The main entryway to the country, the Central Valley offers a variety of tourist, cultural and natural attractions, including Costa Rica’s best museums: the Gold, Jade, National, Costa Rican Art, La Salle Natural Science, University of Costa Rica Insect and Children’s Contemporary Art and Design Museums. In addition, this region is home to the architectural jewel of Costa Rica: the National Theater. All of these are located in the country’s capital. The national parks located in the Valley - Poás, Braulio Carrillo, Irazú and Turrialba - protect the region’s main volcanoes. All have road infrastructure so that visitors can enjoy their birds, natural landscapes, craters and forests.

The country’s capital, San José, is the seat of most government services; however, the provincial capitals - Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago - offer a variety of quality commercial and tourism services. As a tourism zone, the Central Valley features two extraordinarily beautiful areas that in and of themselves are true tourist destinations: Turrialba and Valle de los Santos. The rural towns, for their part, are highly picturesque, and offer a glimpse of old Costa Rica, with their houses of bahareque (a building material similar to adobe but made of cattle dung and straw), large coffee plantations, sugar mills and dairies.

Rising 2,708 meters above sea level, this volcano’s gas emissions have notably increased since 1989, causing acid rain that has damaged plant life in some areas of the park as well as neighboring agricultural plantations. The summit features two craters: the main one, at one and a half kilometers in diameter and 300 meters deep; and Laguna Botos, a cold, rain-fed lake that feeds the Río Ángel, a tributary of the Río Sarapiquí that flows into the Caribbean. Currently the volcano emits a great quantity of gases and steam from the various fumaroles located in the crater’s inner cone. Visitor services include information, a park ranger station, trails, restrooms, drinking water, signage, a cafeteria, souvenir shop and several natural viewpoints.

North Guanacaste harbors an important portion of the costa rican cultural and natural patrimony. Not in vain there is a significant number of protected areas, including coastal, mountainous, terrestrial, and aquatic ecosystems, where life develops with exuberance.

It is situated in the northern part of the country, and covers the pacific coast of Costa Rica, since the limit with Nicaragua to Punta Cerritos, located 22 km. west from de city of Santa Cruz. It covers an extension of approximately 100 km. of the Pacific Coast. In the past, this region has had its natural vocation in the cattle raising and in the agriculture. Currently, nevertheless, the incomparable beauty of its landscapes, that go from the tropical dry forest to the forest montano low and its hot climate, as well as its fertile nature, have done of Guanacaste one of the most concurred places by the local and international tourism. Besides an important backup in the Pole of Tourist Development of the Papagayo’s Gulf, there is the Daniel Oduber International, where a large quantity of flights arrives charter and regular flights from the United States.

North Guanacaste has two main tourist centers that are Liberia (central of stopover distribution, scale and excursion) and Santa Cruz, and three other tourist centers: El Coco, Tamarindo and Flamingo. The landscape of the coast is exceptional. There are beaches of white sands and a peaceful sea qualified by intense blue, especially the ones located inside Papagayo’s Gulf (Nacascolo, Virador, Iguanita and Panama). It is one of the regions of greater development, based on hotels of high investment with potentiality of direct demand.

Manuel Antonio National Park’s 683 hectares boast some of the country’s most varied and breathtaking scenery. Surrounded by lush, very wet tropical forest, the park’s trails offer sightings of white-faced monkeys, sloths, coatis, raccoons, iguanas and many bird species, as well as the Costa Rican squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus), which is endemic to Manuel Antonio—that is, it is found only in this part of the world. Increasingly endangered, at last count these monkeys numbered only 1,500.

Manuel Antonio National Park’s 683 hectares boast some of the country’s most varied and breathtaking scenery. Surrounded by lush, very wet tropical forest, the park’s trails offer sightings of white-faced monkeys, sloths, coatis, raccoons, iguanas and many bird species, as well as the Costa Rican squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus), which is endemic to Manuel Antonio—that is, it is found only in this part of the world. Increasingly endangered, at last count these monkeys numbered only 1,500.

At just seven meters above sea level, the city of Jacó has a large beach for enjoying sea and sun. Its proximity to San José makes it one of the most visited beaches in the country by both Costa Ricans and foreigners. Jacó offers one of the most extensive selections of tourist services in Costa Rica.

Shaped in a pleasant curve, its four-kilometer-long beach is bordered by hills at either end. Swimming with caution, due to strong currents, and surfing are the favorite activities here. Visitors can walk or ride horses along the beach, rent mountain bikes or scooters, or take a turn around a go-cart track. Boat travel is possible from Jacó to Playa Escondida, a well-known beach among surfers.

Playa Tamarindo, along with Playa Grande and Playa Ventanas, make up Bahía Tamarindo. This beautiful beach features rocky areas and an island (Capitán) at its southern end. Its luxuriant greenery includes pink trumpet trees, tamarinds and coconut palms. Excellent and varied services are offered, allowing visitors to enjoy the beach by day and the nightlife after sunset. A Blue Flag beach, Tamarindo is ideal for relaxing, walking, horseback riding and sport-fishing and diving tours, as well as visiting the mangrove swamp and observing nesting sea turtles. South of the bay lies the most important stretch of coast for surfing.