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Parque Nacional
One of San José’s nicest green spaces, this shady spot lures retirees out to read newspapers and young couples to smooch coyly on concrete benches. At its center is the Monumento Nacional, a dramatic 1953 statue that depicts the Central American nations driving out American filibus
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Parque Nacional Tapantí
This 580-sq-km national park protects the lush northern slopes of the Cordillera de Talamanca, and has a rainy claim to fame: it is the wettest park in the country, getting almost 8000mm of precipitation a year. In 2000 it was expanded to include the infamous Cerro de la Muerte – o
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Playa Grande
Playa Grande is an undeveloped wilderness beach thats equally famous amongst conservationists and surfers alike. By day, the offshore winds create steep and powerful waves, especially at high tide and in front of the Hotel Las Tortugas. By night, an ancient cycle continues to unfur
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Finca Cántaros
About 3km south of town, Finca Cántaros is a recreation center and reforestation project. Over 18 acres of grounds – formerly coffee plantations and pasture land – are now a lovely nature reserve with trails, picnic areas and a dramatic lookout over the city. Especially interesting
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Cinco Ceibas
On the grounds of the huge, 1100-hectare Finca Pangola, there is a swathe of dense, green primary rainforest, home to some of the oldest and largest trees in all of Costa Rica. This is Cinco Ceibas. And yes, there are five glorious ceiba trees that you see, as you walk 1.2km along
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Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
Entered via a beautiful glassed-in atrium housing an exotic butterfly garden, this museum provides a quick survey of Costa Rican history. Exhibits of pre-Columbian pieces from ongoing digs, as well as artifacts from the colony and the early republic are all housed inside the old Be
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Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción
Only the crumbling walls remain of this 1693 colonial stone church, once home to a miraculous painting of the Virgin, discovered by a local fisherman. According to lore, the relic refused to be moved, forcing clerics to build the church around it. In return, the Virgin helped local
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Paradise Tropical Garden
Indigenous groups use tropical flowers, herbs and plants to treat all kinds of illnesses, from diabetes to a slipped disk. If youd like to learn a bit more about rainforest medicine, pay a visit to the Paradise Tropical Garden, where Robert and Ella Beatham have created a wonderful
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Heliconia Island
This self-proclaimed ‘oasis of serenity’ is a masterpiece of landscape architecture that is home to more than 80 varieties of heliconias, tropical flowers, plants and trees. The 2.3-hectare island overlooking the Río Puerto Viejois is also a refuge for 228 species of bird, includin
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Parque Nacional Volcán Poás
Just 37km north of Alajuela by a winding and scenic road is the most heavily trafficked national park in Costa Rica. And for those who want to peer into an active volcano – without the hardship of hiking one – it’s ideal. The centerpiece is, of course, Volcán Poás (2704m), which ha
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Parque Nacional Tortuguero
This misty, green coastal park sits on a broad flood plain parted by a jigsaw of canals. Referred to as the ‘mini-Amazon,’ Parque Nacional Tortuguero’s intense biodiversity includes over 400 bird species, 60 known species of frogs, 30 species of freshwater fish and three monkey spe
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles
Cartagos most important site, and Costa Ricas most venerated religious shrine, this basilica exudes airy Byzantine grace, with fine stained-glass windows, hand-painted interiors and ornate side chapels featuring carved wood altars. Though the structure has changed many times since
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Parque Nacional Carara
Straddling the transition between the dry forests of Costa Rica’s northwest and the sodden rainforests of the southern Pacific lowlands, this national park is a biological melting pot of the two. Acacias intermingle with strangler figs, and cacti with deciduous kapok trees, creatin
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Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco
This 143-sq-km national park was created in 1992 to protect the slopes of Volcán Platanar (2183m) and Volcán Porvenir (2267m) from logging. The headwaters for five major rivers originate here as well, making this one of the most important watersheds in the country.The park is in li
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Monumento Nacional Arqueológico Guayabo
This is the largest and most important archaeological site in the country. Although Guayabo is not nearly as breathtaking as Mayan and Aztec archaeological sites (dont expect pyramids), excavations have unearthed sophisticated infrastructure and mysterious petroglyphs. Polychromati
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Reserva Biológica Hitoy
One of the most rugged and rarely visited reserves in the country, Hitoy-Cerere is only about 60km south of Puerto Limón. The 99-sq-km reserve sits on the edge of the Cordillera de Talamanca, characterized by varying altitudes, evergreen forests and rushing rivers. This may be one
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Parque Nacional Barra Honda Caverns
This 23-sq-km national park protects a system of some 40 caverns. The only cave with regular public access is the 41m-deep La Terciopelo, which has incredible speleothems – calcite figures that rise and fall in the cave’s interior. Its quite the underground art museum. Stalagmites,
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Venado Caves
Four kilometers south of Venado (Spanish for ‘deer’) along a good dirt road, the caves are an adventurous excursion into an eight-chamber limestone labyrinth that extends for almost 3km. A bilingual guide leads small groups on two-hour tours through the darkness, squeezing through
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Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Golfito
The small, 28-sq-km reserve encompasses most of the steep hills surrounding Golfito, though its poorly publicized and easy to miss. It was originally created to protect the town’s watershed, though it also protects a number of rare and interesting plant species. It is home to sever
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Llanos de Cortés
If you have time to visit only one waterfall in Costa Rica, make it Llanos de Cortés. This beautiful hidden waterfall is located about 3km north of Bagaces; head north on the Interamericana, turn left on the dirt road after the Río Piedras bridge, then follow the bumpy road (4WD re
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