A new edition of the ever popular Costa Rica guide book, 'Explore Costa Rica' has recently been released. This new edition has a lot to offer the potential visitor to Costa Rica, covering all aspects of travel including Air travel, both internal and external, bus transfers, places to go, places to avoid, learning the language (Spanish for those of you who don't know!), volunteer programs etc. The book also features maps of the country and specific areas, photos and useful websites to visit.

Unlike many guides, Explore Costa Rica has been written in a very personal way, with humour, education and a high level of detail all rolled into one complete guide. There is plenty of invaluable information on all types of accommodation, from high end hotels through inns and down to hostels and camping destinations. There is also plenty of information to help you plan your free time in Costa Rica, with many restaurants, tours and must see sights reviewed in its 668 pages. There is also plenty of information for the potential resident of Costa Rica, with the main areas of the country reviewed from a permanent resident's point of view to allow readers to get an idea of where they may wish to settle.

The author of Explore Costa Rica, Harry S Pariser explained in an interview why he feels that Costa Rica is so appealing to tourists from all around the world: "For many reasons. Costa Rica has a good infrastructure relative to its neighbors. It is peaceful, friendly and environmentally concerned and has relatively high standards of living, literacy, education, hygiene, and safety."

He carried on to say: "One may visit both coasts in the course of a single day, and Costa Rica offers virtually every type of activity you can imagine: kayaking, hiking, windsurfing, surfing, rock climbing, mountain climbing, horseback riding, ballooning, and more!"

Costa Rica itself is a very compact country, which is relatively easy, yet somewhat time consuming to get round. The beautiful mountains which run through the center of the country often add on 2 hours to a journey compared to what it could be done on flat land, but provide some breathtaking views on the way, along with plenty of wildlife to keep the eyes occupied. The country has an abundance of rainforest, a number of cloud forests, tropical dry forests and spectacular volcanoes. Both Coasts are lined with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and can both be sampled in a single day, making this country truly unique. Costa Rica is also legendary for its huge amount of biodiversity and wildlife, with visitors certain to see some of the many species residing here, including many species of monkey, toucans, iguanas and much, much more!

The book covers many places to stay while in Costa Rica, including a large number of the hundreds of nature lodges and bed & breakfast inns that make Costa Rica such a unique destination to visit. Each of these small lodges and b&bs offer their own unique vibe and personal service that you just don't get at the larger hotels and resorts and are highly recommended if you really want to discover what this amazing country has to offer.

The book has information on anything that a tourist could want to know about Costa Rica including useful tips, readings, reader recommendations and special places that are a must to visit. The author provides an extensive knowledge base on wildlife, the rainforests, national parks, eco tourism, history and environmental issues that have or are continually affecting Costa Rica.

The book has been designed to really help people to make the most out of their time in Costa Rica,with plenty of educational material, historic photos, maps and endless contact information including websites, phone and fax numbers and email addresses. Anyone from student gap year explorers to surfers and bird watchers can find useful information in the book which even provides travel tips for disabled tourists.

The book is out now, so why not look it up at your local book store or at the link below to find out how it could help you plan your trip to Costa Rica.

Explore Costa Rica (Manatee Press, 2007; ISBN: 1893643557; 9781893643550) is 12.99 GBP or US$22.95. UK booksellers interested in ordering Explore Costa Rica can contact Gazelle Book Services at +44(0)152468765. The book may be ordered online ; it is also available through your local bookseller, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon sites worldwide, and at many other bookseller websites. Other guides in the series include Explore Puerto Rico, Explore the Virgin Islands, and Explore Barbados.

This article was brought to you by Paul Smith, a web consultant for Costa Rica News.