To describe Costa Rica as paradise is a cliché. It is more than that. From the sand swept shores of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, to the emerald green volcanic peaks of the Central Valley, Costa Rica has everything in between. With twelve micro-climates, you can be in a lush tropical rain forest in the morning, and by lunch time, submerged in a cloud forest.

Costa Rica is slightly larger than Switzerland, but boasts 5% of the world’s bio diversity. A country at peace, with relative prosperity in comparison to other Central American countries, Costa Rica has earned the nick name “La Suiza Centroamericana” or the Switzerland of Central America.

It’s inhabitants, Ticos, as the Costa Ricas warmly refer to one another, are proud, and friendly, always willing to share a smile. Having a highly educated society, Costa Rica boasts a 97% literacy rate. Quite an accomplishment for what many people think of as a “third world” country, a status that Costa Rica left behind years ago.

For certain, Costa Rica is not like the United States, Canada, or Europe, and that is where the charm lies. However, it dose not lack the conviences or technology of these larger, more “developed” countries. Once you have discovered Costa Rica, decide for yourself if you have found your own piece of paradise.