Watch out, vacationers to Costa Rica – you might end up staying here permanently! One American who visited with his son on a motorcycle tour liked it so much he bought a house here, so he could vacation more conveniently plus look forward to a place for retirement in later years. “Costa Rica really has something for everyone,” he tells everyone. “Whether you are looking for night life or tours, here by yourself or with your family.”

Scintillating culture accompanied by the wonders of nature, Costa Rica offers visitors and vacationers everything to enjoy. From lovely tropical beaches to the grandest adventures, Costa Rica gives travelers all the necessary components of an ideal vacation.

Thousands of tourists have made Costa Rica their top travel choice, for thousands of unique reasons.

A 200-mile long island stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica’s 20,000 square miles is divided into the 7 provinces of San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Limón. Together they offer an unbeatable tourist destination of limitless possibilities, sceneries and venues, including extensive rainforests, dramatic volcanoes, rivers traveling through mountains, beaches and natural resources sequestered in national parks and forest reserves.

As visitors discover to their excitement and delight, Costa Rica offers tours for everything: Tour the Rain Forest and the Cloud Forest. Eco-Tours to observe Egg-Laying Turtles,  Tour via bike – cycle or motorcycle – or even ATV, if two wheels aren’t enough and four wheels are too many.  Journey in air-conditioned comfort from inside a motor coach, or get up-close-and-personal with white-water rafting on a specialized Rafting tour.

San José is the country’s most highly populated province. Located in the Central Plateau, it extends to the northeast, crossing the impressive mountains of the Central Mountain Range, which includes national parks, forest reserves, and fertile lands, with an abundance of coffee plantations. Nonetheless, a list of world class museums, parks, hotels, theaters, and historic buildings, are some other options to be discovered by the thousands of tourists visiting San José yearly. Once in the city, visitors may choose among dozens of one-day tours to the most outstanding natural places, inside and out of the Central Valley, as well as having access to a great variety of sports adventures and activities for exploring.

On the other end of the scale is Heredia, Costa Rica’s smallest province, founded in 1706. Heredia, the “city of Flowers,” is home to many coffee plantations, some of which, yes, you can tour, to savor first-hand the sights, smells, and tastes of harvesting, drying, and roasting coffee beans. Words are inadequate to describe the natural richness of hundreds of plant and animal species to be found in the Braulio National Park and its imposing Barva volcano, where dense tropical rainforest conceals a wealth of cascades and rivers sought out for sports adventures. Whitewater rafting tours are popular on the Sarapiquí River, whose current is considered ideal for those who enjoy rapids with only a moderate degree of difficulty.

Some areas are restricted and accessible only through professional tour guides, like portions of the 11.600 acres of forests and mangroves comprising Carara’s Biological Reserve, considered one of the best showcases to the natural heritage of Puntarenas.

In Limón, a port of entry for visitors and cruise ships, vacationers will find the highest percentage of protected land in Costa Rica, with an exuberant variety of flora, fauna, and cultures to be found within its dense jungles, imposing mountains, and gorgeous beaches. Many regard no tour of Costa Rica to be complete without a visit to Cahuita National Park, whose quiet waters conceal protected coral reefs that amaze and delight. Snorkeling is an unforgettable way to experience the spectacular underwater scenery

Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge is located just at the end of the coastline, almost at the border with Panama. This refuge protects almost 4500 hectares of beaches and sea, for the spawning of 4 species of turtles. In Manzanillo, vacationers and visitors can rent kayaks for a tour of Manzanillo, gliding through its limpid mangroves in search of birds and reptiles.

The province of Limón possesses a unique culture in Costa Rica, a way of life that may be fully appreciated during the traditional carnivals held each year, an experience of rhythms and euphoric and captivating colors.

From butterflies to spider monkeys, beaches to volcanoes, you'll find what vacation settings and activities appeal to you most in the incomparable richness of Costa Rica. And, like so many,  you may find more.