Your first question when you land in Costa Rica: Have I just found paradise or am I lost somewhere in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness?”

This is a common reaction for many travelers who visit Costa Rica for the first time. Travel hotspots come and go, but the best-kept secrets always seem to find a way of gaining special attention. Costa Rica has become a holiday haven for naturalists, eco-tourists, adventurers and thrill seekers. In other words, people are stopping to enjoy the little details. Business class is leaving its laptops and briefcases at home and buckling in for zip-line thrills through the Costa Rican treetops.

Wedged between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, Costa Rica is a small country, roughly the same size as West Virginia. However, this Central American destination is not called the Rich Coast for nothing, as nearly five percent of the world’s total biodiversity can be found within its borders. The eco-friendly stats do not end there. Almost 25 percent of the landscape in Costa Rica is part of national parks and protected sanctuaries. From the exotic Costa Rican jungle and Montverde Cloud Forest to Paos Volcano and the Cano Negro wetlands, it is a country of unparalleled natural beauty.

Nature is Costa Rica’s highlight, and it comes in many forms and guises. If you are traveling to the Rich Coast Cost for the first time, then be sure to keep your itinerary as varied and diverse as the landscape. Here are five highlights to get your compass pointed in the right direction.

1. Before eco-tourism was king, coffee was the juggernaut that drove Costa Rica’s economy. Its coffee growing regions are world-renown, so why not kick-start the day with a tour of one of the many coffee plantations. Located on the slopes of the Barva Volcano, Café Britt has been giving tours of its coffee production cycle since 1991.

2. Take a canal tour through the Cano Palma Wildlife Reserve. This is an ideal place to spot one of Costa Rica’s famous white-faced monkeys. Green iguanas are hidden in the Raffia palms that grow along the shore. It is said that everyone turns into an amateur birder once they land in Costa Rica. This is your chance to practice those skills. After the canal ride, stop at one of the nesting beaches favored by the green sea turtle.

3. Just like the production of hybrid cars, canopy tours have exploded on the eco-scene. Get up close and personal with the wildlife lurking in Costa Rica’s treetops. Pulse-pounding zip-lines, gondola rides or a more traditional and educational canopy tour can all be found in Costa Rica.

4. After floating through the treetops, it is time to float down the Tortuguero River and into Tortuguero National Park. The park is located on the Caribbean coast, and it is only accessible by boat. From sea turtles and manatees to monkeys, parrots, sloths and jaguars, a trip through Tortuguero is like flipping through the pages of a National Geographic magazine.

5. No trip to Costa Rica is complete without experiencing La Fortuna’s mighty trifecta. In and around the town, you will find the Arenal Volcano, natural hot springs and the La Fortuna waterfall. Arenal is an active volcano, and chances are this is the closest you will ever get to a display of molten fireworks. Take a relaxing soak in the Tabacon Springs and you will have a wonderful view Arenal. It is one of nature’s most potent and majestic scenes. There are horseback tours that will take you to the waterfall site. After a steep and lengthy ride, you will clear the foliage to discover a stunning postcard scene: emerald-green moss, a massive plume of arcing water and a crystal clear swimming hole. Paradise found.

Author: When he’s not traveling, Porter Olson is a writer and blogger for UsDirect.com.