Costa Rica is an ecotourism heaven, making it one of the best places to experience the tropics. Extensively coastline, Costa Rica offers great surfing, an abundance of beaches and a climate built for relaxation.

Costa Rica's approach to conservation has ensured that lush jungles are home to playful monkeys, languid sloths, crocodiles, countless lizards, poison-dart frogs and an array of exotic birds, insects and butterflies. Endangered sea turtles nest on both coasts and cloud forests protect elusive birds and jungle cats.

A tropical country, Costa Rica only has two seasons: wet and dry. The dry season is generally between late December and April, and the wet season lasts the rest of the year. The Caribbean coast tends to be wet all year, making the location of the Pueblo Dorado Hotel, on the Northwestern Pacific coast ideal. Rainfall during the rainy season usually only last no more than 20 minutes, guaranteeing sunshine at its end.

The temperature varies very little between the seasons. The coasts are much hotter than the higher altitude areas, with the Caribbean averaging 21°C (70°F) at night and over 30°C (86°F) during the day; the Pacific is a few degrees warmer still. It is the tropics, so the humidity can be fairly high at times.

Fast Facts:
Full Name-Republic of Costa Rica Capital City-San Jose Population-4,100,000 Time Zone-GMT/UTC
Area-51,100 sq km or 19,730 sq miles Languages-Spanish (official) English (other)
Religion-75% Roman Catholic, 14% Protestant Currency-Costa Rican colón (¢) Electricity -120V 60Hz