The Most Beautiful Country in the World
According to Conde Nast Traveler, Costa Rica is the most beautiful country in the world. On its Top 40 list, Costa Rica has crowned in the first place thanks to its well-known nature’s attractiveness.
Costa Rica
It’s easy to sink into the pura vida (pure life) when you’re surrounded by misty waterfalls, deserted beaches, and protected jungles. In fact, more than a quarter of Costa Rica enjoys some form of environmental protection. Cocos Island National Park, the only island in the eastern Pacific with a rainforest, is a world-class diving destination replete with hammerhead sharks, giant manta rays, sea turtles, and dolphins. La Amistad National Park is another uniquely diverse site, with cloud forests, glacial valleys, and a rare tropical alpine grassland (say that five times fast). It’s also to Cerro Chirripó, the highest mountain in Costa Rica.
The prestigious magazine, Conde Nast Traveler selected the 40 most beautiful countries in the world according to various factors and studies the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness annual report of the World Economic Forum, is one of them. The survey ranks the countries into different categories such as biodiversity, safety, life expectancy, among others. Also, the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in each of these countries has helped to create the recognized list. And, last but not least, the magazine polled a wide range of Traveler writers and editors to round up the selection.
According to the World Economic Forum, Costa Rica possess the most attractive natural resources of the world. The survey measures to what extent the tourists visit the country thanks to its natural resources. When seen this way, it is not a surprise that the tiny country located in Central America and with less territory than Lake Michigan is ranking first.
Costa Rica is home to more than 5% of all the biodiversity of the planet and is a pioneer in sustainability matters. More than 25% of the country is protected and has been recently recognized by NASA for its low number of forest fires when compared to the rest of the countries in the area.
Costa Rica not just a pretty place
The country attractiveness comes also from its major efforts of keeping its natural resources untouched. Recently, the country received the important award of “champions of the planet” by the United Nations. Costa Rica is one of the few countries of the world that has developed a National plan to decarbonize. Even though some may say such a tiny country does not make a difference in the race to save the planet, the goal of the country is to set a precedent and say to the world that the goal is possible and it is the right path to take.
One of the most difficult challenges for the countries to reach the goal of a negative carbon footprint is its energy production. While most of the countries rely on carbon fuel to produce energy, The most beautiful country in the world, Costa Rica, has been running on renewable energy by 5 years straight. Renewable energy comes from the power of nature, taking advantage of the power of volcanoes, rivers and wind.
Another important factor that has captured the attention of the world has been the capacity of reversing the deforestation of the country, being able to increase in 25% the area covered by forests in the past years. Considering that the norm in the rest of the countries of the area is a negative number, a 25% is a big achievement.
Thanks to all of these accomplishments, Costa Rica is the proud host of the annual Pre Coop meeting for 2019. The prestigious conference taking place this month of October will reunite some of the most important environmental leaders and scientists of the world.
World Heritage sites in Costa Rica
One of the reasons why Costa Rica is the most beautiful country in the world is the number of world heritage sites it is home to. Five magical places have made to this special list, 3 under the Natural section, 1 into the cultural category and 1 site is part of the tentative list.
Área de Conservación Guanacaste
Located in the Northwest part of the country, and close to our beautiful vacation rental properties, the Guanacaste Conservation Area contains a great extent of one of the rarest forests in the world, the tropical dry forest. Sometimes overlooked, this type of forest is of great value due to its ecological processes. ACG is also home to other rich and important ecosystems such as wetlands, watercourses, oak forests, savannahs, and estuaries. It´s more than 43,000 hectares of marine area are as rich and biodiverse as its land, highlighting its uninhabited near-shore islands and islets full of wildlife. The colossal Rincón de la Vieja Volcano is probably one of the most popular sites of this amazing National Park. Ask our concierge for more information on how to experience this natural treasure.
Cocos Island National Park:
Probably one of the most valued places in the world by scientists, Cocos Island is a living lab. Located 55O km off the Pacific coast, Coco is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with tropical rainforest. The “treasure island” is home to an important population of endangered species such as the Scalloped Hammerhead Shark and the Galapagos Shark.
Talamanca Range-La Amista National Park:
With an extension of 570,045 hectares, La Amistad National Park extends along the border between Panama and Costa Rica. La Amistad is home to Cerro Chirripó, the highest elevation of the country, and impressive mountains with footprints of Quaternary glaciation.
The Stone Spheres of the Diquis
Finca 6, Batambal, El Silencio and Gijalba-2 are the names of the four archaeological sites located in the Diquis Delta in the southern part of Costa Rica, the most beautiful country in the world. The unique stones spheres have captured the attention of scientists for years due to their perfection, number, size and density.
Corcovado National Park
This National Park is not yet part of the official list but has been included in the Tentative List. Named by many as one of the most biologically active places on the planet, the Corcovado National Park is a jewel in terms of conservation.
A Pura Vida country
Costa Rica is also the most beautiful country in the world for its people and its “Pura Vida”. Some may think this catchy phrase is just slang, but when you visit Costa Rica you can tell it is way more than that. Pura Vida is a life philosophy, it means what so many writers, spiritual guides, new era gurus and even religious leaders are trying to tell to humanity. Pura Vida is live at the moment, is count your blessings in life, is enjoy little things, is family, is nature, is an authentic smile, is so many good things.
If you are planning to visit Costa Rica, and get to know the most beautiful country in the world, be sure to contact us. Stay in one of our luxurious vacation rentals, experience Pura Vida and let your personal concierge plan your perfect vacation.