Costa Rica
With dense rainforest, hundreds of colourful bird species and
the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean lapping on its shores, tiny
Costa Rica is a real tropical paradise. Much of the Country
has national park status; the scenery is fantastic with active
volcanoes and beautiful beaches.

Country Combinations
Costa Rica is primarily a wildlife destination. TACA has excellent connections within Central America, so it is possible to combine a visit to the cultural delights of Guatemala, Belize or Mexico. For a totally different perspective on Caribbean life why not fly over to Havana and the unique country of Cuba. It is quite possible to continue on to South America, Venezuela has a direct service, while Ecuador and Peru can be reached via Panama City.

Useful Links
www.fco.gov.uk/travel
www.climatecare.org
www.masta.org
www.travelhealth.co.uk
www.stanfords.co.uk
www.escape2luxury.co.uk  

Climate and When to go
Costa Rica is a small country; however weather conditions vary considerably depending on where you are. The east of the country tends to see the most rain. If travelling to Tortuguero or the Braulio Carrillio National Park you should expect rainfall at anytime. The west is far drier, in places it is almost arid. In general for the whole country December to April tends to be the driest time of year, May to October usually sees the majority of the rain. Travel during the wet months is still quite possible, rainfall tends to fall hard but for a short period of time. Temperatures are hot throughout the year especially on the Pacific and Caribbean coast. Costa Rica is outside of the hurricane belt, however this is still something to consider if travelling between August and October.

Getting There
There are no direct flights from the UK to Costa Rica. A daily service is operated by Iberia via Madrid. Alternatively you can also fly with British Airways to Miami and then on with American Airlines. The shortest flight time between the two countries including stopovers will be approximately 16 hours.