But driving around Costa Rica is fun. Rent a car in the Central Highlands at the capital, San Jose, and within a half-hour, you can be hugging curves on a high mountain road, zipping past coffee bushes planted on unbelievably steep terraces. This 5,000-foot peak is one of the country's most active, and regularly throws off showers of sparks and smoke. Hiking to the rim is not recommended, although you can hike along the slopes and see plenty of dramatic action. You can also windsurf on Lake Arenal in the volcano's shadow, enjoying some of the most predictable high-wind conditions in the world.
Rental equipment is available at several resorts.
Also in this area is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve, which has earned a reputation as one of the most outstanding tropical reserves in the Americas. Take a guided tour and you may glimpse any of the hundreds of species of animals living here, from pumas to exotic moths to 30 species of hummingbirds. About three hours southwest of San Jose, beach-lovers flock to Manuel Antonio National Park, a small but gorgeous park bordering the blue Pacific. Visitors can sun on magnificent white sand beaches, or hike through the park's rainforest, where they are almost guaranteed to see monkeys, sloths, scarlet macaws and other exotic wildlife. Be careful with your beach picnic, as the monkeys are notorious thieves.