Welcome to the Costa Rica Visitor Center - Eco-tourism
Costa Rica cannot be mentioned without ecotourism. Defined as: travel that emphasizes learning about the environment and promoting preservation of natural resources. Costa Rica is home to many national parks and nature preserves that host a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and rain-forest flora and fauna. The bio diversity among birds alone is mind blowing. There are roughly one thousand species of birds in this tiny country. Almost 30% of Costa Rican land has been reserved as protected environments, earning Costa Rica a reputation as a leader in ecotourism and environmental conservation in the region.
Ecotourism
While many Third World nations are racing towards rapid industrialization and urbanization, Costa Rica has put its focus onto ecotourism as its key to economic development. Although it incorporates a very small area, Costa Rica has astounding biodiversity comprised of picturesque beaches, luxuriant rain forest, massive volcanoes, and verdant wildlife. Costa Rica ecotourism as an industry attracts roughly one million visitors and generates approximately one billion dollars in revenue each year.
By virtue of its natural gifts, Costa Rica provides its visitors with adventure sports like surfing, mountain biking, river rafting, hiking and scuba diving. Sight seeing opportunities as well: you can view five active volcanoes on on the Pacific Ring of Fire, take boat
Ecotourism in Costa Rica! Ecotourism in Costa Rica!
trips down jungle rivers and soar through the rain-forest canopy on rain-forest aerial trams, or fly through the rainforest ceiling on an expansive set of zip lines. Home to an astonishing abundance of tropical flora and fauna, Costa Rica has long been a mecca for the ecologically-minded traveler.
Costa Rica's incredible biodiversity in the mountains, volcanoes, beaches and rainforests are detailed by 24 national parks, covering 28% of the country's territory. Volunteer programs are becoming increasingly popular where travelers can get involved in reforesting national parks, turtle-tagging on the coast and tracking endangered animals. Caribbean and Pacific beaches border a land bursting with white-water rivers and waterfalls, tropical rain forests, active volcanos, mountain cloud forests and coral reefs. Rare and exotic wildlife you can see include monkeys, sloth, sea turtles, caiman, colorful frogs and butterflies. Costa Rica boasts over 850 species of birds including exotic varieties you can easily observe like toucan, Scarlet macaw and the Resplendent quetzal. Costa Rica has more butterflies than the entire continent of Africa. The rainforest is home to the three-toed sloths, monkeys and five different kinds of jungle cats. Rainforests, misty cloud forests, wildlife, volcanoes, tropical rivers, endless plant life, over 850 species of unusual birds and over 1200 different types of orchids inhabit Costa Rica.
