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.

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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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