Tour The Earth

Costa Rica has the reputation for being one of the most beautiful countries in the world. This little country has spectacular tropical mountains, volcanoes, and some of the best beaches on the globe. There is something for everybody here: great surfing beaches, beaches with great adult nightlife, deserted beaches with mountains meeting the shore. It is all here.

Christopher Columbus was the first sea captain to explore the Caribbean beaches. He was so enthralled he named his discovery Costa Rica, meaning the rich coast. Though the Spanish ultimately conquered and colonized Central and South America, the English explored the region as well. Indeed, English sea captain Sir Francis Drake (he is the same fellow who defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588) explored the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica and docked at what is now called Drake Bay, entrance to magnificent Corcovado National Park, described by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on earth.

Despite the passage of centuries, there is still a lot for visitors to discover. The Caribbean coast is far less developed and has a very different ambience from the Pacific. Think reggae and Bob Marley. Tortuguero National Park is a remote, world famous nesting site for green sea turtles. Sportsman from around the world come here for some of the best tarpon (and other) fishing on the globe. The Pacific Coast is far more popular with tourists and expats alike and an enormous number of attractions keep people coming year after year.

Costa Rica is developing a great, world-class tourism infrastructure. The country has year-round warm weather and waters, two coasts, and access to virtually limitless nearby attractions. Only in Costa Rica can you drive to the top of a volcano and see the Atlantic—and the Pacific—at the same time. There are, literally, hundreds and hundreds of beaches for you to choose from, all just a few hours from San Jose, the country’s largest city.

You could spend years trying to discover the beauty of all the beaches in Costa Rica but, even then that may not be enough time. So, my recommendation for first timers is the Nicoya Peninsula on the north Pacific coast. It is filled with stunning beaches and you will probably have a hard time deciding which is your favorite.

There are two international airports in Costa Rica. Most folks come into the airport in San Jose but more and more people, particularly those who want to go to the Nicoya Peninsula (called the Gold Coast) fly into Liberia International Airport, literally just half an hour from some of the best beaches in the country. Playa Grande is not very far from Montezuma Beach and can easily reached by car from that airport. This is a beautiful beach, very popular with surfers and said to be haunted because it is reputedly an ancient burial ground. You can camp overnight in parts if you dare but do not be offended if you see some people without clothes. It may be haunted but it is still fun.

Trying to name or describe all the fantastic beaches you can visit on a trip to Costa Rica would be impossible. If you are looking for beaches in the days and an active nightlife, there are ever-popular Jaco and upscale Tamarindo.

Regardless of which beach you choose, whether Tamarindo, Flamingo, Conchal, Tambor, or some beach without a name, if you enjoy beach life, a wonderful experience is awaiting you. Some of the beaches are easy to reach by car or bus. Others require more unconventional means, like flying into nearby areas or boating or even hiking. But the trouble of getting to them makes the stay all that much more worthwhile.

The Florida Keys offers a piece of paradise right here in the United States. Youll find beautiful scenery matched with plenty of fun things to do. Whether you love to relax or have an action packed vacation, the Keys have something to offer.

The first big question is which section of the Keys will you be staying in? If you love to go diving, you may prefer the Key Largo area. If you like the club scene and active nightlife, then youll want to head to Key West. What about fishing? Figure out what you like to do, and then youll be able to pinpoint the best location in the Keys youre your next trip.

Key Largo is known for its diving, and with PenneKamp Coral Reef State Park, youve got a great place to get started. Its great for beginner divers and experienced divers. Looking for a little more action, head down to busier Key West.

One fun thing to do on your vacation is to mix it up and do a little diving, some boating, some fishing, sunbathing and hit great clubs and restaurants at night! Why not try a few new things on your next trip to the Keys.

If you love the water, youll love all the choices you have! You can jump in and go kite boarding, parasailing, boating, fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, diving and so much more. Youre surrounded by water so dive in and enjoy!

Imagine your own paradise right here in the United States. No need to pack up and head to the Caribbean, or worry about a passport. Your passport is to fun in Florida.

The Florida Keys is a group of small islands and keys. The islands are connected by bridges and roadways. The group of islands runs approximately 110 miles with Key Largo being at the northern end, and Key West being at the southern end.

The Florida Keys offer so much to do, its easy to see why so many people choose the Keys for their vacation getaway. Why not come for a romantic week, or pack up the kids and have a fun filled adventure with the entire family. Either way, lets start planning that trip youve wanted to take!

Many travel destinations in Thailand are highly suitable if you are planning to have a quality vacation trip on an exotic land. Several wonderful Thai islands would definitely fit your getaway requirements as well as popular tourist attractions to satisfy your adventurous spirit. The northern part of Thailand is an excellent spot for nature trekking with its magnificent scenes of mountains and different types of animals and plants inhabiting the region.

For people who love the beach, Thailand is the country for you. This country is known for its crystal blue water, white sand beaches, and great diving. There are many different types of islands. The popular touristy islands of Phuket and Ko Samui offer great parties and luxurious resorts. Ko Lanta offers peace and quiet and the islands near the Malaysian border are deserted, free of tourists or infrastructure, and are the best way to live like Robinson Crusoe.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and it is a city that people either love or hate. Visitors either love or hate this city. There is a lot of pollution, traffic, and chaos. Its Asian madness at its finest and only some people can deal with it. However, Bangkok is a city that reveals its secrets slowly and if you spend the time to learn about the city youll find that there is more to this city than Pad Thai and temples.

A great place to visit in Thailand is the island of Phuket. Phuket is one of the biggest tourist centers in Thailand attracting the bulk of the country’s tourists with its beautiful wide beaches, great diving, and lush jungles. Here you can stay in wonderful resorts and get pampered to death. The coral reefs off the island offer amazing dive opportunities and for those who like the party, the island has a great night life.

For tourists who want to have a great night party experience, the beer bars and other Pattaya nightlife places provide a lively environment for partygoers to try out. Moreover, Samui is another great place to find excellent beach areas. You may even want to try participating on several beach activities such as water sports and boat rides. The most popular beaches to discover in this region include Lamai Beach, Big Buddha Beach and Chaweng Beach.

Thailand is a wonderful country to visit. Its cheap making it a popular destination for all travel budgets. The locals are really friendly too. This country is known as the land of smiles because locals are so helpful and caring for the tourists. No matter what you want out of a holiday, the diverse landscape of Thailand has something to offer you. Consider a vacation here the next time you want to go on holiday.

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Corcovado National Park (Parque Nacional Corcovado) is known as the Amazon of Costa Rica. With good reason. This tiny park, just 42,000 hectares (about 100,000 acres) in size, is found on the Osa Peninsula, located along the south Pacific coast of Costa Rica, close to the Panama border. It is the largest remaining primary forest in Central America.

In 1502, Christopher Columbus explored the Americas along the Caribbean from Mexico south to a land he called Costa Rica, the rich coast (you may have heard the name!). Spectacular, verdant tropical forests covered the lands from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Wildlife was incredibly abundant back then. Indeed, there were so many sea turtles that mariners, lost in the fog, relied upon the sounds of tens of thousands of them paddling towards nesting beaches to find land. The passing of five centuries has been unkind to both the forests and animals and today most of the primary forests from Mexico to South America have been cut down or burned. Fortunately, Costa Rica showed good sense and preserved Corcovado.

Some 75 years after Columbus landed its Caribbean coast and named it Costa Rica, the English sea captain, Sir Frances Drake (the same one who destroyed the Spanish Armada in 1588, saving England from Spain), explored its Pacific coast and, in fact, landed at a lovely bay on the north end of the Osa Peninsula which is now called Drake Bay in his honor. If you visit Corcovado, you will probably do so from the very same bay Sir Frances did.

Do not be misled by the tiny size of this gem. Though it is less than 160 square miles in size (your daily commute is probably larger) this national park protects has been described by National Geographic as ‘the most biologically intense place’ on the planet. There are 400 species of birds in an area only about 20 miles long and 8 miles wide. How intense is this? Consider. The continental United States—48 States—has 900 or so different species. The largest remaining population of magnificent Scarlet Macaws in Central America lives there, some 1000. Visitors are regularly able to watch these birds in flight or feeding near the shoreline. The mangrove swamps, montane forest and jolillo palms of Corcovado provide a home for 139 different species of mammal and 116 species of amphibian and reptile. The mammals (including six species of wild cats) represent a 10th of the species of mammals still alive in the Americas and are supported on only 0.000101777% of the landmass.

If you like frogs (and who does not?) then visiting this national park will be a rare treat. There are species of poison-arrow, glass, and re-eyed tree frogs which make this park their home. It is one of just a couple of places in Costa Rica to find squirrel monkeys, and visitors are able to watch fishing bats fish the rivers of the reserve at night. At one time you could also find the harpy eagle in Corcovado, however, it has not been see for a number of years and is believed to be extinct in the area.

The seemingly deserted beaches of the park provide a nesting ground for four species of sea turtle and because of the large tapir population jaguars and crocodiles also inhabit this area. They prefer to hunt around the edges of the Corcovado Lagoon and are often sighted. The footprints of this large carnivorous cat are often found in the mud trails which surround the lagoon.

This is rainforest so expect precipitation, lots of it—200 inches or more a year. The trees, incredible in their diversity, are as tall as any found in the Amazon, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and it is easy to see why the park is often referred to as the Amazon of Costa Rica. The best time to visit is in the dry months from January to April as the park is inundated by torrential rains from April to December.

Tenerife is the biggest and most popular of the Canary Islands with thousands of visitors every year. Most people don’t realise that many of the other islands can be visited from Tenerife by air and sea which means it is a great base to do some island hopping.

Those travellers heading off to Tenerife this summer may like to consider an alternative to the resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Americas. From Tenerife South airport you can be at the port of Los Cristianos in 30 minutes and from here there are ferries operating to the nearby islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma.

Car ferry operator Naviera Armas (www.navieraarmas.com) has routes to La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma.

Fred Olsen (www.fredolsen.es/PublicSite/FredOlsenExpress) recently took over the route to La Gomera and operates daily connections between Valle Gran Rey, Puerto Santiago, San Sebastian and Los Cristianos at a subsidised cost to locals. It also runs a high speed Catamaran service to La Palma using larger vessels which takes about 2hrs and stops off at La Gomera (San Sebastian).

Another option is to catch a bus from the airport to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the north of the island. From here you can jump on a ferry to Lanzarote, El Hierro, La Palma, Fuertoventura or Gran Canaria. These services are run by Naviera Armas and they also have routes to Madeira and Portugal. In addition, Gran Canaria can be reached by a catamaran service which is run by Fred Olsen.

From the hedonistic resorts of southern Tenerife to the spectacular Cumbre Vieja on La Palma. Or the lunar landscapes of Lanzarote to the sub-tropical rainforest of La Gomera. These are just some of the places to visit in the Canaries and island hopping by sea or air is a great way to do it.

The seas around the Canaries are teeming with life and you may be lucky enough to spot a school of dolphins or even a pod of pilot whales. The backdrop from a ship is pretty impressive too with some amazing photo opportunities of the islands volcanic past ” Mount Tiede rises to 16,000 ft above sea level and is often snow capped during the winter months.

For those amoungst you who suffer from the dreaded sea-sickness there is another way to explore the islands. Binter Canarias (www.bintercanarias.com) operate inter-island flights and in minutes you can hop from one island to the next.