Books

Item Description

Combination Pack with the New Key Guidebook AND the Waterproof Travel Map

New Key to Costa Rica - $19.95 - Dozens of guidebooks offer listings of hotels and restaurants, but the New Key has been the insider's guide to the secrets of Costa Rica for over a quarter century.

If you expect beautiful beaches and exotic rainforests Costa Rica will deliver. If you want to explore outside the resorts, discover Costa Rica's natural wonders and experience the culture we don't think any other guidebook comes close.

Choose Green—The New Key was the first (1990) to grade hotels and adventures on their environmental and community friendliness. The Costa Rican government has since instituted a similar scale (Certification of Sustainable Tourism).

Adventure—Beatrice emphasizes special locations where conservation efforts not only protect fragile environments but sustain the surrounding communities. Birders and naturalists will delight in destinations that might inadvertently lead to a "true Costa Rican moment, where there is nothing else to do but be where you are..." and wait for the river to go down (these potential adventures are clearly stated beforehand for less intrepid travelers who prefer more predictability).

Unique Experiences—In-depth personal recommendations and commentaries on smaller reserves and community projects make this guide an excellent choice for anyone who’d prefer a more distinctive trip than they’d find on the well worn tourist trail.

Lasting Positive Impact—Beatrice is the North American representative of ACTUAR the Costa Rica based travel consortium specializing in community-based ecotourism where member destinations strive to provide adventurous, enjoyable and educational trips to sustainable, safe and friendly destinations emphasizing

• conservation
• community development
• warm, family-style hospitality
• authentic interchanges with local people
• experienced local bilingual naturalist guides and drivers
• contact with nature in pristine places and the opportunity to contribute to conservation efforts
• vacations designed to benefit rural communities, protect their natural resources and generate income to compliment their traditional agriculture and fisheries

Waterproof Travel Map of Costa Rica  - $11.95 - Waterproof, rugged and current roadmap of Costa Rica, San Jose and more than a dozen of the most visited regions.

2 sided, 39 in. x 26.25 in. (4.875 in. x 9 in. folded)

Roads are clearly differentiated by color and line width for classes from limited access divided highways down to 4WD seasonal tracks. Highway on and off-ramps are shown for the entire central valley. Popular hiking and horseback trails and trail-heads are also shown.

Locations are clearly marked and easy to read indexes are included for cities and towns, National Parks and other natural areas, beaches, rivers (white water rafting locations are indicated as well), peaks, volcanoes, waterfalls and the best hotels restaurants and activities.

The current, accurate, detailed, and readable large scale map of Costa Rica is complimented by a set of innovative exclusive features not available anywhere else.

Exclusives
o Street level details for San Jose, Alajuela, Arenal Volcano/Fortuna, Escazu, Heredia, Manuel Antonio/Quepos, Monteverde/Santa Elena, Playa Jaco, Playa Tamarindo, Puerto Jimenez, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, & the entire Central Valley.
o Recommendations based on 15 years experience for over two hundred hotels, resorts, lodges and even campgrounds in every price range, and over a hundred and fifty of the best restaurants.
o Proprietary symbols for distinctively Costa Rican attractions like zip-line and hanging bridge canopy exploration, butterfly gardens, rappelling down canyons, and surf camps, as well as the more typical activities like horseback riding, SCUBA, deep sea fishing, golf, rafting and many more. You can see at a glance what there is to do around Arenal volcano and Monteverde cloud forest, as well as along the road between them.
o Driving distance table and mini map for calculating trip distances and estimating drive times.
o A few dozen useful English to Spanish phrase and word translations are provided in an inset. You will appreciate having What is the best way to get there? and Can you please show me on the map? at your fingertips if you need to ask directions.

Item Special Note

Priority shipping to U.S. addresses ONLY included! ($5.95 value)