No comments about The Rough Guide to Costa Rica 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

No comments about Choose Costa Rica for Retirement, 9th: Retirement, Travel, and Business Opportunities for a New Beginning (Choose Retirement Series).

2 comments about Insight Fleximap Costa Rica (Insight Fleximaps).

1. This map is laminated and therefore waterproof. Being laminated does not interfere with the usefulness of the map. This map is great for showing sites worth visiting (i.e interesting tourist type places and their location on the map). If you are going to buy one map for Costa Rica this would be the map you would want. I recommend, however, buying two maps: this one and then the Globetrotter Travel Map of Costa Rica. The Globetrotter map is much larger and therefore shows more detail, but it doesn't show where specific tourist sites are located which is why I recommend buying both.



2. This map is of high-quality laminant and would likely survive fire and flood. But, the designers superimposed a "layer" (as in PhotoShop lingo) of terrain symbology underneath, rendering the roads, numbers and names of towns almost illegible, even in adequate light, for this 57 year-old with bifocals.
   
   I can just imagine bouncing down the rutted secondary roads of Costa Rica at dusk, wondering "where in Heavens name am I?"
   
   There are many better maps out there.

No comments about Whitewater Rafting in North America: The 200 Best Rafting Adventures in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica (Serial).

2 comments about Costa Rica Travel Map (Globetrotter Travel Map).

1. We took busses and planes while in Costa Rica. This was a good map for planning our itenerary and making final decisions. You still need to converse with locals and bus schedules etc while there. taxi drivers were good sources as well.
   
   Look for a better map of San Jose if you plan to stay more than a couple of days. Lots to see there if you want. We rode the busses all over and the drivers were good at dropping you at odd places or picking you up if you flagged them down.



2. This map is very large and as such has a lot of detail on it. The map is well marked and very easy to read. It does not have as many tourist location marks on it (i.e. where things you want to see are located). For that I recommend the Insight FlexiMap. I would recommend getting both maps: one map for details and one for specific locations.

5 comments about Adventures in Nature: Costa Rica (Adventures in Nature : Costa Rica).

1. Hi I am worjing at ILISA Spanish language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica and I just want to let you know that this book helps our students a lot by giving them helpful information and by arranging their travel plans for the weekends. Thanks!



2. Costa Rica has it all--volcanoes, rainforests, beaches, cosmopolitan cities, whitewater rivers, and a rich tapestry of cultures--and so does this guidebook. Ree Sheck has done a terrific job of focusing on what's best about this amazing country, particularly with respect to its natural history, parks, and wildlife. There's a lot of information about hotels, restaurants, services, and transportation -- certainly enough for any traveler -- but where this guidebook really shines is in its description of the land, the people, and the natural resources of Costa Rica. I can't recommend it highly enough. Buy a copy and go!



3. Ree Strange Sheck does an excellent job describing lodges, locations, activities, and nature. I work in nature travel and use this book often. I highly recommend it for anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica who is interested in experiencing the beauty of this amazing country.



4. This book along with the coffee-table tome "Costa Rica : The Last Country the Gods Made" should be owned by anyone who loves Costa Rica, even if they think they despise natural history monologues as too narrow in their scope of a country. This book's spirit is undeniable.



5. It's been many years since we traveled to Costa Rica, but the nature preserves we remember best are well described in this current, and useful guide.
   
   We especially recommend the inns at Monteverdi--a long, five hour drive up a dusty, mountain road, and worth every second, every pothole and every rut--and Drake Bay at the amazing reserve in Corcovado.
   
   From all appearances, all the other highlights of a nature adventure in Costa Rica was well represented here, as well. It's the vacation of a lifetime, which you will remember for a lifetime. And this book is one of the better places to look for the little gems in that little gem of a country.

3 comments about Earl's Big Adventure in Costa Rica.

1. A lot of children's literature is kind of limited in scope, in terms of the culture and demographic it portrays. This book has a really nice message about cultural diversity. For kids who are just beginning to come into contact with other cultures through travel, it's a great story about learning how to accept and participate in things that are new and different. It's particularly good for kids who will be going to Costa Rica, of course: it deals with lots of nice aspects of the local culture, and even has bits of Spanish to learn.
   Really a nice addition to any kiddie library, especially in terms of introducing them to other cultures.



2. I bought the book because I know the Author. We worked together for a short time. He would talk about all of his adventures surfing in all these far away places and his experiences. So I thought it would be great to read his book. I thought it was great. The wonderful colorful illustrations followed the story wonderfully. The story kept your interest waiting to see what would happen next. The language was kept simple to read and follow by younger kids. I read it to my little cousin who is 10 and he really enjoyed it. He was asking all kinds of questions about surfing when we were done...This book helped him to look at a new sport and want to find out more about it...That is wonderful....
   
   Hanna, Keep up the great work....
   
   Marie



3. Great book, story about young children traveling outside the US. I learned some spanish!

5 comments about Costa Rica: The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guide: Costa Rica).

1. If you really consider yourself to be an "ecotraveller" then you will be greatly disappointed by the limited information provided in the book.
   
   The attractive title "Ecotravellers Wildlife Guide" had me sold. Unfortunately this book is not for ecotravellers, but for the novice wildlife observer. This book is very elementary and is very limited in the variation of species of birds and reptiles listed. As for the mammals, the book was sufficient.
   
   I just returned from my trip to Costa Rica 3 days ago and I had more than one of my wildlife tour guides criticize this book for its lack of information. It was so frustrating to see gorgeous birds and lizards everywhere and not be able to find hardly any of them within the book. Costa Rica has 1600 species of birds, so it is understandable that many birds would go unmentioned. Unfortunately, this book does not even scratch the surface of the diversity of birds found in this amazing country. While on my trip I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a book from my tour guide so that I could go out bird-watching. The book I borrowed was fabulous and it was called "A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica" by F. Gary Stiles & Alexander F. Skutch. (highly recommended)
   
   I hope this information is helpful and best of luck on your trip!



2. I took this book with me to Costa Rica so that I could spot and identify commonly-seen birds and wildlife there.

   The first part of the book contains an overview about Eco-traveling that could have been summarized a bit more. The book conveniently places details about wildlife in the center of the book, and puts the illustrations in the back so that you can do faster lookups.

   Although I appreciate the emphasis on Eco-travel, I found this book rather disappointing when used as a reference. Some of the birds I saw more than once were not listed at all. There are few illustrations of what the birds look like in flight and there is little about age- or gender-based differences in appearance. Also, although the wildlife coverage is fairly good for reptiles and amphibians, there is very little about marine or plant life.

   I'm still relatively new to birding, but if I could do it again, I would have paid the additional cost and bought the Stiles and Skutch book.... If you're not a bird watcher and you're just looking for a basic 'wild life' identifier, I would suggest skipping the book, and instead, buying one of those laminated 'bird/wildlife identification' cards that you can find for about $10 in many of the visitor-oriented shops around Costa Rica.




3. This book provides a fascinating, well-written and often humorous overview of Costa Rican natural history as well as a detailed description of the most often seen wildlife. I cannot overstate how much this book enhanced my trip to Costa Rica and gave me a greater understanding of what I was seeing. It is not exhaustive, but unless you want to carry multiple, subject-specific books with you, this is the one to bring. It had information on virtually every bird and creature I saw there.



4. This guide has got three sections: an introduction to the neotropical ecosystems, a description of families of animal, and a section with pictures, for purposes of identification.
   The second section is for people who are willing to dig deeper into this stuff, the first section gives a good introduction into Casta Rica and it's ecology.
   To shallow for professionals, to deep for absolute beginners (only the last section will appeal to them), but very good stuff for the informed layman!



5. For 30% less of the cost of this book, you could (as I did) pick up a superior book that details the history of conservation in the country's diverse geographical zones (seacoasts, prairies, jungles and volcanic highlands). That book is "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made."

1 comments about Costa Rica Travel Atlas (Globetrotter Travel Atlas).

1. I liked this book as it breaks down maps for different regions in Costa Rica.
   It also contains lots of pictures which helped us decide exactly what we wanted to do while visiting.

5 comments about Potholes to Paradise: Living in Costa Rica - What You Need to Know.

1. My wife and I read Tessa's book before going to Costa Rica with the idea that we might settle there as she and her husband did. Not only did we get great info from Tessa's book, we made a personal connection through it that led us to having a fabulous time and learning way more than we had anticipated. This book is a must read for anyone contemplating moving to Costa Rica. Cheap way to benefit from Tessa's experiences.



2. The authors can't be serious! I really didn't get any benefit from this book. I just moved to Costa Rica and didn't learn much from it. It just doesn't contain enough info. for the potential resident. I read other books on the subject and prefer "The New Golden Door" and "Choose Costa Rica." The authors of these guides really seem to know the scoop.



3. I did like that it was "part diary, part travelogue, part advice column" instead of so straightforward a text. Desultory, yes, but inviting--sort of like REAL travel and life abroad!

   Another book I found helpful before my "relocation-research trip" was a photo-essay book called, "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made." It too gave me a feeling for the country in a randomized sort of way. But that's not to say it wasn't wonderful information and insight into Tico culture--like Borner's book!




4. An overt advertisement for their business in Costa Rica, I found virtually no helpful information here. If you want to know the history of the people (and therefore understand things like squatters' rights), read "The Ticos". If you are investing in land or a business ANYWHERE, know the language and get a second legal opinion before signing at the X. Check crime stats on the web for free, and keep in mind that a city is a city - use good old common sense in all that you do. Make several trips covering different regions and grow your "network" each time you return. When it comes together, you'll be ready. Pura Vida!



5. This is the first time that I have ever been motivated to write a review. There is virtually no useful information here which cannot be garnered from other more comprehensive and literate books on the topic.
   It is written from a very personal viewpoint, which would be interesting if the author was a writer. As it is, this is one of the worst books I have read in several years.