13 Reasons Why Travelling To Costa Rica Spoils You For Life

Visiting Costa Rica is something in between running for your life in Jurassic Park and going on holiday to Heaven.

1. You'll enjoy shockingly beautiful beaches just for yourself.

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Costa Rica has got the best of the Caribbean and Pacific beaches, some of which are in the most extraordinary spots. If you up for a hike, you'll find the most stunning places in which to enjoy life, tico style.

If you like snorkeling or scuba diving, don't miss out on Cahuita's National Park, one of the richest and most diverse underwater landscapes in the world.

2. You'll meet freakingly awesome creatures!

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Costa Rica's wildlife is as rich as Heaven, but as dangerous as Jurassic Park.

Just a short hike around one of its numerous Natural Parks and you'll get to meet monkeys, sloths, anteaters, spiders, alligators, bats, all kind of lizards and even extremely dangerous snakes. If you're lucky, you can even see jaguars, whales, dolphins, sharks, sea lions and manatees!

3. And you'll even stumble across a bunch of hungry crocodiles!

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River Tarcoles is home to hundreds of crocodiles that everyday chill out in the sun, while they pose for the tons of pictures tourists take from the bridge.

If you're driving south from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio or Punta Uvita, make sure you stop by the bridge. Even if you've seen the pictures and read everything about the man that was eaten by the crocodiles, what you'll see when you look down will leave you speechless!

4. You'll visit an active volcano that has already claimed a few lives!

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When you get to the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, the first thing the locals tell you is to "never leave the path". No kidding, the Arenal Volcano is famous for having killed a few unruly tourists in the past!

Even if you don't get to see it spewing lava (it has become quite rare in the last few years), the top of the volcano is normally covered by gas clouds and fumes, which makes for quite impressive pictures!

5. You'll walk in the clouds...

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Monteverde is one of the only cloud forests in the world and one of the mayor touristic spots in Costa Rica. Nature lovers will fall in love with its wildlife and its views, definitely worth the steep hike!

6. And you'll even fly over them!

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Monteverde's famous for its canopy tours, bungee jumps and tarzan swings that show visitors a different side of the forest. Feel the thrill as you down a one-kilometer long zip line and get completely shocked by the views around you!

7. You'll get lost in all the green.

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Wildlife in Costa Rica is just out of this world. Whether you choose to get a local guide to show you around or you rather venture into the jungles and forests on your own, you'll never see green the same way.

8. You'll chill out with the most amazing views!

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Costa Rica is just an Ecotourism Paradise. If you're looking for ecofriendly holidays and want to find accommodation that has the best youth hostel spirit (and prices!) with some of the treats of a five-star hotel, Costa Rica is the place for you.

This jacuzzi at Essence Arenal is not quite the infinity pool you might find in the best resorts in Thailand, but it definitely does the job!

9. You'll go from sunny to raining (and back to sunny!) in just a few minutes!

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Up in the mountain, down by the beach or walking around the San José. Wherever you are, there is a big chance you'll be caught in the middle of a tropical storm at some point throughout the day.

Don't worry, though! You'll see life doesn't stop in Costa Rica when it rains, and the sun will actually come out again a few minutes later. Welcome to the Caribbean!

10. You'll see cities that climb up mountains...

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San José, Costa Rica's capital city, is located in between mountains, in the middle of the Central Valley.

When the plane flies into Juan Santamaria’s International Airport, make sure you look out the window and prepare yourself for the spectacular Jurassic Park style views!

11. And places no car could get you too!

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The village of Tortuguero is hidden in between the huge canals and kilometers of jungle that form Tortuguero's National Park, surrounded by the most beautiful and most dangerous animals in the country, and still immersed in the same old-fashioned, yet charming way of life.

If you want to discover Tortuguero and its wonderful people, and learn everything they know about wildlife, you'll have to take an hour-long boat ride that will get you to a place in which time really is just an illusion.

12. You'll take the most amazing panoramic shots!

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Once you get to Costa Rica you'll discover a new level of photography. You'll discover your phone is definitely not good enough to capture all the beauty that surrounds you and that selfies just ruin the views. You'll fight with your HD camera and with your GoPro, because nothing seems to look half as beautiful as it does in real life...

But when you get back home, you'll realize you're never going to take such amazing pictures ever again, no matter where you go.

13. And you'll discover what Pura Vida really stands for!

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