Costa Rica has enough trails to keep serious hikers stepping for a long time, and the scenery those routes exhibit ranges from lowland rainforests to brisk mountain valleys. The routes themselves are as varied as the scenery, ranging from invigorating jaunts in the mountains near San José to backpacking adventures that lead you into the heart of the country's wilderness.
The Costa Rican rainforest is a wonderland for nature lovers, biologists, photographers and birders. The towering forest is laced with vines and lianas, the trees covered with epiphytes, bromeliads and orchids. If you walk silently through the forest with an observant eye, you might just chance upon an anteater or coati, or a troop of monkeys, or spot the tracks of a tapir, peccary, or jungle cat. Parrots and toucans can be seen plucking fruit from the trees in an environment with more species of plants, birds, and butterflies than in all of Europe. Costa Rica has made efforts to conserve its natural environment, and as a result, 12 percent of the country's land is protected. Costa Rica has one of the most extensive national park systems in Central America.
