Boost your well-being in Costa Rica's green space

Would you be happier living in a greener area?

A UK study says you would. New research from the University of Exeter Medical School and the European Centre for Environment & Human Health in England has found that "people living in urban areas with more green space tend to report greater well-being than city dwellers that don't have parks, gardens, or other green space nearby." The research, led by Dr. Mathew White, was published in the journal Psychological Science.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines "green space" as land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or other vegetation; green space includes parks, community gardens, and cemeteries.

Dr. White and his team of UK researchers analyzed data from a national survey of more than 10,000 people for nearly 18 years between 1991and 2008. They found that persons who live in green areas have higher life satisfaction and less depression and stress than those who live in concrete-dense areas with few trees and lawns, states the journal Scientific American. This trend held even if residents experienced changes in their income, employment, marital status, housing and health.

Data was derived from the British Household Panel Survey, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of households in the UK that ran annually from 1991-2008, containing over 5,000 households and 10,000 individual adults.

The new research does not prove that moving to a greener area will necessarily cause increased happiness, but it does fit with findings from experimental studies showing that short bouts of time in nature can improve a person's mood and cognitive functioning.

Beth Murphy, information manager at the mental health charity "Mind" in England, reports: "For people living busy lifestyles in densely populated areas, being able to get outdoors and access green space is a great way to escape the stresses of day-to-day life. Our research has shown that 94% of people who took part in outdoors 'green exercise' said it benefited their mental health and can have huge impacts on physical health."

Costa Rica, known as the "Switzerland of Central America," has no shortage of green spaces. The entire country is covered with green – rainforest, cloud forest, tropical forest (lowland, moist and dry), swamp, pasture land, coffee plantations, fruit tree orchards, and plantations of sugar cane, bananas and pineapple. The list goes on and on. I'm looking out my window now, from my desk, at a sea of green grass, flowers, trees and shrubs just in my own garden.

Ready for a mental health boost of your own? Escape the stress of daily work, commutes, city life, etc. and dive into Costa Rica's greenery. Walk in a dense forest beneath trees hundreds of feet tall. Fly on a zip line through the emerald tree canopy. Lounge under a green palm tree beside an aquamarine sea. Tour a coffee plantation and see how that great morning beverage is made. Discover a lost "you" in the misty verdant cloud forest. The possibilities are endless. Seeing "green" yet?

Costa Rica travel agency Team CRT will put you in the heart of Costa Rica's nature. The agency knows the best of the country, what to do and see, and they personalize it for you, designing your Costa Rica vacation to fit exactly what you want. From nature tours to beach destinations, adventure tours, family vacations, relaxation vacations, honeymoons and golf vacations, Team CRT delivers you unforgettable Costa Rica vacation packages.

Team CRT is committed to sustainable tourism vacations that actively involve the local community in Costa Rica.

By Shannon Farley

Try a Family Surf Vacation for Unique Summer Fun!

Summer break, for all of those in the north, is nearly here. This year, do something really unique and different for your family vacation! Go on a family surfing vacation in warm, tropical Costa Rica.



Really get away from your daily routine of life, have fun on an adventure, experience new places, make new friends, create family memories that will last a lifetime. A family surf vacation is not only active and healthy; you and your kids also will learn a new culture and language.


Top Costa Rica surf school, Del Mar Surf Camp, offers a Family Surf Vacation Package for adventurous families who want to try something new or get better at surfing together. The vacation package for 4 is designed for a family with two adults and two kids, or one adult and three kids; children must be age 13 or under. Larger families and teens are more than welcome, just contact Del Mar for a group quote. Best of all, Family Surf Vacation Packages are always available – just ask for the dates you want.

Called the “Hawaii of Latin American surfing,” Costa Rica is one of the world’s top surfing destinations with its warm water, consistent surf year-round, over 700 miles of coastline between both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and literally thousands of beach breaks with easy access. On the Pacific Coast you have the added plus of river mouth breaks, and on the Caribbean Coast you get great reef breaks.

Costa Rica’s extra draw is its amazing nature, like active volcanoes, lush rainforest and cloud forest, jungle wildlife, and plenty of other adventure sports and activities. For instance, Del Mar Surf Camp’s Family Surf Vacation Package includes a canopy zipline tour – a relaxing day of laughter and fun for the family to enjoy.

Family Surf Vacations are held at Del Mar Surf Camp’s headquarters at Hermosa Beach on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast, just south of the fun beach town of Jacó.

The popular beach, with its consistent surf, variety of breaks and great exposure to swells, is famous with top surfers from all over the globe. Its shore break is one of the strongest in the world and is Del Mar’s advanced surfing beach; but just a 5-minute drive away is the south end of Playa Jacó where beginners learn to surf in gentle and easy waves. These beaches have a fun and casual community and family-friendly atmosphere, catering to tourists who want a nice relaxing time, with easy access to all local attractions, hotels, restaurants and shopping.

The Family Surf Vacation Package includes daily surf lessons with bilingual instructors, daily breakfast and lunch, the canopy zipline tour, roundtrip airport transfer, private accommodations for 4, professional surfing photography, and a Del Mar Surf Camp souvenir gift. Accommodations are located either beachfront or close to the beach.

Each beginner surf lesson will have a 2 to 1 instructor to student ratio for two to three hours, meaning you and your kids will always get the undivided attention you deserve with maximum safety. In all surf packages, Del Mar uses only high quality epoxy long boards, and also have soft tops available. Bilingual instructors are certified in CPR, Water Rescue, ISA and First Aid.



Del Mar Surf Camp specializes in Costa Rica surf vacation packages for beginners, intermediate and advanced surfers, women only trips, family and group vacations, yoga-surf retreats, stand-up paddle programs, and day surf lessons. Besides Hermosa Beach, Del Mar Surf Camp offers other programs at Nosara Beach on the Guanacaste Pacific Coast, and Santa Teresa Beach on the Pacific’s southern Nicoya Peninsula. Domestic flights and ground transfers to all of Del Mar’s locations are included in all surf vacation packages.

By Shannon Farley

3 Days in Sarapiqui blend adventure & nature of Costa Rica

Sarapiquí is one of my favorite places in Costa Rica.

Rust red-orange earth meets up with jade green water of the Sarapiqui River, next to fluorescent green grass and darker emerald-green, thick rainforest. Jewel-toned birds and butterflies swoop here and there, and this time of year, the cicadas bring a tumultuous cacophony to the sunshine. Colors seem more vibrant here. Maybe it’s the moisture in the sun-soaked air. Maybe it’s the abundance of nature.



Sarapiquí is considered one of the world’s most important research areas for tropical rainforest. Just 2 hours from Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose, Sarapiquí lies in the country’s northeast between vast protected areas such as the Central Volcanic Range Protected Area, the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Reserve, Braulio Carrillo National Park and La Selva Biological Reserve. Tortuguero National Park also is close by.

Known for its amazing and rich biodiversity, there is so much to do and see that Sarapiquí is becoming a popular tourism destination for both families and nature and adventure seekers.

Surrounded by lush rainforest, Sarapiquí is a major producing area for bananas, pineapple, cacao, and dwarf fan palm (for hearts of palm). Coffee, cardamom, corn, and many other fruits also are grown here. Located at the junction of the Puerto Viejo and Sarapiquí rivers, the land is very fertile because of the rivers’ irrigation. The climate here stays mild and moderate throughout the year, with average temperatures of 24º-30º C (75 º-85º F) cooled off with frequent rainfall.



At one time, Puerto Viejo in Sarapiquí was a small port community that exported goods down the Sarapiquí River to the San Juan River that borders with Nicaragua, and out to the sea, eventually docking in Limón on the Caribbean coast. Today, the Sarapiquí River draws adventure and nature lovers for exciting whitewater rafting or nature-viewing float trips. If you are an avid bird watcher, Sarapiquí is the place to see many of Costa Rica’s many bird species, such as hummingbirds, Quetzals, toucans, Aracaris, guans and Great Green Macaws.

Costa Rica travel experts Team CRT offers a quick taste of Sarapiquí in a 3-day, 2 night trip that lets you experience some of the best things to do and see in Sarapiquí.


Where to Stay in Sarapiquí


Team CRT’s featured hotel in the Sarapiquí area is the Sarapiquí Rainforest Lodge at the Sarapiquí Neotropical Center. The eco-lodge is designed to resemble a 15th century indigenous village. On the grounds is a museum of indigenous Pre-Columbian culture, an archaeological site, botanical gardens, and a scientific research and modern education center.

What to Do in Sarapiquí
Pineapple Tour at Finca Corsicana. Visit the world's largest organic and fair-trade pineapple farm.

They harvest over 38 million pineapples a year – special sweet organic Golden Pineapple. The 3,000-acre plantation is a partnership between Collin Street Bakery, based in Corsicana, Texas, and Industrias El Angel in Costa Rica to produce pineapple in a sustainable way for the Texas bakery’s desserts and for export to the United States. The tour will take you out into the pineapple fields in specially designed trailers, and then back to the facility to see the processing and packing process. Of course you’ll get to sample the juicy, delicious pineapple during the tour.



Chocolate Tour at the Tirimbina Rainforest Center and Biological Reserve. Who doesn’t love chocolate! On this tour you will learn all about the secrets of the cacao plant’s extraordinary history in Central America. Food and drink of kings in the Mayan, Aztec and Inca cultures, the discovery of chocolate in Meso-America led to its introduction in Europe and transformation into the products we all know and love today. You will journey into the Tirimbina Rainforest and Biological Reserve, crossing a suspension bridge, to a former cacao-growing plot. Your naturalist guide will explain the natural and cultural history of the cacao tree, then the process by which cacao fruit is transformed into chocolate. Of course you’ll get to taste different kinds of chocolate, which are prepared on the spot in traditional methods.



Museum for Indigenous Cultures. The Museum at the Sarapiqui Neotropical Center is one of the country’s most concise and complete studies of Costa Rica’s indigenous Pre-Columbian tribes. The Archaeological Park showcases 12 of the 70 Pre-Columbian tombs identified by archaeologists on the property.

For all of your Costa Rica travel and Costa Rica vacation plans, Team CRT is your Costa Rica vacation expert. With more than 20 years of experience on the ground in Costa Rica travel, Team CRT gives you expert guidance and personalized service while they help craft your tailor-made Costa Rica vacation, and also vacation packages to neighboring Panama and Nicaragua.

Team CRT knows the best of the country, what to do and see, and they personalize it for you. Vacation packages, beach destinations, nature tours, adventure tours, relaxation vacations, family vacations, honeymoons, Fly & Drive packages, sport fishing trips, golf vacations – they handle it all. Whether you just want a travel agent to help you choose where to stay, where to go, and things to do, or if you want a full tour operator to take care of complete details, Team CRT is your best choice for Costa Rica travel.

By Shannon Farley