Costa Rica-an Excellent Spot for Tourists

Costa Rica is considered by lots of tourists to be an incredible place for a trip. Due in most part to the fact that it is found in the heart of the Western Hemisphere, it is definitely a fortunate location. The majority of people who have stayed in Costa Rica remember that it is the best country for a vacation to remember.

Thinking about its assorted landscapes and climates, there is bound to be a section of Costa Rica to to suit them. Costa Rica ,has for many years, been a haven of tranquility. Retaining the oldest democracy in all of Central America, Costa Rica hasn’t had a military in many years.

Costa Rica has transformed into a great destination for trade; it has an economy that has continually grown over the past ten yrs.. Just recently Costa Rica signed the C.A.F.T.A. with a number of other Latin American countries, not to mention the United States. Costa Rica has developed into the best country for investment seekers and vacationers alike. There are two international airports in Costa Rica, including one in the Central Valley and a another airport in Liberia, making the country reachable for many vacationers.

Whether you like trekking through the rainforests, surfing, scuba diving, white-water rafting or maybe a relaxing lodge in the mountains, Costa Rica has some attraction for everyone. You can find many Costa Rican hotels and lodges all over Costa Rica and lots of Costa Rica coupons are available on the internet to make your Costa Rica trip memorable.

Costa Rica's Breathtaking Arenal Volcano

Positioned nearly ninety kms. north west of San Jose, Costa Rica, you will find the magnificent Arenal Volcano. It is in the province of Alajuela in the small town of La Fortuna. Arenal Volcano is known as the most active volcano in the country of Costa Rica. Specialists consider the Arenal Volcano as the youngest and also the most active mountains in all of Costa Rica.
Arenal has been considered a volcano since the 19th century, even though in those times it had other names such as Costa Rica Volcano and Rio Frio. Some experts say that the volcano is over 4000 years old. This part of Costa Rica was new up until 1937, when a few explorers reached the peak that year.

The most significant explosion of the Arenal Volcano took place in 1968 following around 400 years of inactivity. That explosion damaged the whole town of Arenal, and took the lives of 87 inhabitants. It destroyed over 232 sq. kms. and kept erupting for a number of days. The explosion was so powerful that it created three brand new craters. From the time of this infamous eruption, the Arenal Volcano has continued to be active and you can see small explosions very frequently, mostly at night.

The Arenal Volcano is known to be a very well-visited tourist spot, the majority of them take pleasure in seeing the nightly eruptions not to mention the very popular hot springs. The most well-visited hot spring near La Fortuna is Tabacon. Arenal Volcano is one of the seven wonderful volcanoes that tourists can visit while in Costa Rica.

Photo Locations in Costa Rica

Traveling to Costa Rica can be a wonderful and incomparable experience. Costa Rica is a country that offers a wide variety of natural landscapes, including some of the most beautiful beaches in the Central America as well as many protected areas, National Parks, Volcanoes and more. Costa Rica is constantly visited by bird watchers, hikers, surfers, backpackers and photographers due the friendly and reasonably safety that you can find in this tiny tropical country. Most photographers come to do Natural photography more than anything else, but before you start making your own traveling plans, there are a few things you have to take in consideration.

Number one: do not expose yourself and don’t expose your equipment. Any photographer knows how much a camera costs, try not to walk around if you’re carrying expansive bodies, lenses, etc. A lot of people get robbed just for not paying attention to this detail, thieves don’t care if you’re traveling with a digital Rebel or an EOS-1D, they don’t know anything about cameras, prices or picture quality, all they will look for is to steal your equipment, so never leave your camera bag alone, not even at the airport or hotel room.

Number Two: Be prepared. The weather changes a lot in Costa Rica, there are just two conditions or “seasons’ in Costa Rica, the dry season starts around December and finishes in May and this is also when most tourists visit the country and finding a room can sometimes become a real pain in the neck. The rainy season lasts from May to December; however, several areas are very humid and the rain never stops no matter the month or whether conditions in the rest of the country. Costa Rica is famous for its Rain Forest, so if you’re planning to go to places like Corcovado, Drake, Golfito or the Caribbean area then don’t forget your umbrella, poncho or whatever you use to keep your camera from getting wet.

Number Three: Traveling to some areas could be difficult and tedious but is also very easy to find a traveling agency or a tour operator online that can help you to get an idea of how to organize your schedule. Some places are more visited than others, Manuel Antonio and some beaches in Guanacaste will always be crowded due their popularity. If you are planning to go to Guanacaste for example, avoid the big and very expansive hotels, they don’t really offer much to see and the prices can be ridiculous sometimes.

Now let’s go back to the photographic details. What kind of equipment do you need?...Well, anything that takes good shoots will work. I started taking pictures about ten years ago with an old Olympus OM-1, so if you’re not planning to do any professional or special work then don’t worry about this. Professional shooters know that carrying big lenses, a tripod and one or two heavy bodies can turn very difficult depending on your conditions. Bright and fast lenses are a must, but don’t try anything long or heavy, even if you’re doing natural photography. Most tours have specially selected sites for that kind of activities, the tour guides will know exactly where to take you. You’ll see that taking your big and heavy 1000mm lens could be very uncomfortable and inconvenient if you’re in the middle of the jungle or if you have to walk for a while or climb up a hill. Always try to carry a small camera with you; a back up will be very useful and a small and good digital camera can make things a lot easier if you’re not in conditions to change a lens or if you want something more expontaneous.