Take an eco-friendly vacation in paradise in Costa Rica.

Over 27 percent of Costa Rica's land has been set aside for national parks, biological reserves, and wildlife refuges. At its core, there are 20 natural parks and reserves that populate the island. Bring out your inner hippie and experience the natural beauty of Costa Rica, with an eco-friendly trip around its tropical isles.

Lodging in Costa Rica

Stay in the Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in the heart of Golfo Duce in Costa Rica. This eco-luxury, tree-top lodge features yoga classes and swinging hammocks with views of the rainforest. For dinner, guests gather by candlelight inside of a thatched roof hut, dining on tropical-Latin infused grub. At nightfall, lodge guests retreat to deluxe cabins, snoozing in canopy beds and waking up to views of the jungle and sea that surround the lodge. This rainforest lodge offers a variety of Costa Rican exploration packages for the visiting adventurer, including deep see fishing, family trips through the rainforest and bird watching.

Heat Up Your Trip

The Arenal Volcano National Park , is home to the Arenal volcano and can be explored by land or by sky. Bold tourists explore the massive volcano on a canopy tour, strapping into a canopy and whisking along a zip line over the floral and lush fauna below. While you're visiting the Arenal Volcano National Park, don't miss the Tabacon Hot Springs Spa. These natural, thermal springs are a combination of rain water and magma that heats it and fills the water with healing minerals. The waters here have been found to have curative properties, such as improving oxygen flow in the tissues of the body and aiding in muscle relaxation.

Travel the Rainforest at Nightfall

Put a spin on your Costa Rican rainforest excursion and take a guided tour through the Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve at nightfall.
Engulfed by a canopy of clouds, the reserve is located in Puntarenas, about a four-hour drive away from San Jose, Costa Rica. The forest's reserve has a misty atmosphere which causes its 300 species of orchids to blossom vividly.

The tour begins as the sun sets, when animals that scour the jungle's floors and trees quietly during the day, come out to play. A tour guide leads guests through a jungle trail for two hours, exploring and taking in the sights of the jungle around them. For those afraid of the dark, tours are available during the day, in which guests can trek through the rainforest on bike, on foot or on horseback. During the day, visitors can also take a peek into the Monteverde bat jungle exhibit, where bats roost, mate and dine.

Sail with Sea Turtles in Tortuguero Village

The Tortuguero Village and its jungle canals are a must-see destination on any Costa Rican eco-tour. The Tortuguero National Park is located on the Caribbean coast and is famous for its green sea turtles and their hatching periods, when hundreds of tiny turtles can be seen scurrying out to sea. Guests visiting the village and the park can stroll along its beach, or tour the canals by boat, floating over murky waters where a variety of fish lurk, making it an ideal spot for fisherman as well.

Explore the Pristine Waters of Isla Del Coco

Dive into the waters of the Isla Del Coco. Just 532 km Southeast of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, whale sharks, snapper, moray eels and frogfish roam freely in pristine, blue waters. Steep cliffs surround the outer edge of the island, and waterfalls spout from its rocks, shooting water out onto the shores below.

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Penang Butterfly Farm

Penang Butterfly Farm has about 400 flying butterflies from 120 species in an enclosure of 41 by 43 meters. The beautiful gardens are landscaped in such a manner to allow visitors to be surprised by exhibition station at each hidden nook and corner of the enclosure. Visit every station and read every highlight. You will miss a lot if you do not do so. Observe every small activity. You will discover the characteristic can be observed up to arm's length. You can observe the other exhibitions so closely that you can discern their secrets.

Watch out for the butterfly eggs, caterpillars and pupae. Observe butterflies coming out of their pupal case, still wet and just waiting to soar in flight around the gardens. See the giant grasshopper, the legendary scorpions and 10-inch long millipedes! Search for the phantom insects (phasmid)! At the snake corner, observe some species of tree snake, oriental whip snake, red tailed racers and pit vipers. Be astounded by frogs, water monitor lizard and other small exotic lizards from Malaysia rain forest on display in the other stations. Remember to watch the lively seed-feeding finches flying so swiftly in the enclosure, children will find it interesting to feed fishes in the Koi pond and the Mandarin and Wood ducks in the Duck pond.

If you happen to be at the farm at about 10.00am or 3.00pm on any day, hurry to the show time area and be exhilarated by the live handling livestock with a running commentary. You are allowed to touch and handle the exhibits and take photographs with them in your shoulder or in your arms. As you come to the exit of the enclosure, you will come to the Live Insect Room mainly showing easing live Tarantula, Beetles, a variety of geckos and lizards. Watch out for the orchid mantis especially.

After that, you will come to the Insect Museum where you will be surprised to see about 2000 specimen, which consist of 1400 specifies. This is not the end of your visit yet. Step into the Tribal Arts and Artifacts gallery. You will be thrilled by the wide range of historically and culturally fascinating objects originating from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, china, Borneo Island, Papua New Guinea and the rest of the Malay Archipelago.

Kek Lok Si Temple

One of the finest Buddhist temples in South-east Asia . The Kek Lok Si temple stands majestically on a hill in Air Itam. This temple built in tiers culminates the beautifully crafted ''Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas''. It took more than 20 years to build which features gardens, a turtle pond, shrines and beautiful sculptures. There are many souvenir shops leading up to the temple which offers good buys. And as for food lovers, famous hawker food are lined up near the Air Itam market.

The temple was begun in 1890 and, from all appearances, construction really hasn't ever stopped. And it's still going on! The temple is supposedly the largest in Malaysia . The Kek Lok Si project was inspired by the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple of Pitt Street. With the support of the consular representative of China in Penang , the project received the sanction of the Manchu Emperor Kuang Hsi, who bestowed a tablet and gift of 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras.

Without doubt the largest and best known temple in Penang, the Temple of Supreme Bliss , better known as Kek Lok Si, staggered on the hillside overlooking the town of Ayer Itam . Since the olden days, the hills of Ayer Itam are regarded as important geomantically. Known as He San, or Crane Hill, they are recommended as a retreat for Taoist practitioners striving for immortality.

Construction of the temple started in 1893, but it was only in 1930 that the Pagoda of Rama VI, named after the Thai king who laid the foundation stone, but better known as the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddha's, was completed. This pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown, reflecting the temple's embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.!

Batu Ferringhi

Batu Ferringhi is a great place to enjoy the wonderful arrays of Asian food and great shopping. It also has some of the nicest beaches in Penang Island . The long stretch of beach is a combination of wide golden-sand, picturesque deep blue-green coves hedged by large granite boulders that seem to have tumbled from the hilly interior of the island, right into the sea.

It has all the conveniences a visitor would want for an easy, hassle-free holiday. All along the road, which runs parallel to the beach just a few meters away, you can find a great variety of shops including restaurants, cafes, bars, convenience stores and souvenir shops.

One unique feature is the exciting sidewalk bazaar that takes place every day from around 6pm until past midnight. The night bazaar is a busy and enjoyable shopping experience for visitors and plenty of haggling can be heard along the stretch of individual stalls. Trader & buyers negotiate in good humor for the best price for the variety of items on sale.

And if after you have done all your shopping and find yourself too tired to walk back to the apartment, you can hail one of many trishaws that ply the length of the sidewalk bazaar. There are a great number of restaurants and cafes offering incredible range of cuisine, from famous Asian sea food to popular Western spread to Mediterranean specialties.

Or just visit one of the many local hawker stalls selling their delicious, local delicacy. All that with just a minute's walk from the apartment and the beach.

Fall under the spell of the luxurious Rio de Janeiro.

Rio's beaches are world-famous, swarming with scantily clad beauties who tan along the shore. Take a trip to the beaches that have inspired songs. Then, take a dive into their inviting waters. In Rio, the possibilities of pleasure are endless, and in this eclectic paradise anything is possible; especially when it comes to showing your special someone the time of her life.


The best way to please your significant other while on a luxurious stay in Rio is to afford her the opportunity to indulge in the varied layers of shopping offered in the city. Shopping malls like Barra Shopping and Norte Shopping, grants the vendee a more traditional method of bulking up the closet. But outside of the average shopping center, Rio offers alternative ways to add to any collection that needs a special addition. From designer boutiques to street vendors, while in Rio, you'll have more than enough shopping venues to choose from.

Rio's shopping and best bargains can be found along the shore, or lining streets inside of quaint boutiques. Hit the Garota de Ipanema bikini shop and surprise your girl with one of Rio's famous string bikinis. Or, take a more classic approach to shopping and visit Rio Sul and Botafogo Praia Shopping, two of the city's most popular traditional shopping malls, both located in the Botafogo neighborhood.

Return from your trip with your own little piece of Rio. The city is well known for its high production of jewels, gold, diamonds, and beautiful art. Whether you're partial to souvenirs or enamored by precious gemstones, Rio is a treasure trove of unique trinkets and collectibles, just waiting to be purchased.

If it is precious gems that capture your interest, Rio is a grand location of choice for stone shopping. Visit H. Stern and enjoy an illuminative tour of Brazil's premier jewelry and gemstone dealer. The tour allows you to see how the jewels and gems are used to create the artistic masterpieces that fill this illustrious emporium.

Brazil is brimming with a bevy of graceful art shops filled with the eclectic works of local artist. The walls and shelves of these marvelous boutiques are lined with masterpieces veiled in vibrant colors and intricate design. For a wide selection of some of this locales amazing crafts, visit Brasil & Cia, where you can acquire some of the city's most popular art. Brasil & Cia sits near the beaches of Impanema, making it convenient and sensible to fit into your relaxing beachfront getaway.

After you've sifted through the shops, head over to one of Rio's famous beaches. Surfing conditions are often ideal, so grab a board and hit the waves of Copacabana and Ipanema. Bar hop around the beach of Barra da Tijuca, then hit the clubs for the ultimate Rio experience. Visit clubvibes.com to pinpoint the hottest night spots during your stay or head downtown and hit the Rio Scenarium, where the line is likely to be wrapped around the corner but well worth the wait.。