Known officially as the happiest country in the world, per the Happy Planet Index, Costa Rica has much to offer in natural beauty and diverse culture – and it’s all made even better when you’re surrounded by the happiest people in the world.
Costa Rica is made for nature lovers, including those who appreciate luxury. Costa Ricans welcome tourists with enthusiasm, and you can soak in the country’s natural beauty, culture, and history – all with a luxurious Costa Rica beach house rental as your homestead.
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Why Is Costa Rica So Happy?
Here are only some of the many ways that Costa Rica makes its residents so happy.
It’s all in the name.
Let’s start with linguistic beauty. Although Columbus is credited with naming Costa Rica, a more likely source for the name is Gil Gonzalez Davilla. The name translates most literally to “rich coast” and, in the era of conquistadors, this was an obvious moniker because of the gold discovered in the area.
Regardless of the true source, little did early explorers know that the name would carry other important meanings. The Spanish word “rica” (or “rico”) can also mean “of noble history”, “delicious”, “luxurious”, and “lovely”.
Plus, it rolls beautifully off the tongue, and, no doubt, all of these positive terms will apply to your Costa Rica beach house rental experience in some way.
Costa Ricans are proponents of peace.
In 2009, the Costa Rican legislature passed a law to change the name of their justice department to the Ministry of Justice and Peace. This adds the crime prevention to the ministry’s responsibilities, in addition to the standing responsibilities of overseeing the penitentiary systems and supervision of research on criminal behavior.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice and Peace has added violence prevention, conflict resolution, and peace promotion to their responsibilities.
Nature is healing.
With Costa Rica being just slightly smaller than Lake Michigan, and over a quarter of its land being dedicated to conservation, Costa Ricans receive a healthy dose of nature on a daily basis. When you compare that to living in a jam-packed, urban environment, it’s easy to see why Costa Ricans rate so high on the chill index, compared to other countries.
This tiny country is home to 8 biological reserves, 20 national parks, and multiple protected areas, and animal refuges.
Costa Ricans love tourists.
On top of all the other things to make Costa Ricans happy is their leading economic earner: tourism. As of 2013, tourism in Costa Rica hit its all-time high, with 2.4 million visitors to the country. Therefore, Costa Ricans will welcome you warmly and are always ready to share their wealth of knowledge and experience about the country’s history, culture, and customs.
There are tons of hummingbirds and butterflies.
No kidding. It’s unreal how many butterflies and hummingbirds you’ll see in Costa Rica. Once again, an itty-bitty country delivers in abundance.
It is estimated that 90 percent of all the butterfly species in Central America can be found in Costa Rica, which is 66% of all neo-tropical species and 18 percent of all species in the world.
As if that wasn’t enough beauty flitting all around you, Costa Rica is also home to 50 of the 338 known species of hummingbirds, including the smallest known species: the male scintillant, which only weighs about 2 grams, The largest hummingbird in the world also thrives in Costa Rica: the violet sabrewing, which weighs around 11.5 grams.
