
Costa Rica's lush rainforests are home to hundreds of rare species. Endangered great green macaws, with wingspans of up to 90 centimeters, raucously fly through the canopies.


A huge political and social effort helped to bring it back from the brink. Today almost 60% of Costa Rica's land is once again covered in rich forest.

Renowned for its wildlife, the country is home to around half a million plant and animal species.

Of the 300 plus known species of hummingbird worldwide, at least 50 can be found in Costa Rica. The tiny birds hover and dart from flower to flower, drinking nectar through their long, narrow beaks.

It is also a great place to see sloths -- sluggish mammals that hang out in treetops all day, barely moving and blending into the bark.

Occasionally their friendly faces can be seen peeking out of the foliage.

The incredible wildlife has made Costa Rica a hotspot for ecotourism, drawing in at least 3 million visitors a year.

Tourists flock to some of the country's 29 national parks which, alongside other protected areas, cover more than a quarter of the country's land mass. Manuel Antonio National Park, where this photo is taken, is the most popular destination.

Here they are likely to see a Central American squirrel monkey, with its distinctive orange markings -- a flash along its back and goggle-like circles around its eyes.

Or if they're lucky, an apple-green snake slinking off in search of prey.

The mountainous country, sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, has contrasting climates and ecosystems. The forests of Monteverde are so high that they are often among the clouds, creating a rare and rich ecosystem of tropical plants and animals.

Beneath the sheltered canopies, dragonflies flutter from leaf to leaf.

As do the thousands of butterfly species that can be found in the country.

Across the rest of the tropics primary forest is being destroyed at a terrifying rate, but in Costa Rica, old, original forest makes up around a quarter of its forested area.
