CR - Costa Rica

When to go:
December-April is the best time to visit the country. The rains are less frequent than in the following period (May-November).

Background:
Costa Rica has managed to avoid the violence that has plagued other Central American countries for decades. In 1949 José Figueres Ferrer abolished the army. Among the last presidents of Costa Rica, the figure of Osar Arias Sánchez emerges. During his first term (1986-1990) he formulated a peace plan which was accepted by all the countries of Central America. For this he was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was re-elected president 20 years later on February 5, 2006.

Territories and tourist destinations.
Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces, which are in turn divided into cantons and subsequently into districts:

By borrowing, as usual, geographic criteria adapted to the main purposes of a tourist guide, it is possible to divide Costa Rica into the following tourist regions.

Map divided by regions
      Central Valley of Costa Rica – The center of Costa Rica is mostly urban. It includes the most populated cities in the country, including San José. Many museums and some volcanoes are noteworthy in this area.
      Central Costa Rica on the Pacific – Home to well-known Costa Rican beaches and national parks. Perhaps one of the most tourism-oriented parts of Costa Rica along with Guanacaste.
      Province of Guanacaste – The “dry area” of Costa Rica, with little rainfall at any time of the year, fabulous beaches and surf seas, and some large forest and volcanic parks north of the Nicaragua border.
      Province of Limón – The least visited region in the country, due to its relative isolation (and mosquitoes). However, there are great opportunities for rafting and sea turtle sighting. There are also many beautiful beaches.
      Northern Costa Rica – A sparsely populated but beautiful mountainous region. Most famous for Arenal, its active volcano, and for the surrounding thermal springs, volcanic lakes and rain forests.
      Southern Costa Rica on the Pacific – One of the most biodiverse environments on the planet, full of exotic and endemic flora and fauna, and some of the most beautiful and remote tropical beaches on the globe.