Featured Country: Costa Rica Costa Rica's tourism board loves to boast that although this nation is only .03% of the world's land mass, the small Central American country contains 6% of the globe's bio-diversity. Ok, whatever. One thing is crystal clear. Costa Rica's eco-tourism has bolstered the country from 'up and coming' to 'What? You haven't been there yet?'. In the United States, Lonely Planet sold more copies of their guide to Costa Rica than any other LP in 2003. Costa Rica is home to 4 million Ticos (the term locals use to refer to themselves), who are generally seen as a very kindhearted and open people. Costa Rica has a relatively high standard of living compared to its Central and South American counterparts. The common greeting in the Costa Rica is "Hola". Spanish is the official language, although English is spoken in the touristed areas. Well, those are a few nuts and bolts. Keep reading for more info on Costa Rica, as well as other travelers' experiences in the country. What's in this issue? Top Attractions Featured Content What our Insiders Say Airfare Deals Accommodation Info From the Bookshelf Links & Resources Write an Article and Tell a Friend Costa Rica's Top Attractions What makes the Costa Rica interesting? Why do thousands of travelers head to the Costa Rica every year? Check out our list of the top three "must do" attractions! San José Costa Rica's capital and the largest city in the country. Chances are if you go to Costa Rica, you'll end up there for at least a few days. More standard big-city than anything else, but still boasts a list of museums, restaurants, markets and cultural events to help you pass the time. Beach Blanket Bingo No, it's not that kind of beach blanket bingo. It's BBB because there are just so many to choose from! Hop from the Pacific to the Atlantic, enjoying your lush forest surroundings. Surfing, diving and other water activities are plentiful. National Parks Eco-tourism drives a significant part of Costa Rica's tourism industry, so it makes sense that they would protect their assets...er, resources. The Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal is one of the most famous, with the active Volcán Arenal in its center. The Parque Nacional Santa Rosa guards the largest area of tropical dry forest in Central America and also breeding grounds for the endangered sea turtle. Back to top FEATURED CONTENT The Legend of La Mona - Did a half-woman half-monkey, with a hysterical laugh, prey on Andrew Black's sanity? Don't Miss the Boat! - Costa Rica is considered one of the most ecologically abundant areas in the hemisphere, writes Judy Wolf. It has distractions and attractions galore - beaches, surfing, nesting sea turtles, cloud forests, active volcanoes, rivers and more. Seven Days in Costa Rica - Traversing through the rainforest next to an active volcano, David Alan Robinson makes the most of his seven days in Costa Rica. If you would like to submit an article on your travel experiences, check out our Writer's Guidelines, then send it along. Back to top WHAT OUR INSIDERS SAY Check out our Central and South America Forum for inside tips on the Costa Rica and to post your own questions. Back to top AIRFARE DEALS The BootsnAll TripPlanner can book your around-the-world flights. Plan and book your international trip here! If you are looking for single destination tickets, head to the International Airfare Center. You can search via destination or departure city. Here are some examples of what we found: $340 US Dallas - San Jose $490 US Los Angeles - San Jose When searching for multi-destination air tickets, the BootsnAll TripPlanner is tops. After using the TripPlanner to get an idea of the itinerary you want, be sure to submit it to us and talk to our counselors about fine-tuning your trip. We found some good R-T-W deals that stopped in Costa Rica: $2458 US Tampa - London - Abu Dhabi - Kuala Lumpur - Tokyo - Los Angeles - San Jose (Costa Rica) - Miami - Tampa $3220 US Toronto - New York - London - Delhi - Bombay Mumbai - Bangkok - Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) - Manila - Hong Kong - Taipei - Tokyo - Honolulu - Los Angeles - San Pedro Sula (Honduras) - San Jose (Costa Rica) - New York - Toronto Now, log on to the TripPlanner or International Airfares and put together an itinerary! Back to top Costa Rica Hostels Hostels are a great way to stay when you're traveling in Costa Rica. Staying in hostels when you travel not only helps your budget, it is a unique way to enhance your trip. Meet new people, have new experiences; with our Hostels section you can learn about hostels and book your bed online. Costa Rica Hostels La Fortuna Hostels San Jose Hostels Visit the Hostel Section Back to top FROM THE BOOKSHELF | Costa Rica Read up before you go! Here is a list of the most popular guidebooks and literature/non-traditional guidebooks. For your convenience, these books are available at the BootsnAll Travel Bookstore. Traditional Guidebooks: Lonely Planet: Costa Rica, by Rob Rachowiecki Frommer's Costa Rica 2004, by Eliot Greenspan Moon Handbooks: Costa Rica Fourth Edition, by Christopher P. Baker Travel Literature/Non-Traditional Guidebooks: Surfer's Guide to Costa Rica, by Mike Parise A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica, by F. Gary Stiles and Alexander F. Skutch Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica, by Carrol L. Henderson, Steve Adams, Alexander F. Skutch Back to top LINKS & RESOURCES Use the following sites to learn more about Costa Rica, what it offers to travelers, and how to plan your trip. Costa Rica Community Resource The site looks a little thin, but there is some decent information if you have the time to explore. Costa Rica Tourism The tourism board gets their say. Look at pictures, check out maps and figure out where you want to go. Tico Page: English Section Ticos are the people of Costa Rica. Insightful information on the culture, even better if you speak Spanish and can scope out the rest of the site. Costa Rica Chamber of Tourism Like the offical site of Costa Rica Tourism, but with more info. Planeta Costa Rica Eco-tourism helped make Costa Rica famous. Find out why on this informative site. Back to top WRITE AN ARTICLE If you have a story of your own that you would like to submit on the Costa Rica, have a look at BootsnAll's Writer's Guidelines: http://writers.BootsnAll.com And then send it along. We're always looking for new content and new perspectives, and we hope to get yours soon. TELL A FRIEND If you feel that BootsnAll.com is a valuable resource, or that others might think so, please tell your friends about us. As many of you know, we respond personally to every email we receive in an ongoing effort to build a true traveller's community. Many have responded positively. If you have comments both positive and constructive, we would love to hear them. Tell us what we have done well and how we can improve. We would appreciate it greatly. Back to top