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Most of the world seems to be in a funk these days. Autumn leaves have fallen, the days are getting shorter. The Boys of Summer are freezing their bats off and nearly ready to put them away until Spring. A Costa Rica vacation may be just what the doctor ordered. Here are some great reasons to take that Costa Rica vacation now.

1. Airfares have not been this low in years. The world economic downturn has come to Costa Rica. Tourism in Costa Rica is down by at least 15% this year, presenting terrific travel deals to a frugal, informed traveler . Want affordable luxury? Budget-conscious folks who travel Costa Rica can rent very nice Costa Rica hostels (some with private rooms) for about $12.00. If you are a bit more flush with cash, but still looking for a deal, the Hilton Papagayo Resort is offering rates as low as $160.00 a night. Seniors can get an extra discount. Travel Tip: always ask the hotel, resort, or hostel if there is a discount for cash. And, keep in mind that the very best rates are between May to mid-November and the highest prices are over the holidays.

2. With nearly 800 miles of coastline on two oceans visit some of the exquisite Costa Rica beaches. Fish off of Drake Bay, named after Sir Francis Drake, who visited the southern Costa Rica Pacific coast a decade before sinking the Spanish Armada and saving England in 1588. You can even explore the same Caribbean beach where Columbus landed six centuries ago. Sandy beaches, coral and shell beaches, and boulder strewn beaches are everywhere.

3. Frolic on the same Costa Rica beaches enjoyed by Britney Spears or Mel Gibson (you need to bring your own Russian model). Do not forget to bring your surfboard because some of the best surfing on the planet is found here. Most beaches are completely free but if you prefer to visit a very popular national beach park called Manuel Antonio, there will be a small entry fee.

4. Become an ecotourist. Costa Rica ecotourism has become a booming industry and is helping to preserve endangered sea turtles, exotic macaws, and many other species while bringing in much needed revenue to local communities. Be sure to check out Ostional National Preserve on the popular Pacific Gold Coast, where thousands of olive ridley sea turtles come ashore in massive nestings, called “arribadas”, perhaps the largest spectacle of its kind in the world. Arribadas happen every month but the biggest (sometimes involving hundreds of thousands of turtles) typically are when the moon is in its last quarter during the months of July to November.

5. Called the “Switzerland of Latin America,” this mountainous little country has nearly as many species of birds as in the entire continental U.S. and more species of butterflies than are found in all of Africa. Incredibly one of every five animal and plant species in the world are found in this country. It even has the only butterfly that makes a sound and a vegetarian spider.

6. If you are adventurous and fit, visit magnificent Corcovado National Park on the southern Pacific Coast, a place National Geographic describes as “the most biologically intense place on earth.” Though small, it is true wilderness that hosts the largest remaining population of scarlet macaws in all of Central America, including sloths, tapirs, monkeys, and six kinds of wild cat, including the spectacular jaguar, not to mention some of the tallest primary forest remaining in this part of the world. Bring your camera, bug repellant, and band-aids for blisters.

About the author: Vic Krumm lives in sunny Costa Rica. Visit his popular website about Costa Rica Vacationsand if you like big adventure on the high seas look at Costa Rica Humpback Whales Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

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A very long time ago, the first olive ridley sea turtles began swimming in the oceans of the world. Today, these ancient reptiles are in danger, a fact that is really difficult to believe because, after all, they have been with us—before there was an us— more than 100,000,000 years.

To put this into a bit of perspective, consider the terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex. It roamed the North America continent sixty-five million years ago and, as surely as day follows night, it ate olive ridleys when they came onto beaches to nest.

Over unimaginable eons, these beings have flourished, despite being eaten by just about everything under the sun for tens of millions of generations. Probably thirty million generations were preyed upon by dinosaurs and other reptiles and fish before the first T Rex evolved and, since then, another 70,000,000 generations have fed a lot of critters. Still, they flourished.

They even survived the greatest extinction on the face of the planet. Indeed though all of the mighty dinosaurs perished—they lived and flourished.

Over millennia, spreading across the face of the planet, these ancient mariners populated every temperate and tropical ocean. From the Arabian Sea to the Atlantic coast of the American continents and from India to the Pacific coast of the New World, they thrived all around the world. Tens upon tens of millions.

In 1951, the same year that Americans began to watch “I Love Lucy,” the oceans were filled with olive ridley turtles. Mexico’s Pacific coast alone had ten million olive ridley nests when the first episode of that television show aired and every nest had about 100 eggs per clutch. That is about a billion eggs. A billion eggs laid along just one coast of Mexico in just one year. And, remember, these marine turtles were found virtually everywhere in warm or temperate waters. The numbers were limitless.

Of course, where there is a limitless resource, there is profit to be had. With so many eggs that were so easily gathered and so much easy money to be made, unconstrained capitalists put together huge pack trains of horses and mules and brought them to the beaches. These animals carried off hundreds of millions of eggs each nesting season, year-after-year. And, to the consternation of some, it came as a shock that within about 20 years or so, there was only one nest in one year on a beach where there had been several hundred thousand when Desi, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred made us laugh the first time. Alas, this catastrophe was being replicated all around the world.

At the same time, many countries opened olive ridley fisheries.

Within just one generation of one species, us, nearly all of the olive ridley sea turtles that had inhabited this planet for a hundred million generations were nearly wiped off the face of the earth. What had seemed impossible proved insanely easy: limitless became endangered in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, some countries finally realized the extent of depredation and began taking steps to conserve and protect these turtles. Tiny Costa Rica has helped lead the way, creating reserves and working with dedicated conservationists and local residents to not only conserve what is left but to rebuild stocks.

Today, Ostional Beach, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, almost certainly has world’s largest arribadas of olive ridleys. Every month, often when the moon is in its last quarter, female turtles gather close to shore for several days and suddenly come to the beach in large groups, over the course of several days and nights. The greatest arribadas are often in October, November, and December and the biggest arribada in recent years was 500,000 females coming ashore in 1995. If you want to experience extraordinary Costa Rica ecotourism, this is a must-see.

Costa Rica finally recognized that these ancient creatures are worth more than the sum total of their meat and eggs. But what about Mexico? Remember that pathetic single nest on the beach that had once been overflowing with olive ridley sea turtles? Well, the government finally decided to protect it. By 1988, it had recovered to 50,000 nests. Twelve years later there were 1,000,000 nests.

With a little help from Nature and mankind, the olive ridley will have another 100,000,000 years.

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A very long time ago, the first olive ridley sea turtles arrived in the oceans of the world. Today, they are endangered, a fact that is really difficult to believe because, after all, they have been on this planet more than one hundred million years.

Want some perspective about just how long 100,000,000 years are? Consider Tyrannosaurus Rex, the most terrifying dinosaur the planet has ever seen. This “Terrible Lizard” terrorized the North America continent seventy million years ago, and it feasted on these ancient turtles when they came onto beaches to lay their eggs.

These ancient beings have flourished for unimaginable eons, despite being eaten by just about everything under the sun for millions of generations. Incredibly, probably 30,000,000 or more generations of marine turtles were preyed upon by dinosaurs and other reptiles and fish before the first Tyrannosaurus Rex came into existence and, since then, another seventy million generations have suffered the same fate. Still, they flourished.

Marine turtles even survived the greatest extinction on the face of the planet, a calamity that killed all of the mighty dinosaurs—and yet the turtles flourished.

They spread, over millennia, across the face of the globe, until these oldest of all reptiles populated all of the tropical and temperate seas. They were common from the Arabian Sea to the east Atlantic coast of the Americas and from the Pacific coast of the New World to India. Tens upon tens of millions, and maybe even more, of olive ridleys.

When I was a child everybody loved watching “I Love Lucy.” When the first episode of that popular comedy aired, the seas were still filled with olive ridley turtles. On Mexico’s Pacific coast alone, there were 10,000,000 olive ridley nests that year—1951— and each nest contained about 100 eggs per clutch. That is a billion eggs on a single coast in just one small country. A billion eggs every year. And, of course, these sea turtles were found virtually everywhere there were warm or temperate waters. The bounty was limitless.

So many eggs, so easily gathered, so much money to be made. During the incredible arribadas, or nestings, of olive ridleys, huge pack trains of horses and mules carried out hundreds of millions of eggs each nesting season. And, so it was that within twenty years, there was but a single nest in one year on a beach where there had been several hundred thousand nests when we laughed at Lucy the first time. Alas, this was being repeated around the world.

At the same time, many countries opened commercial marine turtle fisheries.

Within a single generation of one species, us, nearly all of the olive ridley sea turtles that had been around for 100,000,000 generations were nearly wiped out. What had seemed impossible proved insanely easy: limitless became endangered in the blink of an eye.

However, as more and more countries finally realized the extent of depredation, some have begun taking steps to conserve and protect these turtles. Tiny Costa Rica has created important wildlife reserves and worked with dedicated conservation groups and the local people of Costa Rica to rebuild stocks.

Today, Ostional Beach, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, almost certainly has world’s largest arribadas of olive ridleys. Every month, often when the moon is in its last quarter, female turtles gather just offshore and suddenly come to the beach in large groups, over the course of several days and nights. The greatest arribadas are often in October, November, and December and the biggest arribada in recent years was 500,000 females coming ashore in 1995. If you want to experience extraordinary Costa Rica ecotourism, this is a must-see.

Costa Rica has come to recognize that these extraordinary creatures are worth more than the value of their meat and eggs. And Mexico? Remember that pathetic single nest on a beach once filled with turtles? Well, the government finally decided to protect it. Slowly, it recovered to 50,000 nests in 1988—and then up to several hundred thousand nests in 2000.

With a little help from God and mankind, the olive ridley will have another 100,000,000 years.