From hiking in its lush cloud rainforests to getting close-ups of its thriving wildlife, Costa Rica has thousands of unique opportunities for visitors.
But these attractions aren't just tourist gimmicks — they represent the key ways Costa Rica is preparing for the future.
As the world warms, Costa Rica will likely depend on its carbon-sucking national forests. Similarly, as the price of fossil fuels goes up, the country will lean more and more on sources of clean, renewable energy.
Check out the numerous ways Costa Rica is setting an example for the future.
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It's a hotspot for wildlife, and the country doesn't forget it.
More than 500,000 species of plants and animals call Costa Rica home. That's just about 4% of all of the world's species.
Costa Rica is among roughly 20 countries who rank as having the highest biodiversity on the planet. Part of it owes to its spectacular location between two giant continents — North and South America. The country also is estimated to have the highest sheer number and diversity of plants and animals for its size, meaning it's the most dense country for biodiversity in the world.
During my visit, I got to put my finger on a feeder at a hummingbird sanctuary and watch the bird land on my hand.
It's figured out how to run without fossil fuels.
Costa Rica recently made headlines when its state-run utility company said it had gone a full 76 days without using fossil fuels, beating their own record of 75 days last March. It's the longest historical record for a country powering itself entirely on renewables.
Most of the country's renewable power is geothermal (the country is a hotspot for volcanoes, which engineers can tap and siphon to the grid) but sizeable portions are hydroelectric. The remainder are wind and solar. Keep in mind that its small population — just under 4.9 million — means it doesn't have to generate as much energy as most nations.
The country also has plans to be entirely carbon neutral (meaning it would put out just as much carbon as its forests and other carbon-sucking resources suck in) by 2021. They first began working toward this goal in the 90s, when the government taxed fossil fuels and put 3.5% of all that money towards its national forests.
A large portion of the tourist industry is focused around educating people about the country's natural resources.
Costa Rica's ecotourism boom got its start in the 1960s, with scientists flocking to the country to study biology and environmental science.
The industry took off in earnest about a decade later, with the country quickly expanding its national park system to include 70 protected areas. Today, roughly 20% of the country is classified as a national forest or reserve.
The photo above is from inside Manuel Antonio National Park, the country's smallest national park. Despite its tiny size, Manuel Antonio is unique for its dazzling wildlife diversity, with close to 300 mammal and bird species calling the park home.
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