Product Description

Travel with award-winning travel guide author Harry S. Pariser around Costa Rica and experience its wonders! Dive and snorkel off the coast of the remote Osa Peninsula. Experience the Caribbean coast with its rich Jamaican culture. Visit the small hotels of the Pacific Coast and the Nicoya Peninsula and remote lodges in the heart of the rainforest. Dine everywhere from gourmet restaurants to local sodas. Ascend by rope and pulley into the rainforest canopy, explore caves, surf, kayak, canoe, bungee jump, mountain bike, trek, or just lay back on a beach, relax, and watch the monkeys at play. Internal air flights, bus travel, ferry schedules, what to do, what to avoid. Studying Spanish, volunteer programs, and sustainable tourism. Maps, photos, web sites, useful tips. Humorous, informative, educational, detailed. There's no other guide quite like it!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100950 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 648 pages

Review
"Comprehensive guidebook covers accommodations, attractions, activities, adventure opportunities, transportation options, and plenty of useful travel tips. Complete background information...." -- Travel Weekly

"Mr. Pariser....openly advocates cross-cultural involvement and contact with the people as a preferential path to deeper understanding." -- Costa Rica Outdoors

From the Publisher
The new edition of this book is current, comprehensive, and stands alone in terms of content Not only does it have description, phone, fax, web site, and e-mail for each of the thousands of hotels covered, but Explore Costa Rica also includes detailed information on travel (including a bus timetable), numerous black and white images, color photos, and informative sidebars and charts. You'll learn about where to go with your children and how to ghet there; off-the-beaten track lodges, community projects, parks,and reserves; and about Costa Rica's history, culture, and environment Color photos illustrate wildlife and flora and fauna. No other guidebook has this kind of detail

From the Author
The Fifth Edition of Explore Costa Rica was no easy task. Costa Rica has expanded so fast and things have changed so much that most of the book had to be rewritten. I've listed hundreds of new places and many of these will not be found in any other book. Community-run tourism projects are identified by an "e," and, similarly, an ornate "i" stands in front of listings for the nation's many authentic Italian restaurants which are run by Italian expats. I've also chronicled recent news events, which will help you understand where you are

Customer Reviews

Fun to read and indispensable
We found this to be an indispensable guide with a plethora of detail and much information not found in other guidebooks. In fact in might be too much information for some folks. We really enjoyed the author's sense of humor, as well as the extensive background information provided. For example, we learned a great deal about the rainforest and other ecosystems, history, culture, and economy. We also were able to find some great local restaurants as well as several ecolodges that we did not find elsewhere. The book contains thousands of website URLs and e-mails and this was a tremendous help in planning our trip, as was the additional tips and online update found on the publisher's website. The color photos are great also! If you are interested in getting off of the tourist track, then Explore Costa Rica is the best guide we've found to bring along!

Thorough and up to date
The author, Harry Pariser, is very thorough in his coverage and makes every effort to keep his book up to date. He has followed the touristic development of Costa Rica for many years, so can offer a perspective that is very useful to a trip-planner. Highly recommended!

Excellent guide for trip planning
We really found this book to be useful both in planning our trip and in traveling around Costa Rica. The background information on wildlife, history, culture, and politics was very informative and helpful. We didn't find a bus timetable in any other guide. And the beautiful color photos (of wildlife and flora) are a great addition. We found the itineraries and other information on the publisher's website to be a valuable resource for trip planning. Explore Costa Rica also helped us find some special places to stay we would not have found otherwise. Finally, the book is quite humorous and fun to read.