Costa Rica Hotels

Within Central America lies the Republic of Costa Rica. Nicaragua and Panama are its borders and it has the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. ‘Lake Arenal’ is its largest lake and ‘Irazu’ is its highest volcano. History Costa Rica was under Spanish rule during the Colonial era. Lack of resources made it under-populated and therefore not many natives for labour force made it become a ‘rural democracy’.

In 1821 after the ‘Mexican War of Independence’ Central America was granted independence. Later in 1823 Costa Rica became a province of the Federal Republic of Central America. During the 19th century coffee was planted in Costa Rica and its produce was shipped to Europe in 1843, slowly it became a source of wealth and this continued into the 20th century.

A rail road was built to make an easier passage to Europe for the coffee, it was completed in 1890. The Costa Rican government gave land to the business man who built the rail road ‘Minor C. Keith’, who began to produce bananas on it and this became another major export during the early 20th century.

There was political unrest and fighting broke out towards to middle of the 20th century. In 1949 the first democratic government was elected. Climate Costa Rica has a tropical climate all year round, although certain regions depending on geography have their own micro-climate.

As a rule the area has a dry season and a wet season. The dry season is in summer from December to April and the rainy season is in winter from May to November. Humidity is higher on the Caribbean side than on the Pacific side.

Average temperatures are around 27 degrees Centigrade and at the tops of the highest mountains temperatures are around 10 degrees Centigrade. Cuisine Some of the traditional dishes of Costa Rica include ‘Picadilos’ which are meat and vegetable corn tortillas, ‘White Cheese’, ‘Gallo Pinto’ with rice and black beans, ‘Casado’ with rice and black beans, ‘Arroz Conpollo’ which is rice and chicken served with a Russian Salad which includes egg mayonnaise, beets and potato. Plantains, Salad, tortillas, meat and fish are also eaten in abundance.

Places of Interest Costa Rica is rich in wildlife and plants. ‘Corcovado National Park’ is known for its rich wildlife content, ‘Tortuguero National Park’ is home to a variety of nesting turtles, ‘Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve’ has many species of plants and birds, ‘La Fortuna de Bagaces’ is a small hamlet, there is also the ‘Barra Honda Caverns’, ‘Cerro Chirripo’ climbing route, ‘Santa Rosa National Park’ ‘Paloverde National Park’, ‘Manuel Antonio National Park’, Canonegro Wildlife Refuge’ and ‘Wilson Botanical Gardens’. Summary Costa Rica is rich in wildlife and beautiful scenery.

It has a favourable climate and an interesting traditional cuisine.