Nick Yates on Travel

The tropical Central American country of Costa Rica boasts reasonable prices and a location scant hours away by air from major U.S. cities.  It also has friendly inhabitants, beaches on two oceans, vast rainforests and impressive volcanoes.

It’s long been a Mecca for environmentalists, who revel in the generous amount of land the Costa Rican government has set aside for those especially interested in viewing nature’s wonders.

Perhaps few countries benefit so much from compact size as this one.  In the space of a day, you can drive from the volcanic sands of idyllic Pacific beaches to the coral sands of Caribbean ones.  You can view lush, triple-canopy rainforests at coastal elevations — and then the distinctly different ones found among the clouds, without the rigors of great distance.

The Nicoya Peninsula, on the Pacific side of the country, contains the beaches most popular with travelers.  Montezuma Beach is as pleasant as they come, with a mile or more of golden sands punctuated by volcanic rock outcroppings.  Jaco Beach, to the east across the water, is a surfing center;  Tamarindo Beach, to the west, is an established tourist center.

Long known for its language schools, the country is host to a continual legion of Spanish language learners who soak up the culture while improving their Spanish speaking ability.

Costa Ricans — Ticos, as fellow Central Americans refer to them — are a hospitable lot.  Their accepting nature has been popular with both American and European travelers for decades, and they have come to accept their good fortune with a grace which becomes them.  It is rare indeed to find anything unflattering said about them or their society in the popular tourist guides.

Much of this is the result of a stable political life which seems to respect differences of opinion in a way unique to this part of the world.  Perhaps this also accounts for the easygoing nature of Ticos themselves — or is maybe the result of it.  Costa Ricans are used to their country being thought of as an island of political tranquility and reason, and find pride in it.

Costa Rica offers a mellow alternative to some of the more fashionable hotspots south of the border.  And sometimes, mellow is just better.

Content approved by Nick Yates.