Travel Guest Post: 5 Tips for Costa Rica

Your first question when you land in Costa Rica: Have I just found paradise or am I lost somewhere in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness?”

This is a common reaction for many travelers who visit Costa Rica for the first time. Travel hotspots come and go, but the best-kept secrets always seem to find a way of gaining special attention. Costa Rica has become a holiday haven for naturalists, eco-tourists, adventurers and thrill seekers. In other words, people are stopping to enjoy the little details. Business class is leaving its laptops and briefcases at home and buckling in for zip-line thrills through the Costa Rican treetops.

Wedged between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, Costa Rica is a small country, roughly the same size as West Virginia. However, this Central American destination is not called the Rich Coast for nothing, as nearly five percent of the world’s total biodiversity can be found within its borders. The eco-friendly stats do not end there. Almost 25 percent of the landscape in Costa Rica is part of national parks and protected sanctuaries. From the exotic Costa Rican jungle and Montverde Cloud Forest to Paos Volcano and the Cano Negro wetlands, it is a country of unparalleled natural beauty.

Nature is Costa Rica’s highlight, and it comes in many forms and guises. If you are traveling to the Rich Coast Cost for the first time, then be sure to keep your itinerary as varied and diverse as the landscape. Here are five highlights to get your compass pointed in the right direction.

1. Before eco-tourism was king, coffee was the juggernaut that drove Costa Rica’s economy. Its coffee growing regions are world-renown, so why not kick-start the day with a tour of one of the many coffee plantations. Located on the slopes of the Barva Volcano, Café Britt has been giving tours of its coffee production cycle since 1991.

2. Take a canal tour through the Cano Palma Wildlife Reserve. This is an ideal place to spot one of Costa Rica’s famous white-faced monkeys. Green iguanas are hidden in the Raffia palms that grow along the shore. It is said that everyone turns into an amateur birder once they land in Costa Rica. This is your chance to practice those skills. After the canal ride, stop at one of the nesting beaches favored by the green sea turtle.

3. Just like the production of hybrid cars, canopy tours have exploded on the eco-scene. Get up close and personal with the wildlife lurking in Costa Rica’s treetops. Pulse-pounding zip-lines, gondola rides or a more traditional and educational canopy tour can all be found in Costa Rica.

4. After floating through the treetops, it is time to float down the Tortuguero River and into Tortuguero National Park. The park is located on the Caribbean coast, and it is only accessible by boat. From sea turtles and manatees to monkeys, parrots, sloths and jaguars, a trip through Tortuguero is like flipping through the pages of a National Geographic magazine.

5. No trip to Costa Rica is complete without experiencing La Fortuna’s mighty trifecta. In and around the town, you will find the Arenal Volcano, natural hot springs and the La Fortuna waterfall. Arenal is an active volcano, and chances are this is the closest you will ever get to a display of molten fireworks. Take a relaxing soak in the Tabacon Springs and you will have a wonderful view Arenal. It is one of nature’s most potent and majestic scenes. There are horseback tours that will take you to the waterfall site. After a steep and lengthy ride, you will clear the foliage to discover a stunning postcard scene: emerald-green moss, a massive plume of arcing water and a crystal clear swimming hole. Paradise found.

Author: When he’s not traveling, Porter Olson is a writer and blogger for UsDirect.com.

Travel Guest Post: How to Take a Luxurious Medical Tourism Trip

Photo used under Creative Commons from Friar’s Balsa

To help alleviate stresses of surgery, consider taking a luxurious medical tourism trip. Certain countries cater to medical tourists and the hotel accommodations provided will pamper the travelling patient. To help coordinate your trip, you will need to obtain a medical tourism facilitator; they will handle all the details.

However, as the patient, you should obtain any essential information from your personal physician. Also, as with any planned surgery, you should make sure that the facilities are accredited. Since the facility you choose will be in a foreign country make sure they are accredited by either the Joint Commission International (JCI) or the International Society for Quality in Healthcare.

Once you have determined that the facility meets the accreditation, you should plan your trip. Lay your worries aside and plan on a relaxing trip. It is a welcoming prospect that the cost of your trip, including the airfare, luxurious hotel accommodations, sightseeing and the surgery, should cost less than the very same surgery in your home country. If planning a medical tourism trip you should consider one of the following countries:

India

India has many accredited facilities to meet your healthcare needs. They are renowned around the world for their open heart surgeries and hip and knee replacements. But, they are not limited to only those specialties. In terms of sightseeing, what more can you ask for than a land that is the setting of the Taj Mahal, a lasting legacy of love? You’ve seen the pictures, and if you choose to have your surgery in India, you could actually visit it yourself.

Or, if you would prefer to spend your time in nature, India has beautiful beaches, and majestic mountains. Also, if your life is hectic, why not completely spend your time being pampered at the many spas. Some even offer Ayurveda and Naturopathic medicine to complement the modern healthcare you seek.

Mexico

Mexico has at least eight hospitals internationally certified for healthcare. Many travel from the USA for cheaper medical treatment, taking advantage of some of the newer hospitals that are among the best in the world. Mexico offers medical tourists a temperate climate to enjoy their myriad of beaches, or the opportunity to surf for the more adventurous. You could travel to Acapulco and observe the cliff divers. Or, if you prefer you could travel to Cabo san Lucas and try Marlin fishing.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica offers the medical tourism at least three accredited hospitals, including Hospital CIMA. Travellers come from the USA and Canada to take advantage of quality medical care at a lower price. Common treatments include general and cosmetic dentistry, orthopaedic surgery and fertility treatments. The average temperature is 72 degrees, so it offers the perfect weather to peer into a volcano’s crater. Or, you could visit one of the many beaches.

Brazil

They are world renowned for their cosmetic surgeries, but also offer cardiac surgery and weight loss surgery for the medical tourist. You are recommended to visit only their private hospitals for treatment. There are therapeutic hot springs to visit. You could visit the dunes and waterfalls. For the adventurous, travel the Amazon and fish for Piranha. If you prefer a party, plan your medical tourism trip to coincide with Carnivale.

Thailand

They have over ten facilities that are accredited and the number of medical tourists visiting the area has been increasing since 2000. They also offer programs that specialise in Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease. Some of their popular treatments include bariatric surgery, eye surgery and dental procedures. In the modern city of Bangkok you can enjoy the underground subway, or the elevated sky train. Or, enjoy a trip back in time and travel the canals. However, try to avoid the Monsoon season.

Richard is a freelance writer who shares his knowledge about health, cosmetic dentistry and travelling abroad for dental tourism.