From the central mountain range where San Jose is situated, the land falls away westwards down to the drier, warmer Pacific side of the country. Here, in the dry season, you could almost be in the eastern Mediterranean.
The superb Manuel Antonio National Park, with its picturesque beaches fringed with tropical dry forest and the resort of Quepos with its hotels and restaurants set in dense vegetation, is a four hour drive from San Jose. This is an excellent centre for a variety of activities such as deep sea sport fishing, diving, snorkelling, bird-watching and general wildlife observation.
Surfing in Costa Rica
With 700 miles of coastline and near consistent year round surf, Costa Rica is popular amongst surfers, and it is host to several international surfing tournaments. Popular areas for surfing on the Pacific include Jaco, Esterillos and Manuel Antonio.
