Costa Rica

"Costa Rica" is Spanish for "rich coast," and this tiny country, about the size of West Virginia, has plenty of lush, "rich" coast.

When you look at the country on a map, it appears to be mostly coastline, the Pacific on the west and the Caribbean on the east. You can easily drive from one coast to the other in a day.

Lying between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, Costa Rica is the crown jewel of Central America. Because it's so close to the equator, 8-12 degrees north, the sun rises (along with the birds, howler monkeys and therefore almost every person in the rural areas) between 5 and 6 every morning of the year. Sunset on the Pacific is always between 5:30 and 6:30, and there are no daylight savings time changes to confuse this important issue.

Sunsets on the coast are nightly theatre.

The People

Of the many wonderful things about the country, the most wonderful is the people. First of all, they are happy. You can read a New York Times column here which makes a strong case for them being the happiest people in the world.

Costa Ricans are friendly. They avoid confrontation and are peace-loving. (The country has no military.) They smile a lot. They are fiercely proud of their country. They tend to look you in the eye. They will go out of their way to help.

A Cuban expat friend living in Nosara says, "If you don't believe they want to help you, try breaking down in your car on the side of the road." He's right. I've (Greg here) field-tested his theory, more than once.

The people are mostly European in ancestry. In the rural areas like Nosara, their lifestyle is simple and relaxed with lots of time for family and friends. The old and young get lots of attention. You rarely hear a baby cry. Old people get to go straight to the front of the teller window lines in banks.

If you spend much time here, and you don't come to love the Costa Rican people, it's probably about you.

Population/Climate

There are a little more than 4 million people. Half of them live in and around the capital, San Jose, in the Central Valley, a large, elevated plateau, surrounded by picturesque mountains.

Most parts of the country are warm year round, upper 70's in the central valley area, upper 80's on the coast.

There are only two seasons, dry and green, sometimes called summer and winter. But winter doesn't mean cold. It just means that there is some rain. In the green season, or winter, afternoons bring clouds and some tropical rainfall, usually followed by the re-emergence of the sun.

Both seasons have their joys, and many locals look forward to the rainy season because there is less tourist traffic. The vegetation becomes lush and green, which attracts more wildlife. Yet most days still have sunny mornings and stunning sunsets.

Late September and October, however, can bring immense amounts of rain, for days on end. Remember this when planning your visit.

Nature/Parks

The country's biodiversity attracts nature lovers from all over the world. There are three times the species of birds in Costa Rica as in the U.S. and Canada combined.

The tropical forests have 1500 tree species and provide a variety of habitats for the country's animal life, including four types of monkeys, sloths, armadillos, jaguars and tapirs. There are dazzling numbers of butterflies.

National parks cover almost 12 per cent of the country, and forest reserves and indigenous reservations boost the protected land area to 27 per cent.

The government has focused on parks and wildlife for almost 50 years, and that focus has paid off in the biological reserves and well preserved ecosystems.

To Learn More

The best source to get a good feel for the country may be the book "Choose Costa Rica..." by John Howells. Go to www.discoverypress.com to order it.

An aside about the author, John Howells: He travels and writes throughout Central America, and has seen lots of great places from which to choose a spot for his second home.

He chose-you guessed it-Nosara.

The Beaches of Nosara

From the hills of Nosara, you can look down on all five beaches which collectively gave the name "Beaches of Nosara" to this special part of Costa Rica.

This clean, unspoiled strip of coastline is about 100 miles west of San Jose between Tamarindo and Samara, on the Nicoyan Peninsula. It is renowned for constant sea breezes, stunning sunsets, and miles of protected beachfront where the tropical jungle meets the sea.

It's a haven for naturalists, home to howler monkeys, resplendent birds, iguanas, sea turtles, and exotic plants.

There are several small hotels, more than a dozen open-air restaurants, and a multicultureal community of Costa Ricans, North Americans, and Europeans, among others.

Popular activities, in addition to the world-class surfing, include sport-fishing, bird-watching, hiking, tennis, kayaking, horseback riding, and snorkeling. The Nosara Yoga Institute offers classes for locals but also gives instruction to yoga teachers from all over the world. Read more on yoga in Nosara here.

Each of the five beaches area has unique appeal. Here, in order as you approach the area by car, are descriptions of the five "playas" or "beaches":

Bahia Garza

Garza is technically a "bahia" or "bay" more so than a "beach". Local fishermen and charter boat captains anchor their boats here, in waters protected from the Pacific waves by an offshore reef.

The beachfront is sprinkled with coconut palm trees, small restaurants and bars. You can easily picture yourself in an Ernest Hemingway novel scene here, sitting at a table in the beach sand, sipping a "bien fria" (ice cold) beer, snacking on world class fresh ceviche, listening to the small waves lapping the shore, enjoying gentle sea breezes.

You can buy fish in Garza fresh off the boats when they return in the afternoons. At low tide, you can skirt the edge of the bay and explore "playa rosada," the "pink beach," a little cove made up of seashell sand. Or, you can access the pink beach by a short hike on a jungle path, which the locals can show you.

Playa Guiones (pronounced gee-yo-nays)

This is the longest of the beaches, about three miles, with clean, white sand. It's part of a natural wildlife refuge, which insures that no homes or hotels can be built on the waterfront.

Guiones is a hotspot for surfers from around the world. Because of the beaches large "swell window," it has the most consistent surf in the country. There are waves here which can challenge the most experienced surfer, yet others are safe enough for the beginner. Waves around 10 feet are common.

Most of the area's open air restaurants and bars, and several small hotels, are tucked into the jungle behind Guiones.

Playa Pelada

"Pelada" means "skinned" in Spanish, but don't worry, it's not a nude beach.

Pelada offers lots of tropical vegetation. It's popular for swimming, has a spectacular "blow hole" and seven caves, carved by centuries of pounding surf. A local fisherman can take you in a small boat called a "panga" to observe dolphins, turtles, and occasionally, whales.

Snorkeling here is superb when the swells are down. There is a landmark bar/restaurant here, "Olga's," with a sand floor, where you can enjoy great fresh fish soup (it comes with a bowl of rice on the side) or whole fried snapper, and watch the local fisherman head out into the sunset in their small boats for a night of fishing.

Nosara

Playa Nosara is noted for its black sand, which comes from the dark, ancient volcanic rocks surronding the area. This is where two of Costa Rica's longest rivers, the Montana and the Nosara, meet and flow into the sea. To access the beach itself, you need to wade or take a small boat across the mouth of the river.

You can observe and learn the local fishermen's techniques here. Kayak and guideboat tours offer unique views of the tropical vegetation and wildlife.

This area also boasts a 125-acre Nosara Biological Reserve. From a convenient starting point at Lagarta Lodge, visitors can take a self-guided, 2-hour walking tour, with a map and short description of the trees. The huge mangroves here have a magical "Harry Potter" quality. Take binoculars to see some of the 270 different bird species. And keep an eye out for monkeys, coatimundis, raccoons, armadillos, anteaters, and crabs. Avoid high tide times and the hottest part of the day. There is a small admission charge to the reserve, payable at the lodge when you pick up your map and tree guide.

Ostional

National Geographic has documented Ostional's claim to fame, the monthly arrival of up to 150,000 Olive Ridley turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs. Local residents can tell you the time of the month when this phenomenon, know as the "arribada," is most likely to occur.

Going to Ostional means crossing two rivers, the Nosara and the Montana. This is easy in a 4-wheel drive vehicle in the dry season (December to April) but can require a horse or ATV (quad) when the rivers are high in the green season.