Top 5 hiking places in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a small country located in Central America. The country has managed to protect a larger proportion of its territory (land and marine) than any other country in the world. Despite its small size, Costa Rica has high levels of biological diversity, including around 12,000 species of plants, 1,239 species of butterflies, 838 species of birds, 440 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 232 species of mammals. The luxurious forests, the varied altitude, many rivers and great volcanoes, makes Costa Rica a top country to enjoy adventure and get in touch with nature.

Costa Rica is a great place to hike, going through beautiful rivers, different types of forests (dry, rain and cloud forest, among others), and wide variety of wildlife that can be seen in their natural environment. For those people who enjoy hiking in the wild nature, and discovering the wonders of this small country, Costa Rica offers a lot. Among the top 5 most touristic hiking places in Costa Rica are:

• Chirripo National Park: Located around 151 km away from San Jose, close to the city of Perez Zeledon (San Isidro del General). It is truly an unique National Park in the country, due to its mist and cold weather, and the flora of the Paramo life zone. Besides the Paramo. It was declared a "Biosphere Reserve" by the UNESCO in 1982, and a year later (1983) was declared a "World Heritage Site".

• Corcovado National Park: located in the Osa Peninsula, south west of Costa Rica. This park, called by some people and open zoo because of its varied fauna, is a place exclusively for conservations goals and scientific investigation. Corcovado has an unusually high level of biological diversity, which provides essential habitat for a number of endemic and endangered species.

• Rincon de la Vieja Volcano – Rincon de la Vieja National Park: located on the Cordillera de Guanacaste, a province of Guanacaste and Alajuela, 27 km northeast of the city of Liberia. Among the highlights of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park include: hot springs, dry forest, volcanic scenery, and many different species of flora.

• Río Celeste – Tenorio Volcano National Park: located between the provinces of Alajuela and Guancaste. The national park protects primary cloud forest and rain forest, with numerous waterfalls, rivers, multiple life zones, thermal hot springs and the beautiful Laguna Danta (Tapir Lake). Among the interest of the park is the Rio Celeste (Light Blue River), Celeste Waterfall, thermal waters gas liberation, Teñideros, all conveyed in the trail called “Los Misterios del tenorio”; and a wide variety of flora and fauna.

• Manuel Antonio National Park: located in Puntarenas province, in the Central Pacific are of Costa Rica. There are several trails and 4 beaches within the park Manuel Antonio, Espadilla, Escondido and Playita; it also has tidal pools for snorkeling.

Link: Visit Costa Rica