Шахова Софья

Costa Rica is a nature lover's paradise. Located at the meeting place of North and South America and also where the earth's tectonic plates collide the country is comprised of many landscapes and ecosystems as well as it is home to unparalleled flora and fauna. Explore the natural wonders such as plants, animals, and most spectacular of all the volcanoes in this country with this sample 7 day itinerary.

To start your Costa Rica vacations you arrive in the country's capital of San Jose where you can participate in a city tour or with guide book in hand explore the city independently. However you prefer to see the city make sure to stop at the National Theater and the National museum as well as the La Sabana Metropolitan Park.

The second day of this sample itinerary will take you to your first volcano. Only a short drive from San Jose you will make your way to the Turrialba volcano, one of Costa Rica's active volcanoes. The drive in itself is exciting as you will get to see many of the country's landscapes. Starting in the lush jungle and climbing towards the summit of the volcano you will notice the change in scenery as you approach the cloud forest and finally reach the high-altitude wet grasslands that sit above the tree line. Once you reach the summit you can hike through the craters and truly experience this natural wonder.

For your next adventure spend the day at yet another volcano. Poas is an active volcano who's summit sits at 8800 feet and is the perfect place to explore the could forest where plant life is abundant. The main crater of Poas is considered to be one of the largest in the world.

You can never get enough of volcanoes so travel to the "mountain of rumbling and trembling" as the locals say but is otherwise known as the Irazu volcano. Known for its many eruptions, 23 since 1723, this volcano is a great place to explore the moon-like landscape of the craters. From here you can visit the town of Cartago which was destroyed by one of Irazu's eruptions and also see the Basilica de Los Angeles, the most important church in the entire country.

The last two days of your Costa Rica vacation will be spent at the Arenal volcano, the most famous out of all the country's volcanoes. Hike the Arenal and have a chance to observe the natural fireworks display from the designated viewing area; the volcano has small daily eruptions. Also enjoy the hot springs that surround the Arenal.

After this volcano filled exploration check out the country's other great destinations to extend your vacation beyond this sample 7 day itinerary. Most find that no matter how long you have for your Costa Rica vacation you will never want it to end, so be sure to return to explore more of this beautiful country.