Jaco, Costa Rica is renowned as a premier destination for fishing enthusiasts worldwide, offering an unmatched blend of thrilling fishing experiences and breathtaking natural beauty. The key highlight of this angler’s paradise is the exceptional Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters, renowned for providing unparalleled fishing adventures in the Pacific. This SEO-optimized article aims to attract fishing aficionados to Jaco by showcasing the unique offerings of these charters.

Discover World-Class Fishing with Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters

Experience the Best of Pacific Angling

Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters are synonymous with world-class angling. These charters provide access to some of the richest fishing grounds in the Pacific Ocean, promising an exciting and fruitful fishing expedition. Whether you are an experienced angler or a beginner, these charters offer a fishing experience that caters to all skill levels.

Diverse Fish Species for an Unmatched Experience

One of the major attractions of fishing in Jaco is the diversity of fish species available. Anglers can expect to encounter the majestic marlin, acrobatic sailfish, powerful yellowfin tuna, and vibrant mahi-mahi. Inshore fishing trips offer the opportunity to catch the elusive roosterfish, snapper, and more, making every trip with Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters a unique adventure.

Top-of-the-line equipment and Expert Crew

When you choose Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters, you are opting for quality and expertise. The charters are equipped with the latest fishing technology and safety equipment, ensuring a comfortable and secure fishing experience. The skilled and knowledgeable crew provides invaluable insights and guidance, enhancing your chances of a successful catch.

 Tailored Fishing Adventures

Understanding that every angler has different needs, Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters offers customized fishing trips. Whether you prefer a full-day offshore pursuit or a relaxed half-day inshore fishing experience, these charters can tailor the adventure to your preferences, ensuring a memorable and personalized fishing journey.

 The Ideal Fishing Season in Jaco

Jaco’s fishing conditions are excellent year-round, but certain times of the year offer peak opportunities for specific species. For instance, the best months for sailfish are from December to April, while marlin is more abundant from September to December. This makes planning a trip with Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters flexible and convenient.

Sustainable Fishing Practices

Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters are committed to sustainable fishing practices. They advocate for and practice catch-and-release, particularly for endangered species, contributing to the conservation of the ocean’s biodiversity and ensuring the sustainability of the fishing industry in Jaco.

Beyond Fishing: Jaco’s Other Attractions

Jaco isn’t just about fishing; it’s a complete vacation destination. After an exhilarating day with Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters, explore Jaco’s stunning beaches, and vibrant nightlife, and indulge in local Costa Rican cuisine. The nearby rainforests and national parks offer incredible opportunities for wildlife encounters and hiking adventures.

 Conclusion: A Must-Visit Destination for Anglers

For those seeking an unforgettable fishing experience, Jaco Costa Rica Fishing Charters is your gateway to the best of Pacific angling. With its diverse fish species, expertly equipped charters, and breathtaking natural beauty, Jaco is a must-visit destination for every fishing enthusiast. Plan your trip today and get ready for an angling adventure of a lifetime in the heart of Costa Rica’s fishing paradise.

Planning the perfect send-off for your bachelorhood or organizing an unforgettable experience for a buddy can be quite a task. Look no further! This guide reveals why a Jaco bachelor party in Costa Rica is the ultimate way to celebrate the end of single life. With its thrilling blend of adventure, pulsating nightlife, and breathtaking natural beauty, Jaco makes for an unmatched bachelor party destination.

Why Choose Jaco, Costa Rica, for Your Bachelor Party?

Nestled along the Pacific coast, Jaco is a dynamic beach town known for its festive atmosphere and adventurous spirit. Its close proximity to Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, just a 1.5-hour scenic drive away, makes it an easily accessible tropical getaway.

Jaco: A Playground for Adventure Seekers

Jaco’s diverse outdoor activities offer it a hot spot for thrill-seekers. For those planning a Jaco bachelor party, the options are vast. Start your day by catching waves at one of the renowned local surf spots or flying through the forest canopy on a zip-line tour. Other high-energy pursuits include white-water rafting, deep-sea fishing, and adrenaline-pumping ATV tours. A Jaco bachelor party isn’t just a party – it’s an adventure.

Vibrant Nightlife in Jaco

No bachelor party is complete without experiencing the local nightlife, and in Jaco, the party scene is electric. As the sun sets, the town transforms into a vibrant party hub. Enjoy Costa Rica’s finest rum and craft beers in one of the many lively bars. Dance the night away in pulsating nightclubs, or try your luck at one of the upscale casinos. The exciting nightlife is a pivotal part of the Jaco bachelor party experience.

Luxurious Accommodations in Jaco

Jaco offers a wide range of accommodations to suit all preferences. From high-end villas with private pools to beachfront condos offering breathtaking views, there is something for every bachelor party. Many of these properties offer tailored bachelor party packages, ensuring you have everything you need for the ultimate celebration.

The Delectable Costa Rican Cuisine

Explore the local culinary scene as part of your Jaco bachelor party experience. From restaurants serving fresh seafood straight from the Pacific to those offering traditional Costa Rican dishes, foodies won’t be disappointed. For a truly unforgettable meal, consider a private chef to prepare a feast for you and your friends at your villa or condo.

The Unforgettable Jaco Experience

Ultimately, a Jaco bachelor party is more than just a party; it’s an experience. It combines the excitement of adventure, the thrill of vibrant nightlife, the indulgence of luxury accommodations, and the tantalizing taste of Costa Rican cuisine. In Jaco, you’re not just celebrating the end of bachelorhood but embracing a new adventure filled with unforgettable memories.

To summarize, a Jaco bachelor party is the ultimate choice for the perfect blend of relaxation, exhilaration, luxury, and party. Whether you’re a nature lover, an adventure junkie, a party animal, or anything else, Jaco, Costa Rica has something for everyone. Say goodbye to your single life in style with an unforgettable bachelor party in Jaco. It’s not just a party; it’s the start of a new journey.

Tamarindo is one of the countries best Costa Rica beaches and thousands of people who take their Costa Rica vacations go there year-after-year. Until the mid-90s, Tamarindo Costa Rica was a quiet little Tico community discovered and known mostly by surfers.

My, how things have changed.

Part of the famous surfing movie Endless Summer II was filmed here.

And, it’s now a favorite destination for honeymoons in Costa Rica.

With exquisite Costa Rica beaches and terrific year-round weather, the community erupted into what some folks call a helter-skelter development of condos, hotels, strip malls, and restaurants.

Other folks call Tamarindo a vacation paradise with so many things to do it’s impossible to do everything in one vacation.

With the opening of the Liberia International Airport (just 45 miles away) a few years ago, Tamarindo is now one of the most developed of all the best Costa Rica beaches and promises to remain one of the most sought-after tourist destinations for years to come.

From world class Tamarindo Costa Rica hotels to inexpensive Costa Rica hostels, there are accommodations for every budget and desire.

Tamarindo Attractions

 It’s easy to see why this is one of the most important Costa Rica vacation centers in the country. The ambience is laid back and you’ll find dozens of different restaurants (including some of the finest in the country) and accommodations for every budget.

Like the rest of the Gold Coast, there are innumerable activities: surfing, boogie boarding, swimming (watch for rip-tides in some areas), scuba diving, snorkeling, great deep-sea fishing for marlin and sailfish, jet-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, horseback riding, golfing (there are two nice courses right here), and an active night-life.

As one of of the best Costa Rica beaches, Tamarindo will long remain one of the most popular beaches in the country.

Many travellers who take their Costa Rican vacations there say it’s simply terrific. I say it’s nearly terrific. And, of course, you’ll be close to a number of great national parks and reserves.

Whatever your interests, there is a Costa Rica vacation waiting here.

The very best beaches (for water and beach quality) in Costa Rica are certified as Blue Flag beaches.

Just north of Tamarindo beach is another famous beach, Playa Grande, and just south Playa Langosta.

Both of these beaches are Blue Flag beaches (pristine) and for many years were joined by Tamarindo.

The Price of Tamarindo Development

But. . .

The spiraling development at Tamarindo has come with an environment cost and, in 2007, the Costa Rica government removed its Blue Flag certification and declared that the water had become too contaminated to swim in, shocking the entire country.

Immediate remediation was undertaken and by August 2008, the water quality along most of the beach had regained much of its health, is now once again fine for swimming, and regained its status as one of the best beaches in Costa Rica.

There are only a few localized sections of the beach that need to be avoided for now (the health department still warns about swimming behind the Bar Copacabana in Tamarindo itself).

Fortunately, with a little human cooperation, the water will heal itself in a few minutes.

Best Costa Rica Beaches Around Tamarindo

Just south of Tamarindo (we’re talking beach-strolling close) is Playa Langosta, one of the beautiful Blue Flag and, undoubtedly, best Costa Rica beaches.

White sand beaches with intersperced rocky sections, it’s often a bit quieter than Tamarindo and a favorite of many on their trip to Costa Rica.

Immediately north of Tamarindo is Playa Grande, another Blue Flag Beach, located within Marino Las Baulas National Park. It’s more difficult to reach and you won’t find hotels along its beach but it’ll be worth the effort to get there.

Playa Grande is very famous for its great surfing.

But, it’s not the surfing that makes this spectacular beach in a spectacular setting something really, really special.

It’s the sea turtles.

Costa Rica Surfing AND Sea Turtles

Between October and January giant, endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles (7 feet long and 1200 pounds or more) come ashore to nest.

This magnificent animal, the largest reptile in the world, dates back to the days before there were seven continents, before there were even mountains we call the Himalayas.

Today, though highly endangered, it was ancient before the first dinosaurs walked the earth. Cold blooded, it can generate internal heat sufficient to swim into waters near the Arctic.

It’s a really amazing animal, perhaps the most amazing on earth.

Unfortunately, it is rapidly closing in on extinction in the Pacific due to encroaching development, commercial fishing (particularly long-line) and egg poaching. The Park was created to provide protection for these animals on the most important leatherback beaches in the Pacific and a wonderful organization, the Leatherback Turtle Trust, works with the government and people of Costa Rica to prevent the egg poaching and help the hatchlings (now thousands) return safely to the ocean every season.

It’s a great example of a concerned government working hand-in-glove with committed volunteers.

If your vacation takes you to the best Costa Rica beaches by Tamarindo, plan to visit the turtle nesting at night—-and perhaps give them a hand so they can survive another 100 million years.

Costa Rica beaches are extraordinary.

You’ll find 780 miles of them in this tiny country and two oceans from which to choose.

There are black sand beaches, white sand beaches, even golden beaches.

Beaches with beautiful women.

Beaches for families.

Beaches with giant sea turtles.

Swimming beaches.

Beaches with great surfing (not to mention lots of other great things to do).

Hundreds of different beaches, all on sparkling tropical waters, each awaiting your Costa Rica vacation adventure, many inviting great Costa Rica ecology tours.

Dozens are coveted Blue Flag beaches.

What’s a Blue Flag beach? Pure. Pristine.
When you travel Costa Rica, you’ll want to hit the beaches for sure.

Even if you don’t surf, you’ll love these great Costa Rica surfing beaches.

Uncrowded beaches.

Most of them pristine. But, of course, a handful rank above all others. We call them the

best blue flag beaches.

But, not all are pristine and there some to avoid for now. 

Before exploring some (remember, there are HUNDREDS) of these wonderful beaches, a bit of advice.

Some beaches in Costa Rica, including some of the most beautiful and famous, like Playa Bonita in Cahuita, Playa Dominical, Playa Espadilla (near Manuel Antonio), sometimes have dangerous rip tides even in shallow water.

If you get caught in a rip tide, remember three things.

First, don’t panic. You won’t be swept out to sea.

Second, float or swim parallel to the shore until the rip tide dies down and then swim at a 45 degree angle back to shore.

Third, never try to swim against the rip tide–always go along with it until it subsides.

Be sure your whole family is reminded what to do whenever you go to the beach and you’ll have the Costa Rica vacation of your lives.

Costa Rica Beaches: The Caribbean Coast

The Caribbean Coast remains largely undeveloped. Hundreds of miles long, most of it is inaccessible without a boat, but for beach lovers there are some great, little-visited beaches (miles and miles of beaches).

You’re going to discover that the Caribbean has an ambience all its own. This is Bob Marley country, very, very Caribbean, very reggae in feeling and a world-removed from the rest of Costa Rica. The best easily accessible Costa Rica beaches on the Caribbean are south of Limon and can be easily reached by car or bus.

About 25 miles south of Limon is Cahuita, a very small, laid-back community with miles and miles of pristine beaches (some nearly black and others pure white) and coral reefs for snorkeling.

September and October are least-rainy months of the year (but you’re likely to have blue skies most of the days anyway) here and if you come around October 12 you’ll be able to enjoy Carnaval at Limon, a week-long fiesta celebrating Columbus day.

Cahuita has a famous Costa Rica beach, known for reef snorkeling with two shipwrecks. A few miles south of Cahuita is Puerto Viejo, a much livelier town famous for its surfing.

Go a bit farther and you’ll find some of the most beautiful Costa Rica beaches.

White-sand, turquoise water, crystal-clear.

Great for swimming, snorkeling (August through October is the best time for snorkeling). And lots more to do around Puerto Viejo. But, don’t just come to the Caribbean for the beaches.

There’s so much more to do here than that. You can visit one of Costa Rica’s Seven Wonders, where tens of thousands of huge sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs. it’s the world famous Tortuguero National Park.

Try your hand at catching a world-record fish in waters teeming with huge tarpon, snook, marlin and everything else under the sun.

Surf, enjoy the birds, monkeys, and sloths, or simply lay back on pristine, uncrowded beaches.

It’s all here, all part of your Costa Rica vacation.

Costa Rica Beaches Gold Coast

The Costa Rica beaches along the Pacific Coast are world-famous for their beauty and filled with wonderful activities close-at- hand.

There are not a lot of places in the world where you can fly into an international airport and be just 20 minutes away from 17 spectacular beaches.

There’s only one place: Costa Rica.

Just fly into Liberia International Airport and you’ll be minutes away from paradise along the northwest coast of Costa Rica.

You’ll be just 20 minutes from 17 great beaches called Playas del Coco. If you want real luxury, go a bit farther south to the fabulous Costa Rica beaches around Playa Flamingo. Lavish villas, hotels, resorts, incredible beaches.

Pull up to the largest marina between Acapulco and Panama and dock your yacht if you like.

Sorry, only yachts under 85 feet!

Check it out. Fabulous Flamingo Beach. One of the most famous and popular Costa Rica beaches is at Tamarindo.

Only 45 miles from Liberia International Airport, it’s a favorite destination site for thousands of people each year.

No Costa Rica vacation is complete without visiting at least some of its Seven Wonders.

 That’s right. Seven Wonders. Selected by Costa Ricans themselves by vote.

When you travel Costa Rica be sure to take in some of these on your Costa Rica vacation.

Cocos Island: Jurrasic Park? Or Pirate Treasure?

Remember Jurrasic Park? The island off the coast of Costa Rica? Some believe its inspiration was Isla de Cocos.

All right, there aren’t dinosaurs there but this gem is not only one of the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica, it’s being considered for inclusion in one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

And, legend has it that there’s a vast pirate treasure here.

Click to learn about the fabulous

Devonshire buried treasure. In fact, lots of pirates loved Cocos Island to bury their treasure and the The Mother of all pirate treasure is also buried on Cocos.

We even have a map, a real pirate map, showing the location of the world famous Treasure of Lima, Buried treasure.

And, one of the top 10 places in the world to dive.

Better yet, perhaps the finest big-animal dive adventure on the entire planet!

For many serious scuba divers, this Costa Rica vacation trip is a must.

Click for incredible Costa Rica scuba diving at Cocos Island.

So, if your Costa Rica vacation includes scuba diving, this is the place for you. I guarantee it.

This is truly an incredible Costa Rica adventure!

Arenal Volcano: Spectacular and So Many Things to Do!

About 2½ hours north of San Jose, Arenal is Costa Rica’s most active volcano, often treating visitors to a spectacular light-show of lava at night.

When you travel Costa Rica, you’ll find so many things to do here, you should plan to spend several days.

Fish or windsurf.

Take a horseback ride.

Raft, canoe, or kayak.

There are fancy resorts where you can sit in hot-springs and watch the eruptions while sipping your drink or you can stay in any number of wonderful nature lodges.

You can even stay in a houseboat on Costa Rica’s largest lake!

Arenal volcano and the surrounding area are amazing places to visit.

Click to take a quick tour of Arenal Volcano. It offers perfect weather year-round and an incredible number of activities to enjoy.

You can even visit a little Swiss village. . .and you’ll want to ride a real Swiss train to get there!

Chirripo: A Bit of the Andes in Costa Rica

Set aside some of your Costa Rica vacation to stop in at Chirripo National Park.

There you’ll find Costa Rica’s tallest mountain, Cerro Chirripo.

For a real hiking experience, from dense tropical forests to bizarre rock formations and sparse vegetation at the top, you can hike (no mountaineering experience necessary!) to the top and see crystal-clear glacial lakes.

Along the way, you’re likely to see monkeys, tropical birds, and perhaps a puma.

On a clear day, you can see five volcanoes and two oceans from Mount Chirripo.

Rio Celeste: Where Water Magically Changes Color

See the color of that water?

Yep, it’s really that blue.

From crystal clear to azure, right before your eyes!

Still largely undiscovered by most people. But on your Costa Rica vacation you can hike to it and . . .

take a swim under a waterfall set in paradise!

Come to Tenorio Volcano National Park and enjoy another of Costa Rica’s Seven Wonders! It’s the Celestial River or, as locals call it, Rio Celeste.

Tortuguero Park: Caribbean Magnificence

One of the great things about taking a Costa Rica vacation is that you can enjoy two oceans on the same trip.

Tortuguero National Park is on the Caribbean and is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica even though it can only be reached by plane or boat.

You’ll find an incredible biological variety along its rainforest, swamps, beaches, and lagoons.

Four different types of giant sea turtles lay their eggs on many miles of deserted beaches.

Tortuguero’s forests and wetlands contain 375 species of birds, lots of monkeys, jaguars, and 400 different kinds of trees.

And, this place is world-famous for its Costa Rica fishing!

Whether it is 200 pound river tarpon or sailfish along its shores, fishermen from around the world rave about this place.

When you visit Tortuguero, be sure to spend some time visiting the rest of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.

Its ambience is unlike anywhere else in the country.

Click to see why 30,000 giant sea turtles can’t be wrong. It’s Tortuguero National Park

Poas Volcano: Almost at Your Doorstep

A handful of miles from San Jose lies Poas Volcano, the most visited Costa Rica volcano.

Easy to get to, you’ll travel through gorgeous coffee farms, then fern and strawberry farms, topped by lush dairy pastures.

You can drive almost to the rim and take a short hike to overlook the world’s largest volcanic crater.

The old lady may reward you with a 600’ tall geyser!

So close, so special, click to go to Poas volcano.

Monteverde: Like Lots of Orchids? 500 Kinds of Birds and Mammals?

For 70,000 people a year, their Costa Rica vacation includes a visit to Monteverde and particularly the massive Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve, home to the largest number of orchids in the world (500 and counting), 2500 plant varieties, 400 different types of birds, and 100 kinds of mammals.

In and out of the reserve are activities for everybody, from bird-watching to sky-walks, canopy tours to horseback riding, butterfly farms and even the largest privately-owned bug exhibition on the planet, and much more.

Come see for yourself! This is a great Costa Rica family vacation.

Simply click and learn more about Costa Rica’s incredible Monteverde.

Costa Rica: Seven Wonders Plus Much More

I bet you’ll make your own list of wonders on your Costa Rica vacation.

Beaches on two oceans.

Parks everywhere. More waterfalls than you can imagine.

More butterflies than in all of Africa.

30,000 giant sea turtles on a single beach.

Jaguars and pumas just miles from the country’s largest city.

A Costa Rica family vacation of a lifetime or

An unforgettable Costa Rica honeymoon.

When you look at a Costa Rica map, you’ll see how tiny this country is.

Don’t be fooled.

You’ll need a map to find all the things awaiting you on your Costa Rica vacation. 
We have LOTS of great maps. Start with this one.

And when you want to travel Costa Rica, come back here again and again to find other maps.

Look at the map of Costa Rica more closely.

Notice all the parks? Lots and lots of this extraordinary gem is set aside in parks and reserves. All easily visited. All close.

Within this tiny country are more butterflies than in the entire continent of Africa, more species of birds than in the entire United States. Hundreds of miles of beach on two oceans.

You’ll see lots of maps on the page you are reading but when you travel Costa Rica, you are going to need a good map.

A good, waterproof, map like the one pictured to the left here (much cheaper online than when you get to Costa Rica).

Map-in-hand, what can you do in this little country?

World-class Costa Rica vacations for every taste.

Did I mention volcanoes? More than 100. Yep. Pretty hard to get them all onto one map of Costa Rica but they’re here.

Only here can you stand at the top of a volcano and see both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Or swim in both of them the same vacation.

All here. Mountains, beaches, nature, world-class resorts, rafting, canopy tours, and MUCH more.

And if you love Hawaii, you’ll love this place, year round because of the famous Costa Rica weather.

Hundreds of miles of spectacular beaches. Great swimming, sailing, world-class beaches, surfing, and. . . girl-watching.

There’s even a lost city to discover at Guyabo National Monument.

Go to the Caribbean for a distinct, laid-back ambience.

Visit the Gold Coast with world-class hotels and resorts.

Try the little-developed Central Pacific coast. Uncrowded, spectacular.

Visit the Osa Peninsula, the most biologically intense place on earth.

Surf one of the longest breaks in the world on the South Pacific coast.

We have lots of maps to look at–even a map of the best surfing beaches.

Take your time. Look them over.

Map 2: Costa Rica Roadmap

This Costa Rica map shows the main highways traversing this little country.

Map 3: Costa Rica Cities

Here’s a map showing you where some of the cities you may visit are.

Map 4: Hot Surfing Destinations

And, if you like world-class surfing, you’ve got two oceans to choose from when you travel Costa Rica.

This map shows just a few of the hot Costa Rica surfing destinations.

Map 5: Caribbean Coast

The Caribbean has a flavor all its own. This is Bob Marley country.

Great beaches and a jumping off point to Tortuguero, one of Costa Rica’s Seven Wonders and, increasingly, a favorite Costa Rica vacations ecotourism locale.

And. . . spectacular Costa Rica fishing.

Map 6: North Central Region

Whether you want to see the magnificent Arenal volcano, visit the world-famous cloud forest at Monteverde, or catch 200 pound tarpon in the little-visited rivers out of Los Chiles (along the Nicaraguan border), this Costa Rica map will show you where to go.

Map 7: Gold Coast

Costa Rica’s wonderful North Pacific Gold Coast is only a few minutes away from Liberia International Airport.

Map 8: Central Pacific Coast

The Central Pacific coast is uncrowded and spectacular. Just a couple of hours from San Jose, it’s also just a ferry ride away from the Nicoya Peninsula.

Click for Costa Rica ferry schedule.

Map 9: Nicoya Peninsula

This Costa Rica map shows the roads to the Nicoya Peninsula. It’s easily–and cheaply–reached by ferry from Puntarenas or by car (or bus) from San Jose or Liberia using the Interamerican Highway.

You can also drive down the Gold Coast but driving and road conditions can be daunting. As you can see from the map, there are places along the coast with no identified road. If you undertake this task, be sure you have a 4 x 4 and you ask for advice before you go.

Expect a relatively dry climate, with temperatures between the low 70s and mid-90s year-round.

Map 10: South Pacific Coast to Panama

Here’s a Costa Rica map of the South Pacific Coast. You can see the ferry route between Golfito and the magnificent Osa Peninsula.

The ferry leaves Golfito at 11:30 a.m. and 90 minutes later you’ll find yourself in Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula.

When you’re ready to return, take the 6:00 a.m. ferry from Puerto Jimenez to Golfito. It’s very cheap—about $2.00 (that’s about 1000 colones)—but it doesn’t take cars.

Map 11: Osa Peninsula

Remember Sir Frances Drake? The fellow who sunk the Spanish Armada in 1588 and saved England? (If not, take my word for it).

Turns out, he was a very busy fellow who discovered Costa Rica’s Drake Bay in 1579. That bay on the Osa Peninsula was wild and beautiful then and it’s . . .

Still one of the most wonderfully remote areas of Costa Rica.

It took Drake months–and a lot of the Queen’s gold (remember Elizabeth I?)–to get to the Peninsula. You can get there by ferry from Golfito in 90 minutes for about $2.00.

Intrigued? Here’s a little map.

And remember: Sir Frances discovered one bay. You can discover lots more.

Map 12: Scuba Diving Locations Gold Coast

Here’s a bit of a specialized map.

If you’re a scuba diver (or want to be one), here’s a nice Costa Rica map showing dive spots on the Gold Coast.

Map 13: Dive Map for Cocos Island

Cocos Island is one of Costa Rica’s 7 Wonders and nominated as one of the Seven Natural Wonders on earth. It’s an extraordinary place, 300 miles offshore and half-way to the Galapagos.

It’s also one of the top scuba diving destinations on the planet. So get out your Costa Rica map, pull on your swimsuit or hiking boots. Pretend you’re Indiana Jones. Or Sir Frances Drake. Expect the unexpected on your Costa Rica vacation.

It’s all here.

And more.

Waiting for you.

Costa Rica tourism is probably important to their long-term welfare because, with some unfortunate exceptions, the government is committed to sustainable tourism.

Put simply, these birds are worth more as tourist magnets than part of the pet trade.

And, while poachers continue to be a threat to their existence, national laws, treaties and international conventions (CITES) prohibiting transportation and trade of these animals are having positive impacts.

Though you may see them in lowland forests around the Jaco area, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and elsewhere, the best place to see them is at Corcovado National Park on the spectacular but remote Osa Peninsula.

There are about 700 scarlets there, indeed, the largest in all of Central America.

Like to see where it is? Maybe visit on your Costa Rica vacation? Click for comprehensive collection of Costa Rica maps.

Sound like a lot?

Think about it a moment. Once common from Mexico through South America, they’ve been hunted (nests robbed for chicks) nearly to extinction.

Another good spot to see them is at Carara National Park, one of the country’s most popular parks because it’s only about 30 miles west of San Jose.

This is a very good place for Costa Rica birdwatching and because it is so popular you may find other friendly amateur birdwatchers like yourself who are also on their Costa Rica vacation.

You may also see some at Guacalillo Mangrove Reserve.

I’ve seen a pair close to Golfito, a small community in the southern part of Costa Rica and another pair near Jaco along the central Pacific coast.

They’re unmistakable in flight and really a magnificent sight.

Scarlet Macaw Nesting

Macaws typically nest in old or dead trees having cavities high in the tree.

Because of limited number of these holes, there can be great competition, not only from other macaws and parrots but also bees and wasps.

A typical clutch may be four eggs but it’s rare for more than two or three chicks to survive. Hatched featherless and with closed eyes, the chicks remain in the nest until fledgling when they join their parents and other macaws (these are highly sociable birds) in their roosting areas.

Scarlet Macaw Conservation

Though these birds are in serious trouble, there are lots of good people trying to save them.

As a result of reproduction and release programs like Zoo Ave, the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Animals (CRAVE), and the LAPPA conservation association, reintroduction projects have, slowly but surely, helped boost the number of scarlet macaws counted in various studies.

From 1998 through 2007, 86 scarlets were released with a 70% survival rate.

Trying to save a species, one-bird-at-a time.

Birders are enormously important to neo-tropical birds. In the U.S. alone, birders spend more than $32 billion a year and the estimates of their numbers range between 40-60 million. With nearly 1,000 species of birds (about the same as the Continental U.S. or Europe), the land named by Christopher Columbus offers some of the most concentrated birdwatching on the planet.

And, while it’s a fun recreational attraction for thousands of travelers, eco birding can be to feathered creatures what eco tourism has done to save the marine turtles at Tortuguero National Park. You may notice that this section of the website has a different structure than other pages.

In part, it’s designed around three birds: great green macaw, scarlet macaw, and resplendent quetzal.

Fact is, that while birding for these three species will introduce you to potentially hundreds of different kinds that live in the same area (I recommend the book to the left), you’ll not see a scarlet macaw or quetzal where great green macaws live or a quetzal where either kind of macaw hangs out.

Your online Costa Rica birdwatching excursion will take you to Latin America’s first Bird Route—places that you can actually tour and stay in your search for great green macaws.

From there, you’ll head over to the Osa Peninsula where you’ll find scarlets in the place National Geographic calls “the most biologically intense” place on the planet.

Then, it’s on to the cloudforests in the interior of the country to search for one of the most beautiful birds anywhere, the resplendent quetzal.

And, for those of you planning to visit the magnificent Pacific Gold Coast, you’ll find perhaps the finest bird watching of all Palo Verde National Park—sometimes a quarter million birds!

Great Green Macaw

The second largest parrot in the world, the Great Green Macaw (don’t confuse with the similarly named but very different Green Winged Macaw) is found only in and along the edges of the recently created Maquenque Mixed National Wildlife Refuge in the northern part of Costa Rica.

It’s also incredibly rare, perhaps 300 remaining, some 25-30 breeding pairs.

This refuge protects diverse and fragile ecosystems that include wetlands, lagoons, rivers, creeks, and forests (virgin and reforested). The wetlands are unique for the country and of such significance that they are likely to be proposed as Ramsar Wetlands sites of International Importance.

Filled with lots of other animals as well, the refuge is a great place to experience the country’s only Bird Route providing some of the finest birding in Costa Rica.

NEW!!!There’s no place like this in all of Latin America. Today, literally, you can hike to 18 great birdwatching locations encompassing a vast amount and diversity of ecosystems filled with birds (including the highly endangered great green macaw). Learn more here about the Costa Rica Bird Route.

Scarlet Macaws: Osa Peninsula

Immediately south of Costa Rica’s famed Pacific coast Drake Bay (named after Sir Francis Drake who landed here in the 1570s) is the Osa Peninsula.

If you’re into fishing, this is a place you might want to try.

Click to visit

Drake Bay Almost exactly the size of New York City, the Peninsula is home to almost half of all the plant and animal species of the country, including the largest surviving population of scarlet macaws click, in Central America.

Combine your Costa Rica birdwatching trip with a wildlife tour to one of the last remaining wilderness areas in Costa Rica, the incomparable

Osa Peninsula.

Quetzal: Monteverde and Cloud Forest

Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful birds in the world, the resplendent quetzal is a creature of the cool mountain highlands and cloud forests of Costa Rica.

Your Costa Rica birdwatching tour for quetzals will likely take you to one of two places in the country, both of which are so unique that they have been voted among Costa Rica Seven Wonders, click. One of these places is south of San Jose in the cool, moist highlands of Mt. Chirripo. Chirripo is the tallest mountain in Central America and its peaks overlook small remnant lakes from the Ice Age.

On a clear day, you can see five volcanoes and two oceans (the quetzals are down in the cloud forests, of course, not the peaks)

The other great place to find quetzals is north of Arenal Volcano in the cloud forests of Monteverde National Park. Newsweek has placed Monteverde #14 on its list of 100 Places to See Before They Disappear and National Geographic has described it as “the jewel in the crown of cloud forest reserves.”

Besides being home to the beautiful quetzal, the Park has 500 species of orchids to enjoy.

Why not combine your Costa Rica birdwatching with a bit of orchid viewing at one of the nearby orchid gardens?

Palo Verde Park: Best Bird Watching?

Imagine boating along a slow-moving river, crocodiles lying on the banks and birds—up to a quarter million—of every kind and stripe.

Perhaps the premier place for bird watching, close to the Gold Coast, it’s Palo Verde National Park.

Can Costa Rica’s Harpy Eagles Be Saved?

When Christopher Columbus landed along the southern Costa Rica Caribbean coast five centuries ago, its beaches were often alive with enormous numbers of nesting sea turtles and, from (what are now) Nicaragua to Panama, the Atlantic to the Pacific, its mountains and valleys were completely forested.

Overhead, the magnificent Harpy Eagle, largest raptor in the Western Hemisphere, soared over huge areas, hunting monkeys, sloths, and other prey.

But, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, vast tracts were cut without regard to anything except the desire to create cattle pastures for beef exports. With one of the worst rates of deforestation in Latin America, by 1990 only 21% of the country remained forested.

The mighty eagle was so critically endangered that it neared the point of extinction in Costa Rica.

But, as a clear demonstration that the past need not be the prologue to the future, Costa Rica’s leaders set the country onto a radically different course away from exploitation in favor of conservation, ecosystem preservation and restoration, and sustainability.

It set aside nearly 26% of its land as parks, refuges, and preserves and created an ambitious program of reforestation that has proven so successful that as of 2009, more than 46% of the country was forested.

May the glorious raptor recover!

And, keep in mind that Costa Rica birdwatching, like sea turtle ecotourism, is invaluable if we hope to preserve a precious part of the tropical world.