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If you are embarking on a South American journey
and Costa Rica is one of your stopovers, then you
certainly need to find a reliable Costa Rica vacation
guide to make the most out of your stay. To get a brief
overview of what you should learn from a good Costa
Rica vacation guide, read on and be armed with the
basics.

Costa Rica is part of Central America and its
neighboring countries are Nicaragua on the north and
Panama on the south. On its western side, there is the
Pacific Ocean and on its eastern side, there is the
Caribbean Sea. Costa Rica is a diverse country with
many hidden or out of the way vacation locations that
can only be accessed using a Costa Rica vacation
guide.

You will be surprised to know that the best time to
visit Costa Rica is during the early parts of the rainy
season of May to July. Some towns in the country
even experience an elevation in terms of visitors,
making the tourist officials regard it as a ‘mini-high
season’. During this period, traveling might a bit more
challenging due to the slight downpours and rain
showers. Pack your raingear and bit more patience
for the ultimate Costa Rican wild adventure.

There are many different regions in Costa Rica. There
are the Plains of the North, Guanacaste, Nicoya
Peninsula, Central Valley, Central Pacific, Caribbean
Costa Rica, South Costa Rica and Cocos Island
National Park.

The capital city is Costa Rica is San Jose and their
official language is Spanish. Other cities in the
country are Alajuela which is the location of Juan
Santamaría International Airport, Cartago which is the
country’s first capital and Heredia where tourists can
visit coffee plantations. Quepos city is also notable as
it is located in the Central Pacific coast and is the
entry point to the Manuel Antonio National Park.
There are also the cities of Jacó which is considered
the surfing paradise of Costa Rica and where superb
dining selection abounds, Liberia which is the
gateway to the fantastic beaches of Guanacaste and
Pochote which is located on Whale Bay near
Puntarenas.

Of course, an excellent Costa Rica vacation guide
should not be quick to miss the cities of Puerto Limón
which considered the main city on the Caribbean side
of the country, Puntarenas where one can take the
ferry going to Nicoya Peninsula, Parismina which is
located in Tortuguero Canals and Tamarindo City
which is also quite famous as a beach haven for
tourists.

Although English is widely used in some areas
populated by tourists and many businesses are
operated by European entrepreneurs, it is
recommended by many Costa Rica vacation guide to
learn a few frequently used Costa Rican expressions.
The Spanish words 'Ma'e' means 'dude' and is
generally used among friends; 'Pura Vida' literally
means 'pure life' but is used by Costa Ricans to
express agreement or enthusiasm. A 'pulpería' is a
general merchandise store, while if you hear the word
‘tuanis’, it should be an expression of ‘okay’ for most
natives.

                           Costa Rica Vacation Guide