Costa Rica The Complete Guide

Whether you're zip-lining through cloud forests, relaxing on a wellness retreat, or swimming with manta rays, discover the real pura vida with Moon Costa Rica. Inside you'll find: Flexible, strategic itineraries designed for backpackers, beach-lovers, adventure travelers, honeymooners, and more, including the best beaches for swimming, sunsets, and seclusion The best spots for eco-friendly outdoor adventures like kayaking, hiking, and scuba-diving: Swim under a waterfall, raft over rapids, explore mysterious caves, and cliff-dive into river pools. Hike to the summit of Mount Chirripó, the highest point in Costa Rica, snorkel with sea turtles in warm turquoise water, or soak in a volcanic mineral pool Unique and authentic experiences: Admire the forest floor from the middle of a hanging bridge, or take an aerial tram to lake, volcano, and ocean views. Relax on a pristine beach and watch the sunrise with a cup of flavorful local coffee. Fill up on fried plantains at a traditional soda, and shop at a neighborhood mercado Insight from Cartago local Nikki Solano on how to experience Costa Rica like an insider, support local and sustainable businesses, avoid crowds, and respectfully engage with the culture Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout Background information on Costa Rica's landscape, history, and cultural customs, as well as volunteer opportunities Handy tools including a Spanish phrasebook, packing suggestions, and travel tips for disability access, solo travelers, seniors, and LGBTQ travelers With Moon's practical tips and local know-how, you can experience Costa Rica your way. Exploring more of Central America? Check out Moon Belize.

Full-color travel guide to Costa Rica, including in-depth chapters on history, culture, ecology, and wildlife.

From pristine beaches and jungle waterfalls to high-altitude coffee plantations, Costa Rica: The Complete Guide puts the very best of Costa Rica at your fingertips. Blending detailed travel tips with beautiful photography, this guidebook offers so much more than just restaurant and hotel reviews. Fascinating chapters explore Costa Rica’s unique history, culture, food, ecology and wildlife. “Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Cultural Misunderstanding” helps visitors avoid common—and potentially embarrassing—mistakes. Discover what makes Costa Rica one of the world’s most amazing destinations. Soar above the cloud forest on a zipline at Monteverde. Spend the night at a deluxe ecolodge next to Arenal Volcano. Soak in the tropical beauty of Costa Rica’s world-class beaches at Manuel Antonio National Park. Plan the perfect Costa Rican vacation! Filled with travel tips to save you time and money Over 300 beautiful color photos Over 30 detailed maps Fascinating chapters on History, Culture and Food Informative guide to Wildlife and Ecology 1% of profits are donated to environmental organizations working to preserve Costa Rica's biodiversity for future generations Printed on sustainable FSC paper

Lonely Planet's Best of Costa Rica is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Lounge on sugar-white beaches in Southern Nicoya, spot sea turtles in Tortuguero, and catch the surf off deserted beaches on the Costa Ballena; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Costa Rica and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's Best of Costa Rica: Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak Color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Covers San Jose, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Manuel Antonio, Volcan Arenal, Montezuma, Peninsula de Osa, Tortuguero, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Playa Samara, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Best of Costa Rica is filled with inspiring and colorful photos, and focuses on Costa Rica's most popular attractions for those wanting to experience the best of the best. Looking for a more comprehensive guide that recommends both popular and offbeat experiences, and extensively covers all the country has to offer? Check out Lonely Planet's Costa Rica guide. Travelling further afield? Check out Lonely Planet's Best of Central America guide for an in-depth look at all the region has to offer. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveler's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

From pristine beaches and jungle waterfalls to high-altitude coffee plantations, award-winning author and photographer James Kaiser shows readers the best of Costa Rica, including the country's stunning collection of national parks. Filled with rich details and hundreds of high-quality color photographs, this guide, which provides fascinating chapters on the country's unique history, culture, ecology, and wildlife, is sure to appeal to anyone looking for more than just restaurant and hotel reviews. Giving travelers everything they need to plan an unforgettable trip, this resource also includes a “Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Cultural Misunderstanding” that helps visitors avoid common, and potentially embarrassing, cultural mistakes.

Reptiles of Costa Rica, the long-awaited companion to Amphibians of Costa Rica, is the first ever comprehensive field guide to the crocodilians, turtles, lizards, and snakes of Costa Rica. A popular destination for tourists and biologists because of its biodiversity, the country is particularly rich in reptile fauna, boasting 245 species. The sheer diversity in shapes, sizes, colors, and natural history traits of these animals is beautifully displayed in this book. Lizards range from minuscule dwarf geckos to dinosaur-like iguanids, and everything in between, while the country's snakes include tiny eyeless wormsnakes, massive boas, as well as twenty-three dangerously venomous species, which include the largest vipers in the world. Author, photographer, and conservation biologist Twan Leenders has been researching and documenting the herpetofauna of Costa Rica for nearly twenty-five years. His explorations have taken him to remote parts of Costa Rica that few people ever visit, journeys that usually find him hauling an array of photographic equipment to document his finds. In addition to including more than 1,000 photographs, detailed black and white scientific illustrations, and range maps, this book also features paintings of anole dewlaps, a key identification feature for that very complex group of lizards. This new field guide will enable the reader to identify all species, while also providing a wealth of information about natural history, predation, breeding strategies, habitat preferences, and conservation of Costa Rica's reptile fauna.

Whether you want to surf in Manuel Antonio, zip-line through the Monteverde Cloud Forest, or hike around Arenal Volcano, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Costa Rica are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Costa Rica guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor’s “Essential” guides have been named by Booklist as the Best Travel Guide Series of 2020! Fodor’s Essential Costa Rica travel guide includes: AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time MORE THAN 30 DETAILED MAPS and a FREE PULL-OUT MAP to help you navigate confidently COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, activities, and more PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “Costa Rica’s Best Beaches” “Costa Rica’s Best Eco-Lodges” and more TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, cuisine, and more SPECIAL FEATURES on “What to Watch and Read Before You Visit,” “What to Eat and Drink,” “Surfing Costa Rica,” “Coffee, the Golden Bean,” and “Canopy Tours” LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems SPANISH-LANGUAGE PRIMER with useful words and essential phrases UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: Manuel Antonio, San José, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal, the Nicoya Peninsula, Guanacaste, Poas Volcano, Corcovado National Park, Tortuguero, surfing, beaches, sloth sanctuaries, and more Planning on visiting Belize? Check out Fodor’s Belize. *Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

Whether you want to surf on the Nicoya Peninsula, glide on a zipline through the rainforest in Monteverde, or stand in awe of Arenal Volcano, the local Fodor's travel experts in Costa Rica are here to help! Fodor's Essential Costa Rica 2020 guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been FULLY-REDESIGNED with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. GET INSPIRED * AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do * COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! * PHOTO-FILLED "BEST OF" FEATURES on the best beaches, eco-lodges, and food to try while you're there * UP-TO-DATE and HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS covering the most recommended sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, side-trips, and more. GET PLANNING * MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time * SPECIAL FEATURES on "Choosing a Beach," "Coffee, the Golden Bean," "Surfing Costa Rica," and "Canopy Tours" * COVERS: San José, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal Volcano, Manuel Antonio, Nicoya Peninsula, Guanacaste, Limón, Tamarindo, Jacó, Osa Peninsula, and more GET GOING * MORE THAN 35 DETAILED MAPS AND A FREE PULLOUT MAP to navigate confidently * TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS on when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money * HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, government, sports, cuisine, geography, and more * LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems * SPANISH LANGUAGE PRIMER with useful words and essential phrases Planning on visiting other destinations in Central America? Check out Fodor's Belize and Fodor's Cancún & the Riviera Maya. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor's has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us! IMPORTANT NOTE: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images included in the physical edition.

A new, updated edition of the only compact, portable, and user-friendly field guide the novice or experienced birder needs to identify birds in the field in the diverse habitats found in Costa Rica. -- "Biology Digest"