Costa Rica Highlights - Beaches, Volcanoes and National Parks Travel Package

Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s national territory is 51,100 square kilometers (19,700 square miles), which makes it about half the size of Kentucky, or slightly larger than Switzerland. But unlike those land locked places, Costa Rica has two coasts, which means that ample marine attractions complement its terrestrial assets. Most of the country’s 755 miles of coastline is on the Pacific side, where three peninsulas add to its contours and frequent rocky points divide in to countless beaches. The Atlantic coast is comparatively shorter, with remarkably straight palm - lined beaches that stretch off as far as the eye can see. The country is dominated by four major mountain ranges, all of which are of volcanic origin, and which together form a continental division that runs north to south. The Talamanca Range is the country’s oldest and highest, rising to an height of 3,821 Mts. (12,2200 feet) at Chirripo peak, and stretching southeast down into Panama. The Central Range, which stands to the north of San José, is made up of several large volcanoes. The Tilarán and Guanacaste Ranges stretch northwest toward Nicaragua. The Central Valley is a large area between the Talamanca and Central Mountain Ranges at an altitude of almost 4,000 feet above sea level. The Valley is where half the of the country population live and it contains the capital of the country, San José, as well as the nearby cities of Cartago, Alajuela, Heredia and countless other smaller towns. Though mountains dominate Costa Rica’s geography, it does have its lowlands, most of which are in the northern part of the country. The Atlantic Lowlands stretch north and east from the Central, Tilaran and Guanacaste Mountain Ranges to the Caribbean coast and San Juan River, which defines the border with Nicaragua. The Pacific Lowlands stretch westward, covering much of the Tempisque River watershed and the better part of the Nicoya Peninsula, which has only small mountains. The southwest has two smaller lowland areas: the Valley of General River and the Osa Peninsula. This topography is drained by a multitude of rivers, which are fed by regular rains. Because the trade winds continuously blow Caribbean storms over the country, it rains almost twice as much on the Atlantic side of these mountains as on the Pacific side, which means the forests are lusher year round on the Caribbean slope. The western province of Guanacaste, which covers most of the Pacific Lowlands, is the country driest region, where the December - May the dry season is most pronounced.