Costa Rica

Costa Rica, a tiny country in Central America, has become known across the world for its rich biodiversity and sustainability. In an area only two and a half times the size of Wales, you’ll find smoking volcanoes, verdant rainforests, stunning tropical beaches and beautiful cloud forests. There are activities to please everyone – from spotting monkeys and sloths in the lush jungle and soaring over the treetops in the cloud forest, to white-water rafting with a view of Arenal Volcano and watching baby turtles scurry across the sand in Tortuguero. Here are just ten of many reasons to visit this charming country. 

Costa Rica is renowned as an eco-destination, with an excellent track record in sustainability across their tourism industry. If you're looking for a wildlife holiday in Latin America, it's a great option, because not only is it a biologically diverse little country, but its diversity is extremely well protected, meaning there is more of it in a concentrated area. Therefore the chances of you spotting some interesting species on a Costa Rica holiday are high. One of the most entertaining of these species is the monkeys, which these photographs attest to!

In Part 2, the self-proclaimed “Best Daughters Ever” and their mum head out on a dawn wildlife-spotting boat ride through the Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. You can read Part 1 of their Costa Rica adventure here.

The next morning the ‘Llamas’, as our little group had become known to ourselves and everyone else, were a little mosquito-bitten and blurry eyed, but excited for the nature cruise. “We didn’t even need alarm clocks in the end,” we chatted happily amongst ourselves, “Did you hear those howler monkeys?!”, “I thought the smoke monster from Lost was after us!”.

We boarded our llama boat and we were not even one minute into the cruise before we had our first wildlife sighting: dolphins jumping and playing in the waters right off the docks! It was a spectacular start for what was to be a fantastic excursion.

This year, my sister and I officially won the ‘Best Daughters Ever’ award, as for Mother’s Day we didn’t just buy our nature-loving mum a bunch of flowers, or even a puppy. We bought her a holiday to Costa Rica, the most biologically diverse country in the world and home to some of earth’s most exotic flora and fauna!

We're delighted that airlines are twigging on to the magic that is Latin America, and as the region's popularity grows, so airlines are responding. It is now easier than ever to get to Latin America from the UK,  with direct flights to various destinations throughout South and Central America. The latest flight announcement comes from British Airways, whose direct flight to San José, Costa Rica starts on April 27th 2016, and the direct flight to Lima, Peru starts on May 4th 2016. Both routes originate from London Gatwick. 

South America is a land of incredible vistas and astounding cities, but for me, the best thing about South America is the amazing animals that live there. From the long limbed Jabiru stork wading through the wetlands of the Pantanal, to the scuttling red Sally Lightfoot crabs that scamper the shores of the Galapagos Islands, and cheeky capuchin monkeys that swing through the treetops of Costa Rica, South America is a wildlife lover’s dream. The below list of my particular favourites only scratches the surface of the spectacular spectrum of wildlife that call the Americas home.

Costa Rica is the happiest place on earth, according to the Happy Planet index. A statement that Llama Travel’s Travel Consultant Marianela, who has just come back from a 14-day trip to Costa Rica, is not about to contradict. From the dizzying heights of the Monteverde skywalks, to the dense jungles of Tortuguero and the calm flowing waters of the Tabacon Hot Springs, Marianela has put together her top 5 list of what makes Costa Rica such a blissful country to visit.