your hotel tour desk.   Or purchase it from  Sunset Tour Company in La Fortuna  located right on the town square.  Arrangements can be made for you to be picked up and delivered back  to  your hotel  by a shuttle service offered by Sky Trek tour company or by Sunset tours.

What exactly do I do on the Sky Tram & Sky Trek Tour?   You will be transported on a Sky Tram Gondola  on a smooth ride through the rain forest up to an observation deck high above the rain forest canopy. Along the way you have a gorgeous view of Lake Arenal.  Also you may see howler monkeys and a flock of colorful toucans.  At the top, from the observation deck,  the view to the south face of Arenal Volcano is magnificant!  It's almost like you can reach out and touch the volcano.  You can hear is roaring and see the  hot molten rocks and fiery boulders shooting from it's summit.

From the observation deck,  you can take a well marked path which leads you into the rain forest and hike for around 45 minutes.  The vegetation here is unique due to the high altitude.  One of the most interesting is the giant fern tree which grows to around eight fee tall.  Imagine a fern that size in your living room!

You can ride the Sky Tram gondola back down OR  you can take the more exciting route down, the zip line cables,  called the Sky Trek. It will definitely get your adrenalin going.  Once strapped into the safety gear,  you just zip from tree top platform to tree top platform.  It's up and over the top of the rain forest canopy.  A beautiful experience!  Just like Tarzan and Jane!

If you are hungry after this great adventure, there is a small cafe right there on the grounds.  Also you can spend an extra thirty minutes and walk through the butterfly garden,  where blue morpho butterflies fly freely surrounded by a very large net.  Very interesting for butterfly lovers.

This tour takes approximately one-half day, and I highly recommend it.

Children have to be at least eight years of age to take the Sky Trek Zip Line Portion of the Tour.

The costs when I took it in 2009 was $65 per person.  Plus $8 if I wanted to be transported by the shuttle to and from my hotel.

What should I wear? Comfortable walking shoes like tennis or light weight hiking boots.  Temperature is cool because you are at a high altitude.  You will need a light weight rain proof jacket because rains frequently.  Take your money etc. in a pouch because if you take the zip line, it's hard to handle a backpack.

costaricalearn.com   strives to help you make your vacation to Costa Rica more fun and more meaningful!   Ken and Ann Creed are the authors and videographer.  You can read more about Ken and Ann by clicking on "about us" at the top of page one.