Costa Rica

I spent a year living in Costa Rica and loved every minute. Costa Rica is often described as the Switzerland of Latin America, though not on account of its jagged peaks, in fact, apart from a couple of smouldering volcano’s the country is largely dominated by cloud forest. With no army, Costa Rica is considered a safe choice for first time adventurers. With impressive National Parks and spectacular coastlines, Costa Rica is also small enough for proper exploring. Bathe in the natural hot springs beneath the spewing volcano of Arenal or sunbathe on the beach at Manuel Antonio (although watch your valuables as the monkeys are all cleptomaniacs) and trek the magnificent cloud forests of Monteverde (remember your wellies) Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet index and as if that weren’t enough to entice you plans are afoot to make it the first Carbon Neutral country.

For more holiday ideas in Costa Rica visit the Costa Rica overview page