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Welcome to Costa Rica. I grew up in Costa Rica, and while I’ve lived all over the U.S., I'm always drawn back home. In the northwest, a dry tropical forest stretches down the Nicoya Peninsula.

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica's best-known stratovolcano ... You can hike the national park's trails on your own with just a trail map, but several recent visitors recommended hiring a guide to ...

Excerpted with Permission from Firefly Books Ltd. Coffee has been grown in Costa Rica since the early 19th century. When the country's independence from Spain was declared in 1821, the municipal ...