Merry Christmas from Banana Adventure Tours

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Winners of the Worlds Series Green Cup

Yolanda Magallón (Bikezona Massi) and Santiago Arnés (BH Pro Teams) won the Wolrds Series Green Cup. This Cup was a duatlon that took place in Los Lagos Arenal, Costa Rica. Los Lagos Hotel was the place that sponsored the 5th International Series Green Cup, on the Arenal Volcano skirts; it took place on November 29, 2009. It was a hard biking ride after a run around the volcano for 10 kilometers.

More about Worlds Series Green Cup

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Costa Rica Culture

Costa Rica was conquered by Spanish in the 16th century, so from the beginning it was heavely influenced by the Spanish culture. Limon and the Cordillera de Talamanca are the exception with the predominancy of Black Jamaicans and indigenous people. The Ticos and Ticas (the way Costaricans demoninate themselves) are generally of mixed origins. There was a great number of immigrants who came to Costa Rica during the construction of the railroad; mostly the immigrants came from Jamaica and from China, and stayed in the Caribbean side of the country on Limon Porvince.

Costa Ricans speak Spanish, although there have been a great effort from the government to teach English in most schools due to the wolrd necesities nowadays. Normally Ticos and Ticas speak in the respectful manner of "usted", and in the familiar form of "vos" rather than "tu", used in other latianmerican countries. The term Ticos and Ticas came from the way Costa Ricans talk using diminutives with the suffixing -ito and -ita.

Read more about Costa Rica Culture.

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Costa Rica Adventure

Costa Rica has so much to offer. It is a tropical country located on Central America, which has both coasts, Pacific and Caribbean, many active volcanoes, great mountains, lush green forests and swamps. It is truly a place to enjoy family adventures and high adrenaline adventures. There are so many types of adventure activities to do, that it makes Costa Rica a never end place of fun.


There are canopy tours (zip plining) located in every region of the country, canoynning tours and rappel on beautiful waterfalls, white water rafting of different intensity (from Class I to Class IV - V), ATV (four wheelers), bungee jumping, kayaking, mountain biking, surfing, horseback riding, and hiking among many others, Depending if you want low intensity adventure enjoying the forests, biodiversity, volcanoes and hot springs, or if you would like to try high intensity adventure involving white water rafting, canyonning and bungee jumping, Costa Rica is the place to be.

Adventures in Costa Rica

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I Enduro MTB 2009: Nandaride

On the same day of the Braulio Carrillo Route 2009 race, there is also another biking route on the other side of the country, Nandaride. The race is called I Enduro MTB 2009: Nandaride and it involves 45 kilometers only for experts or 25 kilometers for amateurs. The winner will have prices in two different categories, femenine and masculine.

For more information about this race visit Bikecr Mountain Bike Costa Rica.

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Braulio Carrillo Route 2009

The biking Route Braulio Carrillo will take place on December 06, 2009, beginning at 9:00 a.m. To participate you should go to Ciclo Los Ases in San Jose or Ciclo Olman Ramirez in Heredia. It has a cost of 4.000 colones per person, and it has two routes, the short one and the long one.

The long route has 40 kilometers and goes through San Isidro de Heredia, Santa Elena, Concepción, Santa Cecilia, Sanjosecito and San Luis de Santo Domingo, starting from soccer field of Sanjocesito at San Isidro de Heredia. The short route is 25 kilometers.

For more information about this race visit Braulio Carrillo Route 2009.

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Costa Rica Farmers Market

Every Saturday or Sunday, depending on the area or community, the Farmer Market opens its doors to sell at low prices very fresh vegetables and fruits. Many Ticos and Ticas go to the market very early in the morning to buy the best products, very fresh, at very good prices. It is also a true expression of Costa Rica culture; people also take advantage of the place and have some delicious breakfast, or typical beverage (such as resbaladera, coconut water or fresco de cas), while enjoying the surroundings.

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Top activities to do in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has a great number of activities that can be enjoyed no matter where you go in the country. During your vacations in Costa Rica, make sure that you experience as many of these activities as you can. Among the top activities to do in Costa Rica are:

• Canopy Tours: it is amazing the amount of canopy tours that can be found in the country. Whether you want to experience the canopy tour close to the beach, in the dry forest, rainy forest, cloud forest, close to a volcano, in the Caribbean or in the Pacific, south or north, everywhere you can find a great canopy tour. Some will have different elements; more or less zip lines, Tarzan swing, hanging bridges, among others.

• Coffee Tours: Costa Rica is known for its gourmet coffee, high quality instead of high quantity. For so long the economy of the country was based on the Golden Bean, until tourism became one of the most important economic activities of the country. That is why the agriculture and the tourism industry got related to created a coffee tour. The best coffee tours in the country are located in the Central Valley and areas close by; however, these tours can be found also in other areas of the country.

• Volcano Tours: Costa Rica has more than 200 volcanos, 6 are active (Irazú, Poás, Arenal, Rincón de la Vieja, Miravalles, and Turrialba). Due to the wide variety of volcanoes in the country, volcano tours a top highlights. Hiking, bird watching, volcano watching, mountain biking, among others are some of the tours that can be enjoyed close to the many volcanoes of the country.

• White Water Rafting: There are many rivers in Costa Rica where white water rafting can be experienced. Rafting and kayaking can be enjoyed. There are rivers from class 1 to 5, but most commercially ran tours are class III - IV. Among the top 5 white water rafting rivers are Pacuare, Reventazon, Sarapiqui, Pejivaye, and Orosi, among many others.

• Hiking: Costa Ricas a great amount of trails of all types, wonderful waterfalls and amazing landscapes to enjoy the essence of the country. There are more than 20 national parks and a ton of wildlife reserves, botanical gardens and even countryside trails, and for all types of physical conditions. When planning your trip to the country, anywhere during your itinerary you can fit some hiking and trekking.

• Surfing: Costa Rica has both Caribbean coast and Pacific coast, which makes it a great place to learn how to surf in the warm waters of the tropic. Actually, during 2009 there was an International Surfing Competition that took place in Jaco, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.

There are so many other activities and thing that you can do in the country, pretty much anything that you can think of to do in warm weather you can do here in Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica Mountain Biking Tour

Costa Rica is a very mountainous country, which makes it perfect to practice mountain biking in the different places, from the beautiful beaches to the breathtaking forests of the high lands. Come and experience the amazing landscapes offered by the active volcanoes, numerous waterfalls, incredible biodiversity, small roads and trails connecting small towns and warm people of Costa Rica. There are trails challenging enough for very experienced mountain bikers, to soft easy ones for beginners. It is safe to say that cycling is the second most important sport in Costa Rica, after soccer.

If you want to create a customized tour please check Custom And Family Designed Adventure Tours .

Costa Rica Mountain Bike: La Ruta de los Conquistadores

"La Ruta de Los Conquistadores" is a race that takes place every year, and which main porpuse is to give the opportunity to mountain bikers. It is not only targeted to proffesional racers, but to people who are trainned enough and who would like to experience the Costa Rica mountain bike. This year (2009), the race will take places from November 11 to November 14, and it will begin in Jaco Beach. It is a 400 km competition, beginning in Jaco Beach on the Pacif Side, and ending on the Caribbean shores of Costa Rica; it is a three day competition.



For more information about registration, rules, categories, and prices among others, contact La Ruta de Los Conquistadores. There you can also find biker packages for other routes in the country.

To plan your vacations in Costa Rica, contact Banana Adventure Tours, or send an e-mail to info@bananaadventuretours.com.

Costa Rica Facts

Costa Rica is a small beautiful country located in Central America. It borders with Nicaragua to the North, Panama to the South, the Caribbean Sea to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West. Historicly, the economy of Costa Rica has been based on agriculture, first with the famous golden bean (Coffee) and bananas, and now with a more diversified agriculture including pineapple, and melons. In recent years, the goverment has bet on tourism, especially ecotourism taking advantage of the great natural wonder and biodiversity of the country. Because of its size, it is very easy to see and feel a change in temperature and landscape in just a few hours.



Facts About Costa Rica

• Capital (and largest city): San José
• Number of Provinces: 7 (Alajuela, San Jose, Heredia, Cartago, Limon, Puntarenas and Guanacaste)
• Area: 51.100 km²
  
• Official Language: Spanish
• Government: Democracy
• Population: 4,133,884 (2007 estimate)
• Currency: Costa Rican Colón - Exchange rate
• Temperature: At the Central Valley it ranges from 17° C to 24° C
• Highest Point: Mount Chirripo with 3.810 meters above sea level

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Aprendo por mi Vida biker

This man was the winner in the race "AVON Aprendo por mi Vida". Costa Rica is a country that has opened to help people with disabilities to have chance to attain their dreams.

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"Caminata por la Vida" Avon

On October 25, there was a public city hike to collect funds for the Foundation against mammal cancer, called Caminata por la Vida. It took place in the city of San Jose, Costa Rica, from Paseo Colon to Plaza de la Democracia, and there was a lot of people united for this purpose. It was truly a big event that finish with numerous concerts and the presentation of TV personalities. The activity was promoted by Avon.

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Cocos Island Adventure

Banana Adventure Tour now offers excursions to Cocos Island Marina National Park, with the tour operator Undersea Hunter. A ten-day adventures to Cocos Island, 300 miles offshore of Costa Rica's Pacific coast. A distinctive and remote diving location, Cocos Island is for the serious diver! Cocos Island has retained its pristine appearance both above and below the ocean's surface. Cocos is a very lush, rugged tropical island that is preserved as one of Costa Rica's National Parks. Visibility averages 80-100' with occasional extremes of 40 and 120'.


The history of Cocos Island is replete with true tales of pirates and explorers. The evidence is everywhere. It can be found in the archives of Spain and England as well as on Cocos itself. For four centuries, adventurers and sailors have left their mark carved in the numerous stones and boulders along the beach of Chatham Bay.

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Costa Rica´s original countryside

Costa Rica is fundamentally an agricultural country, which over the years has shifted to tourism with an emphasis in ecotourism, adventure and agro tourism. It is a small country, which has a lot to offer to its visitors. As in every tourist country, there is a part of it that is completely dedicated to tourism and offers all the services that a tourist may need when visiting the country. It includes Internet Cafes, restaurants, bars, discotheques, souvenir stores, great supermarkets, banks and ATMs, and a wide variety of tours and other tourist services. Places such as La Fortuna, are dedicated to providing a great variety of hotels, cabins, lodges, tours, travel agencies, among others, and their economy is almost entirely dedicated to these services.


There is a branch of tourism in the country that has been developed to offer the agricultural side of the country, which is agro ecotourism. In this type of tourism, tourist enjoy what would be a farmers life, showing tours such as the pineapple tour, coffee tour, the hacienda tour, and artisanal fishing, among others. However, there is another side of the country that some tourist would like to know, but that almost always is shown when the tourist stay in Costa Rica for a long time. We are referring to the original true country side, where farmers live and Ticos and Ticas develop their day by day life.


When visiting Costa Rica visitors may see scenes like the one in the picture, where a couple of cows are running freely in the roads, probably because they escape from some farm, or sightseeing of goats farms, and homemade cheese sales.


The “pulperias”, usually located close by a small town, where they sell all kinds of snacks, and sometimes even work as small supermarkets with the basics; the common wood houses, with barking dogs, and the everyday people who work to maintain the country running smoothly. Costa Rica is truly a paradise on earth, come and enjoy the wonders of this amazing country.

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Costa Rica Travel Tips

Costa Rica is a wonderful country to travel to. It offers a wide range of options for all tastes. However, when traveling to other countries, there are things that will be different, and you as tourists should be prepared with a little information to handle every possible situation and enjoy completely your vacations. Some of these travel tips are:

• When you come to Costa Rica make sure you keep your important papers, passport, and other valuables in a safe place. Ask if your hotel has a security box in the room or in the reception. You only need a photocopy of the main page of your passport and of the entry stamp page.

• When traveling around the country keep your money in different places. Costa Rica is a fairly safe country, however, you can lose your money or it could be stolen. It is advisable to have your money and credit cards in different places and not in just one place.

• Before coming to Costa Rica leave a copy of your itinerary along with other important papers, such as airplane ticket information, traveler’s checks, credit cards, and medical history, with a friend or family. This in case you lose your papers and need to have your information again.

• Check your health insurance; verify if it covers you outside your country, or buy travel insurance with your travel agency.

• Pack exactly what you need and weight your bags so you won´t get charge for the overweight. You can also use covered luggage tags with the information and address of your office instead of your house, just to be safe!

• In Costa Rica there is "Costa Rican Time" meaning that everyone goes on their own peace, so be patient and remember that you are a visitor in the country and enjoy the difference.

For more advice visit Costa Rica Travel Tips

Biking ride at Tortuguero

The biking ride to Tortuguero is one of those especial events out of the normal rides made in the country. It will take place on October 31, and will leave from San José by bus to the small town of Cuatro Esquinas where the biking ride will actually begin going throuhg banana plantations, around 15 kilometers. Then bikers will take a boat to go to Tortuguero passing by the beautiful canals of the area.



The boat will take bikers to San Francisco where the second part of the ride will begin. The second part is around 20 kilometers in the beach. This ride San Jose - Tortuguero National Park is for beginners and intermedia bikers. For more information go to bikecr.

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The best all-inclusive Resorts in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is well know by eco adventure. Tourists come to Costa Rica mostly to enjoy nature and to go to eco lodges where they are close to the forest and the animals, in a small place with personalized attention. However, Costa Rica has more to offer for those tourists who like the commodities and luxury of an all-inclusive Resort. There are very few in the country and very far apart; however, they have an amazing quality and are located in beutiful parts of the country. Among the best all-inclusive Resorts in Costa Rica are:

• Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort: Located in Playa Conchal, in the Guanacaste Province. It is one of the most beautiful and luxurious resorts in Costa Rica. Playa Conchal has its name due to the great amount tiny pieces of broken sea shells.
  

• Barcelo Playa Tambor: Located on the Nicoya Peninsula, in the Puntarenas Province, close to the famous beach of Montezuma. Barcelo Tambor is a five star all-inclusive hotel with large pools, a golf course, and a casino.

• Grand Papagayo Hotel: Located in the city Liberia, capital of the Guanacaste Province.
  

• Four Seasons Resort: It is probably the most expensive and luxurious resorts in Costa Rica. Some of Hollywood actresses and actors have come to Costa Rica and stayed in the Four Seasons Resort.
  

If you like to travel to just one place and have everything you need all at one place, probably the all-inclusive Resorts are for you. There are also tours and transportation that could be arrange to get you to know the surroinding areas. Also, most all-inclusive Resorts are in the Guanacaste province and the second International Airport of the country is located in this area to facilited the stay of tourist in Costa Rica.

Link: Visit Costa Rica

The Transat Jacques Vabre 2009

The Transat Jacques Vabre 2009, a trans-Atlantic boat race where around 30 ships from different European countries will compete to cross half the world. Costa Rica will be the last stop for these competitors, and the country is expecting roughly 15.000 spectators on the Caribbean coast. There will be festivities planned around the race’s finish line, including live music, concerts, and several other events.

Jacques Vapillon – DPPI

Costa Rica is expecting the firs competitor to arrive around November 22, 2009, and tourist around November 20th staying until November 30th. This international event, the regatta, which takes place every two years, will end when the last ships arrives to the finish line. It will begin on November 8th on Port of Le Havre of Normandy, and will end in Port Limon, Costa Rica, navigating around 4.340 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean (France to the Americas).

Plan your trip to Costa Rica. Visit Banana Adventure Tours.

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