Top 10 Costa Rica

- Costa Rica Ecotourism

Eco travel is not just about enjoying yourself and thinking only of yourself in the process, it is about advocating eco friendly places that respect their plants, animal and cultural life at the same time supporting the well-being of the locals.

These concepts are primary elements of eco tourism and any traveler can travel with care while enjoying themselves at the same time. Costa Rica and Nicaragua are two of the best countries in Central America for eco tourism and any biology or botany lover will feel right at home there.

No place is better suited for eco friendly tourism than Costa Rica, which ranks number one in the Happy Planet Index as the “greenest” place in the world, while the Environmental Performance Index in 2008 ranked it number five. Its biodiversity is plentiful and all types of forests can be found – rain, dry, cloud and oak forests. The same goes for aquatic habitats which is even professed in the country’s name; Costa Rica is Spanish for “rich coast”.

There are some 13,000 species of plants, 850 species of birds and let’s not even get into the 365,000 insects. Here are some eco friendly parks that are worth a visit in Costa Rica:

1. Corcovado National Park is recognized internationally by ecologists for its amazing biodiversity but what really is of interest here are the big cats like the jaguar and puma. There is also the endangered tapir, and four monkey species including the endangered Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey and the Central American Squirrel Monkey which is only found in Costa Rica and Panama.

2. Tortuguero National Park in English means “full of turtles” and this park is known for the yearly nesting of the endangered green turtle. But other turtles nest here too such as the massive leatherback, hawksbill and loggerheads. Other animals are three species of monkeys, sloths, 320 species of birds and various reptiles.

3. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is excellent for plant lovers as there are 2,000 plant species and hundreds of species of orchids. There are also more than 400 types of birds.