OHMCR The Best Costa Rica Travel Guide

Costa Rica is a country rich in natural beauty and biodiversity as well as blessed with a stable democracy and a relatively safe environment, but if there is something we need to point out as underdeveloped, it has to be its road system.

Anyone who has ever relied on a GPS system to find their way in the US or Europe will rejoice in its helpfulness. Anyone who has tried to rely on a GPS system in Costa Rica will only encounter confusion and probably frustration.

Although the main highways, streets and avenues in Costa Rica are numbered and named, it is not one of the country highlights as to order and simplicity. For years, Costa Ricans have overlooked giving out directions using the conventional avenue and street numbers. Instead, Costa Ricans rely on well known institutions, banks and catholic churches among other to give out directions.

For example, say you want to buy souvenirs at Costa RicaNational Arts and Crafts Market in San Jose, if you ask anyone for the directions they wont say its located on Ave 2B 11th Street, they will more likely tell you its somewhere around 5 or 6 blocks east of the Central Park, in front of Hotel Dona Ines

One of my favorites is the reference of an old fig tree in San Pedro. The tree was quite a landmark back in the days but it was cut down a few years ago. Up to this day, people and local commerce still give out the address referring to the Antiguo Higueron which translates to where the former fig tree was go 2 blocks south then 1 block east. If you are a tourist or new to Costa Rica, there is no way on earth you’ll know there used to be a tree there unless someone shows you.

This is why the Costa Rican Association of Professionals in Tourism (ACROPOT) and a satellite route company has joined forces to create a tourist-focused satellite map for Costa Rica. The map will include Costa Rica entire tourism companies complete with company information, management, photographs and services. The developers will also include their own online traffic signs in order to compensate for the lack of physical signs.

This new Costa Rican GPS Satellite map will greatly benefit tourists and will encourage them to rent a car and head out on their own to explore the country at their own pace. All hotels, tour operators, restaurants and other tour services will be included in the map in order to make exploring Costa Rica a fun adventure instead of a frustrating experience.

written by fernando \\ tags: Costa Rican GPS, Hotel Dona Ines

The Green Iguana has been such a common and habitual reptile in Costa Rica for years. However, these dinosaur descendants have gradually been reduced in population due to the growing human population and deforestation.

Although it is still possible to easily spot one of these prehistoric creatures taking in the sun while relaxing on a rock, their species is endangered and may disappear if precautions are not meet.

In the Costa Rican rural areas, the green iguana is sought after for its meat, eggs and hide. Their meat has even been referred to as chicken of the tree for its similarity with poultry. Deforestation has also taken its toll on the iguanas population by destroying their tropical forest habitat.

In Costa Rica, individuals and foundations alike have joined forces in order to protect this indigenous reptile in order to avoid its disappearance as it has happened in other countries of the world.

The Pro Green Iguana Foundation in Costa Rica has a program which farms and reproduces the iguana in captivity. After 7 months of hatching, the iguana is released into protected tropical forests for their growth. These home breed iguanas are later either released or sold as a source of protein in order to avoid farmers hunting down the wild population.

The green iguana is typically seen along Costa Rica North and Central Pacific Coast where the tropical forest is found. Beach hotels in Costa Rica and lodges even have an area where the green iguana can peacefully worship the sun.

written by fernando \\ tags: Beach Hotels in Costa Rica, Green Iguana