Athirappilly Falls often described as ‘India’s Niagara’, which stands tall at 80 feet, the water surges around big rocks and cascades down in three separate plumes. Below the falls, the river remains turbulent for about 1 kilometer and then it calms and flows smoothly. The unique 180 meters (590 ft) elevation riparian forest in the Athirappilly-Vazhachal area is the only location where all four South Indian species of hornbills — the great hornbill (the state bird of Kerala), Malabar pied hornbi
Rainforest (48)
Everyone knows Costa Rica is a beautiful and amazing place to vacation, but do you know about the lesser-traveled southern Costa Rica and its breathtaking secrets?
Wild, breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly biodiverse, southern Costa Rica is not on most tourists’ itineraries. Least-explored and less-traveled than other parts of Costa Rica, the southern Pacific region is a wondrous, untouched paradise to discover. Best loved by adventurers and nature-lovers, this is the place to go to for rugge
Costa Rica has always taken pride in its efforts to rely mostly on renewable energy sources. According to the Costa Rica Electricity Institute, the Central American nation was powered 285 days in 2015 fossil fuel-free.
Solar is the clean energy of the future, and more and more homes and businesses in Costa Rica are installing solar panels to reduce electricity costs and positively impact the environment. For remote locations not connected to the national electrical grid, solar energy is a godsend
If you are stopping in Costa Rica on your Caribbean cruise, you can enjoy a fantastic full day in the rainforest at two of the top attractions in the Caribbean Costa Rica. This easy tour from the port of Limón combines a canal cruise in the Tortuguero National Park – called the “Little Amazon” of Costa Rica, and the nature, wildlife and adventure tours at Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure. This top shore excursion in Limon, Costa Rica is ideal for nature lovers and outdoors enthusiasts.
It’s not always easy to be eco-friendly or sustainable when running a business, especially in a country like Costa Rica, which sets the bar high for ecotourism.
Costa Rica essentially pioneered the flourishing ecotourism trend nearly two decades ago. Since then, with the many stringent demands of its Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program, it takes a great deal of commitment, hard work and dedication to authentically be a sustainable eco-friendly business.
If you are lucky, you will be spending your Christmas vacation in Costa Rica on an amazing tropical beach alongside the incredible Costa Rica rainforest at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge.
To help get you in the holiday spirit, here are some of the fun activities the Nicuesa Lodge staff has planned for you.
There will be special dinners on Dec. 24 for Christmas Eve and Dec. 31 for New Year’s Eve. The gala feasts will include roast pork, grilled whole fresh fish caught by Nicuesa staff, and other
Winter has begun across most of the United States, Canada and northern Europe. As chilly winter weather freezes the north heading into Christmas, you are not alone if you have started dreaming about a sunny tropical holiday.
Escape this winter to the land of summer in Costa Rica – the “happiest country in the world”. It’s hard not to be happy with blue skies, warm sunshine, tropical breezes, rainforest, warm surf and soft sand. Sounds pretty good if you are looking out the window at freezing rai
There is a magic in peacefully gliding along in a kayak, especially when it is on calm, smooth water along picturesque coastline.
Kayaking in Costa Rica in the “sweet gulf” of Golfo Dulce by the Osa Peninsula – one of only four tropical fjords in the world – it is like paddling across a giant mirror to the sky. Close to shore, the clear water’s blues and grays turn to liquid jade, reflecting endless shades of green palm trees and jungle that crowd the water’s edge. Look down and you’ll probably s
Stopping at the Port of Limon in Costa Rica on your Western Caribbean cruise or Panama Canal cruise?
Since you only have one day in port to experience the best attractions of Costa Rica, you want to maximize your time as best you can. Costa Rica is famous for its rainforests, nature, diverse wildlife and adventure tours. For an all-in-one rainforest adventure choose Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure for your shore excursion in Limon, Costa Rica.
Six reasons why Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure – na
Have you ever been driving down the highway in totally stop-and-go rush hour traffic, and thought, “Why the (bleep) am I doing this?”
It just took 10 minutes to go 2 miles. And this is nothing unusual. It’s every day – to work, home from work ….
Know what I’m talking about?
You have deadlines to meet, things that have to get done, places to be, and you’re already late. There’s that question that nags at you, subtly, persistently … “Is my life worth this stress?”
Then you think: “What if I just chuck
If eco-friendly travel and staying at sustainable tourism eco-hotels is a priority when you go on vacation, you’ll want to pay attention to Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica eco-hotel was awarded the highest level rating of the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program last month for the second consecutive year. Playa Nicuesa Lodge is one of only 41 hotels in Costa Rica that have received the highest rating of 5 Leaves in the CST Program by the Costa Rican Tou
Travelers can be environmentally conscious when going on vacation, and it doesn’t take much effort or time. Little things add up, and if everyone followed these sustainable travel tips, communities and the planet would benefit in amazing ways.
10 Easy & Simple Sustainable Travel Tips
- Re-use your hotel towels and sheets; don’t ask for new ones every day (you don’t at home!).
- Turn off the lights and air conditioner when leaving your hotel room.
- Don’t leave the sink tap or shower running water unnece
You’ve been to Costa Rica on vacation, and you’ve thought: “Wouldn’t it be great to live there?” Or, invest in a vacation home that you can rent out and visit frequently?
Besides being one of the top five best places in the world to retire according to the 2015 International Living Retirement Index, a lot of people from other countries invest in real estate in Costa Rica for vacation homes and rentals.
But where do you start to look for property in Costa Rica?
Location is most important. Two of the
People in other countries pay big money for audio programs like this, while here at Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living eco-community it’s real. The sounds of the Costa Rica rainforest: crickets chirping, big bullfrogs burping and booming, Common Tink Frogs “tinking”, myriads of other insects whirring, and the Portalón River bubbling over stones and boulders.
I returned to Portasol Living eco-community on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast a couple of months ago for a much-needed weekend get
Article by Shannon Farley
The last time I was at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, I was down at the beach cooling off from the hot sun in waist-deep tranquil waters of the Golfo Dulce, when suddenly there was a splash very close behind me. I turned quickly to look out toward the Gulf and was greeted by three Bottlenose Dolphins calmly gliding about 15 feet past me parallel to the beach.
This is how it is on Golfo Dulce in southern Costa Rica. During whale-watching season, you might see a Humpback
What is it like to stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge?
The extraordinary Costa Rica eco-lodge is designed sustainablywith lodge buildings tucked into the forest back from the beach. All construction is from beautiful tropical hardwoods taken from naturally fallen or farmed trees, and recycled materials.
For accommodations at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, there are three one-bedroom cabins, one cabin suite, one two-bedroom cabin, four rooms in the two-story Mango Guesthouse, and the two-sto
In nearly all travel guides for Costa Rica you will read that the country has two main seasons: dry season (also called “summer”) from December through April, and rainy season (also called “winter” or “green season”) from May through November.
However, that's not completely true.
Why? Because most tourist information for Costa Rica focuses on the long Pacific Coast and Central Valley regions. In stark contrast, the weather patterns on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica are completely different, crea
Choosing to stay at eco-friendly hotels when you travel is a great way to help the planet. Now there is a simply way to make greener travel choices. The travel review website TripAdvisor has devised a certification program to help people make environmental travel choices to stay at eco-friendly accommodations around the world.
Called TripAdvisor GreenLeaders, the program awards badges at different status levels to eco-friendly hotels, lodges and B&Bs, from budget to luxury, that are all committed
Welcome to the jungle! Costa Rica is packed with more than 500,000 different species of exotic and beautiful wildlife. For the ultimate rainforest wildlife tours in Costa Rica, go on a private guided tour with Bushmaster Adventures: birding, herpetological, nature & wildlife.
In Costa Rica, it is said that you haven’t seen the rainforest until you’ve seen it at night. When you walk through Costa Rica’s forests, the animals moving through the undergrowth and hanging out in the trees are not always
Before Costa Rica became known as “Costa Rica”, it was once part of the territory of Veragua in the mysterious lands across the sea claimed by the Spanish. The area could have retained the name of Veragua if it wasn't for the misconception of huge riches the first Spanish explorers thought Costa Rica contained.
In September 1502, the small storm-battered ship of Christopher Columbus and his crew anchored in a small bay off what is now the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Columbus was on his fourth
