Just 10 years ago, visitors to Costa Rica consisted largely of adventurous shoestring backpackers and wave-hungry surfers who stretched their beer money by holing up in cheap dives. It's not difficult to see what attracted those hardy travelers. Jagged, high-altitude cloud forest inland
gives way to steamy jungles lining the coasts. Visitors can spot wild scarlet macaws in flight and rare sea turtles nesting on isolated beaches. There's no reason to watch National Geographic when you can live it.
Costa Rica is coming of age--and grappling with new challenges to the environment that has fueled its growth. As word about its...