The tiny Latin America country, Costa Rica, is a very popular destination for hundreds of thousands of visitors from Europe, Canada, the United States and other countries. They vacation for many reasons. Some love the great beaches. Others prefer the tropical mountains, great weather, outdoor activities, or adult nightlife (what happens here, stays here).

You do not have to spend a arm and leg to experience Costa Rica so long as you bring a little creativity. There are some travel secrets which are not commonly known to tourists.

Adventurers and explorers have marveled about this country for centuries. Christopher Columbus was the first to discover it, doing so in 1503. He was so enraptured he gave it its name, Costa Rica–the rich coast. About seven decades later, an English captain and seafarer named Sir Francis Drake rounded the southernmost point of South America and traveled north until he landed at what is now called Drake Bay off the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. You may have heard of this fellow: he is famous for destroying the Spanish Armada and saving England in 1588.

However, unlike these discoverers, you won’t need a boatload of people to help you get around as you travel Costa Rica yourself and it won’t cost you the Crown treasure, either.

One way to experience Costa Rica on a budget is by taking a ferry boat ride. For about $1.50 (this is not a misprint), you can have a pretty hour and a half cruise along the warm waters off the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica between the port city of Puntarenas and the southern tip of the lovely Nicoya Peninsula. Where else can you take an ocean cruise for the price of a bottle of water? Most vacationers never take this ride because they’ve never heard about it. But now you have.

Trains are always fun, too, even if you’re on a budget. The Tico Train will take you from San Jose to Puntarenas for about $16.00 each way. It is a four hour trip through mountains and over rivers on tall bridges on an old train filled with laughing and singing Costa Rican families. And, in Costa Rica Pura Vida style, it ends at the beach! Yep. Few tourists know about the train but locals do so you’ll need train reservations. Call American Travel at telephone number 22-33-33-00 when you are ready to go. Bring your camera and bathing suit!

With two coasts to choose from, nearly 800 miles of wonderful beaches can be explored, hiked, surfed, swum (but be careful about rip tides at some places), and even fished for almost nothing. All the beaches in this country are public, open to everybody. Getting there is very cheap. Public and private buses are ubiquitous in Costa Rica. For example, lots of vacationers take in the lovely Pacific town of Jaco. From San Jose, a large, comfortable, air-conditioned bus ride takes about two hours and will cost you less than a Happy Meal! Less than $5!

And, one more thing. Consider staying in a Costa Rica hostel. Many hostels offer dorm accommodations for about $12 and lots of them also have private rooms for just a little more. Sure, you can spend $70+ a night in a fancy resort or hotel but you can find very nice rooms for a fraction of that. Hostels are not just for college kids anymore. I know because I stay in them—in private rooms—for way less than hotels.

Cocos Island is one of the treasures of the planet. The renowned Jacques Cousteau called this Costa Rica island the most beautiful island he had ever seen , Costa Ricans have selected this little national park one of its Seven Wonders, and it is being considered as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Cocos lies some 340 miles off the Pacific shore on the way to the Galapagos. Though it is very small, its fame today comes from its underwater treasure. Some call this place Shark Island because of the incredible number of sharks inhabiting its waters, along with a huge number and variety of other fish, sea turtles, whales, and porpoises. Considered by many to have the best big marine animal viewing in the world, experienced scuba divers brave 30 hour boat rides for a Costa Rica diving adventure of a lifetime.

The island has long been famous for pirates, real and imagined. Some people think that it served as inspiration for Robert Lewis Stevenson’s famous novel Treasure Island but real pirates often hid off it to get away from the English fleet and to bury treasure. Indeed to this day two great treasures, called the Devonshire Treasure and the Lima Treasure, may still be buried there. How big are they? Think hundreds of millions of dollars.

It also fired the imagination of Michael Crichton whose world famous Jurassic Park is set off the coast of Costa Rica.

The island is uninhabited except for a few Costa Rica park rangers who are stationed there to protect its waters from poaching. Until recently its isolation safeguarded the island’s rainforest and undersea creatures from depredation .

If you are one of the fortunate few who get to visit Cocos, you will need previous permission from the rangers to go ashore and you will not be allowed to camp overnight. But, as you walk the shores, thinking of pirates and imagining where the buried treasure is, you will see many rocks along the shore bearing inscriptions from sailors over the centuries. Way before Kilroy was here, sailors wrote their names and dates of visits. There is even find one bearing the name of Jacque Cousteau’s son, who signed a rock a couple of decades ago.

If you were asked to pick the place with the highest satisfaction of life and happiness, where would you choose? Hint: Disneyworld which brags it is the “happiest place on earth” did not make the finals (or the list for that matter). It is officially tiny Costa Rica, winner of the Happy Planet Index as the most satisfying place to live on the planet.

The Index measures three things: high life expectancy, high life satisfaction, and a low ecological footprint. 143 countries were rated, representing 99 per cent of the world’s population, and Costa Rica came out on top—by a lot.

Essentially, the Index asked three questions: 1. Where are the places with the world’s longest life expectancy ( premise: it is better to live longer than die young)? 2. During one’s lifetime, where are people most satisfied with the quality of their life (premise: living longer but miserably is not very satisfying)? 3. What is the cost to the world’s resources (premise: sustainable development is better than exhausting resources)?

Most folks probably think the wealthiest nations will rank at the top of the list but they would be surprised. The richest, most developed nations fall somewhere in the middle of the Index. The highest-ranking Western nation is the Netherlands – 43rd out of 143. The United Kingdom places 74th and the United States is a long way back in 114th place.

Particularly dramatic is the difference between Costa Rica and the USA. Costa Ricans (who have universal health care provided at almost no cost) live slightly longer than Americans, and report greatly higher levels of satisfaction of their life (think Pura Vida!), but have a carbon footprint less than a quarter the size of the U.S.

How did Costa Rica reach the top of the rankings? Many reasons. The country is committed (not just talking about) to sustainable development. While the Western world, China and India are relying upon nonrenewable, nonsustainable resources (think oil) which are exhausting resources and contributing to serious global pollution and global warming, an astounding 99% of Costa Rica’s energy is completely renewable and sustainable. Indeed, while the States (and other developed countries) dither about how to address power needs, find more and more resources to use up, and try to meet the challenges of global warming, tiny Costa Rica has taken action. Using a form of carbon tax, it has embarked on an ambitious reforestation effort—and there are 20% more forested areas now than just 20 years ago. Despite the prospects of large oil deposits off its shores, it refuses to allow oil drilling. And, it is the first—and to date the only country—to commit to being completely carbon neutral by 2021.

Costa Rica’s per capita income is only about $11,000, but it is the #1 place in the world for life satisfaction. Other countries can endlessly debate all the ways things cannot be done or rethink their model.

How about going to a vacation spot that is known to have some of the best and most popular beaches in Costa Rica? If you have always wanted to vacation in Costa Rica, check out Jaco.

About a two hour drive from San Jose, this bustling town sits on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. For many years, it has been one the most popular beaches in Costa Rica, in large part because of its nightlife. Its reputation as a fantastic “party beach” is now well known.

Only about half a dozen years ago, Jaco was still pretty laid back and quaint. Not so much anymore. With tourists came more bars, restaurants, and shopping centers. They were followed by developers: more hotels, more resorts, and now towering high rises. But, the beaches remain—and they are still spectacular.

Fortunately, Jaco isn’t just a great location for people who have lots of money. Indeed, it caters to any budget. There are hotels and accommodations ranging from luxurious to, well, basic (think hostels with dorms and cold water—but cheap). Restaurants of every kind have sprung up here as well, not to mention tropical bars and taverns.

Though Jaco Beach (directly in front of Jaco) has been one of the most popular beaches for many, many years, nearby beaches (literally just a couple of miles/kilometers away), are much better. You’ll find far fewer people and some of the most ecologically pure water on the planet which have been awarded Blue Flag certifications for cleanliness. If you visit Jaco, I strongly recommend spectacular Hermosa Beach. It is only a couple of miles from Jaco. Though it is not recommended for swimming (due to its currents) it is pristine with some of the best surfing on the planet. Indeed, this July it will host professional surfers from more than 35 countries who are going to take part in world surfing championships (and party at night in Jaco).

Costa Rica is one of the smallest countries in the world but it is world-famous for its many places to go and things to do. When you vacation at Jaco, youll be close to innumerable activities. Head over to one of the fabulous volcanoes. Go windsurfing at Lake Arenal. Learn to surf. Visit fabulous Corcovado National Park, described by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on earth. Take your life in your hands and bungee jump into a deep gorge just outside Jaco. Zipline through tropical forests, whitewater raft, go sea kayaking. Or just lay back and enjoy the beach and romantic sunsets.

And, if you exhaust all the other activities (probably pretty difficult), don’t forget that you can also experience great off shore fishing. The warm, tropical waters are alive with marlin, tuna, sailfish, porpoises, dozens of other varieties, and often whales. But, whatever your tastes, Jaco is definitely a wonderful place to take your vacation.

Though it is easy to reach by air, Costa Rica remains to be discovered. Columbus was the first to find it and, indeed, gave it its name “Rich Coast.” It remains a spectacular haven with one-fifth of every species of plant and animal on the planet residing together in a tiny little country. So, don’t limit yourself to the beaches of Jaco. There’s lots more waiting.

Successful surf fishing requires the right combination of skill, weather conditions and surf fishing equipment. Fishermen of all ages can enjoy learning to surf fish, and many locations offer lessons on surf fishing that cover topics such as surf fishing equipment, the fish to be caught, the water conditions and the skill’s basics.

A very important item to be covered during surf fishing lessons is the type of equipment and how it will function best for the ultimate fishing experience. Interestingly, there are few optimal pieces of surf fishing equipment, as everyone tends to have personal favorites.

Fishing rods work best in the surf if they are between 10 and 15 feet long, and the choice of rod length depends on what one is most comfortable with.

Tackle products such as weights, leaders, hooks and swivels are good to carry for a variety of feeders. Many surf fishermen use triple drop leaders, spider leaders or the pyramid leader. Once again, it is a personal preference and it is based on the type of fish that you are looking for.

It is often best to use bait caught from the same area when you are surf fishing a particular area. That is generally what the fish in the area feed on and what they generally will respond to. Consequently, you will do well to carry some smaller rods or nets in your surf fishing gear for catching the bait your prey prefers.

Moreover, landing nets are important to have when surf fishing. It is also best to have someone else along to help you bring the fish in with the help of a net. The specific net to use will depend on the type of fish that are in the area. Certainly, if your intended prey is a big fish, you will need to have a heavy-duty net handy.

Additionally, the type of water that you are fishing in determines the surf fishing equipment you should use, as good surf fishing is available in either fresh or salt water. Surf fishermen are known to enjoy fishing in rivers, lakes and other small bodies of water.

Surf fishing can also be great fun in the ocean and numerous fishermen surf fish for trophies in salt water. Fishing in the surf is a wonderful pastime for any age group in the family, as there are different sizes of prey to be found there. While wading through the surf, almost everyone will enjoy the sun sparkling on the water while waiting for the creatures moving beneath it.