Stunning terrain, 800 miles of coastline, no national army — but one of the highest literacy rates in the world at 97% and home to 10% of the butterfly species in the world. Costa Rica has 200 volcanoes, not all are active, a long history of public services including education and health care and 25% of land is protected as national parks or wildlife preserves. You can zip line along a forest canopy, take a chocolate, sugar cane and coffee tour and visit a jade museum and visit a gold museum. Interested? You can pack a lot of adventure in a country that is just about the size of West Virginia. Travel advisors at GetAway Travel are available to help craft your perfect Costa Rica adventure.

San José, the cosmopolitan capital

 Costa Rica, in Spanish, means the “rich coast.” Christopher Columbus sailed to the eastern shores of Costa Rica in 1502 and reported natives wore great quantities of gold jewelry. Nicaragua is on the country’s north border, the Caribbean Sea to the Northeast and Panama and the Pacific Ocean to the Southeast. The country’s primary export is coffee, followed by tobacco, sugar and cocoa.

With a population of over 325,000, San José is a city of stunning architecture, interesting museums, shopping opportunities and great art galleries. The beauty of visiting a small country is that you can be in a great restaurant at noon and zip-lining among the tree canopies two hours later.

The country’s iconic Poás Volcano is just a little over an hour away from San José and you can visit a coffee plantation, and tour the La Paz Waterfall gardens on the way there or on the way back. Visitors rave about the Doka Coffee Plantation tour. The 4,000-acre coffee plantation lets visitors experience every step of the coffee-making process. There are numerous other plantation tours offered around the country, too.

The National Theater in San José is modeled after the Paris Opera. It is considered on of the most beautiful buildings in the city. The neoclassical exterior is amazing with its intricate detailing and the inside has sculptures and frescoes.

A great mix of museums

The city has an impressive and eclectic mix of museums.

The National Museum, which was an army barracks until the army was abolished, showcases pre-Columbian and historic artifacts. The Jade Museum has the world’s largest collection of pre-Columbian jade pieces with some dating from 500 to 800 BC. There are translucent carvings of fertility goddesses and animals among the very impressive pieces.

The Gold Museum has hundreds of gold items including jewelry, coins, trinkets and religious icons. They are exhibited to showcase the manufacture and use of many of the objects.

On the second floor of the San José main post office is the Stamp Museum. Enjoy postage stamp exhibits, early phone displays and historic displays.

The Museum of Forms, Spaces and Sounds is in what was once the Atlantic Railroad Station. Here you will find all forms of sculptures in wood and stone as well as musical instruments and scale models.

Cartago, the country’s former capital

 Cartago was founded in 1563 and remained the country’s capital until 1823 when it was decided to move the capital to a larger city. It’s about a days travel from San José and it has the most Spanish colonial sites in the country. There are numerous coffee plantations around Cartago to tour and the city is home to one of the country’s largest educational institutes, the Technological Institute of Costa Rica.

The huge basilica, the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, which pays tribute to the country’s patron saint, the Black Madonna, is in Cartago. The stunning, mostly Byzantine architecture, is a mix of styles. Framed by mountaintops, the basilica with its towering ceilings and octagonal dome is impressive. Inside, the small statue of the Black Madonna is atop one of the altars. The interior has fabulous stained glass windows as well as statues.

The country’s highest volcano, Irazú, is in Cartago. Located in Irazú National Park, the active volcano has several craters which visitors can explore. On a clear day, you can see both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts from volcano outlooks.

 Embrace the outdoor options

 Volcanos, fabulous national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, zip-lining over the forest canopies, night and day wildlife tours — the biodiversity of Costa Rica is amazing and visitors should take advantage of all it has to offer.

Corcovado National Park is internationally renowned by ecologists for its biodiversity. It is the one park in the country where all four species of Costa Rican monkeys can be found.

Night and day naturalist tours are offered at Manual Antonio National Park and you can see snakes, monkeys, sloths, macaws and more.

Walk on the hanging bridges in La Fortuna. There are 14 bridges at Mistico Hanging Bridges and six are hanging bridges. The La Fortuna Waterfall is a sight to behold. The 230-foot waterfall shoots out from the cliff to a frothy pool.

You can check out the Arenal Volcano and a short distance away is Tenorio Volcanic Park. The park is also famous for Teñideros, where two rivers meet and mix into the brightest blue lake you have ever seen. Take a tour around the lake and visit the sulfur hot springs at Borbollones.

You can go whale watching at Drake Bay.

Marino Ballena National Park is on the southwestern coast and is set up to protect marine life, especially humpback whales.

Montererde Cloud Forest is a wildlife sanctuary with epic views and a huge array of birds and wildlife including jaguars, ocelots, tapirs, reptiles and butterflies. It is named because of the gorgeous mist that shrouds the landscape.

Territorio De Zaguates, also known as doggy paradise, is in the Heredia Province in the mountains of Santa Bárbara. The “Land of a Thousand Strays,” was founded initially as a sanctuary for several strays. Now, it is non-profit, no-kill shelter with 1,300 dogs. You can take a “dog walk” on the property with some of the residents and volunteers and hear some adoption stories.

On the Northeast side of Nicoya Peninsula is Playa Ostional. It is a mass turtle nesting area and hundreds of thousands of turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Several weeks later a mass of conservation volunteers show up to shepherd the baby turtles into the sea away from predatory birds and dogs.

So much to see, and, you can enjoy amazing beans and rice concoctions, tamales and fabulous seafood dishes! Ready for a Costa Rica adventure? Contact a travel advisor at GetAway Travel. We can be reached at: (262) 538-2140, e-mail: sue@getaway.travel or paul@getaway.travel