Costa Rica is consistently one of the hottest vacation and adventure-travel destinations in Latin America, with more than a million visitors each year. Despite the boom in vacationers, Costa Rica remains a place rich in natural wonders and biodiversity, where you can still feel far from the maddening crowds. The country boasts a wealth of unsullied beaches that stretch for miles, small lodgings that haven't attracted hordes of tourists, jungle rivers for rafting and kayaking, and spectacular cloud and rainforests with ample opportunities for bird-watching and hiking. In addition to the country's trademark eco- and adventure tourism offerings, a handful of large luxury resorts and golf courses have opened in recent years and more are on the way.

I've lived in Costa Rica for more than 16 years, and my "best of" experiences keep on coming. In this guide I've selected the very best of what this unique country has to offer. Most of these places and experiences are covered in greater detail elsewhere in the book; this section is merely meant to give you an overview of the highlights so that you can start planning your own adventure.