Ecotourism

Costa Rica was the birthplace for Ecotourism. There are at least six different types of environments in Costa Rica: cloud forest, tropical rain forest, dry tropical forest, montane oak forest, mountainous paramo, and mangrove and other wetlands. Between all of these environments tourist are able to find a varied of activities to do while visiting Costa Rica.

Some will argue that the first place to start off your visit to Costa Rica is with one of the country's well-trained natural history guides; that is if you are going to be traveling through of the the many rain forests or national parks. All of these guides are experts at identifying birds, frogs, monkeys, bats, snakes, and other wildlife that will be surrounding you during your tour. As once quote by naturalist Amos Bien, "Being in a rainforest without a guide is like being in a library without knowing how to read." Not only will the guides help you through the jungle and also by pointing species out, but they can also help you by getting in contact with travel agencies. Even though Costa Rica is filled with beautiful landscapes, there are several other things to do while traveling in Costa Rica. Some of these activities include: canopy zip lines, golfing, volcano visits, enjoying the beautiful beachs, kayaking, white water rafting, and several other entertaining activities.  Finally, the benefits and costs of Ecotourism to the economy are as followed.  The benefits of it is that it provides benefits to industries, transfer of income, and diversifaction.  The costs to the economy are leakage, exploitation of local work force, and instability.