Eco Travel in Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Eco travel is not about you. It’s about advocating eco friendly places that respect their plant, animal and cultural life; and supporting the wellbeing of the locals. These are primary. Going to the beach is okay, too.

No place is better suited for this than Costa Rica, which ranks No. 1 in the Happy Planet Index as the “greenest” place in the world, while the Environmental Performance Index in 2008 ranked it No. 5. Its biodiversity is amazing. All types of forests are here—rain, dry, cloud and oak forests. And let’s not talk about aquatic habitats. Hello, Costa Rica is Spanish for “rich coast”. There are some 13,000 species of plants, 850 species of birds and let’s not even get into the 365,000 insects.

Here are some eco friendly parks that you can visit in Costa Rica:

1. Corcovado National Park is recognized internationally by ecologists for its amazing biodiversity. But what really rocks here are the big cats like the jaguar and puma. There is also the endangered tapir, and four monkey species including the endangered Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey, and the Central American Squirrel Monkey which is only in Costa Rica and Panama.

2. Tortuguero National Park in English means “full of turtles” and this park is known for the yearly nesting of the endangered green turtle. But other turtles nest here too such as the massive leatherback, hawksbill and loggerheads. Other animals are three species of monkeys, sloths, 320 species of birds and various reptiles.

3. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is excellent for plant lovers as there are 2,000 plant species and hundreds of species of orchids. There are also more than 400 types of birds.

Getting to Nicaragua

There are daily bus rides from San Jose, Costa Rica to Managua, Nicaragua. The latter has usually been a tourist destination for other reasons, but of late it is beginning to get a reputation as an eco-tour destination as well.

Take note: While Nicaragua has great biodiversity, it is still largely untouched. So if you want more of the real deal, this is where to go. In fact, new species are still being discovered. But for the same reason, it will also be less comfortable. The forested areas are more out of the way and getting there can be more tiresome and facilities are still primitive.

Eco-tours are offered by Nicaragua’s ecotourism industry and likely they will include the Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge, El Chocoyero Nature Reserve, and the Indo-Maiz Biological Reserve among others.

If you want to combine your eco-tour with aquatic pleasure we recommend:

1. The Corn Islands. This place is lush with fruit trees, palm trees, white sand beaches, clear waters and lovely coral reefs. Once a haven for 17th century pirates and buccaneers, you may want to explore a nearby 17th century Spanish Galleon. A room here can be had for less than US $10 and the islanders harvest lobster that vendors sell for US $1.50.

2. Bluefields. This distinctive, unique town is strangely flavored with British colonial buildings, West Indian cottages and plantations reminiscent of Louisiana. But the real draw is the surrounding ecology, as Bluefield is a protected harbor site. There are tropical rain forests, plants, animals, and the nearby Pearl Lagoon which you absolutely must travel through.

If you plan on an eco-tour these two places will give you a good range, from an eco-tour that is well developed and comfortable in Costa Rica, to the rough and hardy, real deal Nicaragua which, with plans to develop its ecotourism, will not stay that way for long.

Scott Zest writes for Briefcases Direct, a website that offers luxury briefcases direct from the manufacturer. He is a travel writer with a special interest in cross-cultural understanding and off the beaten-path adventures. He has traveled around the world to locales in Europe, Asia, North America, and Central America and focuses most of his travels in adventure areas such as Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Scott currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Gwen and three dogs.

Similar travel Posts You May Be Interested In:

• Costa Rica For That Ideal Family Vacations
• Top 10 Beach Vacations
• Top Destinations in Virginia: Great Attractions That You Should Experience In Virginia Beach
• Learn About Spain : Puerta Del Sol (Madrid’s Central Square)
• World Road Drives
• Exploring the Outdoors of Taiwan
• Island Paradise of Mauritius
• Things To Do In New York For Free.