Costa Rica, with its long, dramatic coastline, misty cloud and rain forests, smoldering volcanoes and pristine golden beaches, is one of the planet's most biologically diverse countries. Named the "rich coast" by the Spanish conquistadors who first settled here, Costa Rica is a place for the adventure of a lifetime. With 5 percent of the world's biodiversity concentrated in such a small area, it allows for close encounters with a myriad of animals, among them several spieces of monkeys, frogs, birds and sloths. This is the land of adventure with picturesque rainforest and cloudforest hikes, sailing on aquamarine ocean to secluded coves, ziplining, floating on primeval rivers through mangrove forests, enjoying the volcano formed thermal pools and relaxing at the world-class spas, or listening to the chatterings of howler monkeys and toucans just outside your window.
