Tortuga Island with its palm-fringed beaches—the setting for Windstar's signature beach barbecue.

Cruise calendar for this port.

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The beautiful and peaceful Tortuga Island lies off the Southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. The tip of the peninsula is home to fabulous laid back villages, outstanding pristine beaches and gorgeous reserves and wildlife refuges.

Snorkeling is the main pastime.

If you plan to travel outside the towns: protection against mosquito bites is very important, wearing lightweight long pants, long sleeved shirts and using insect repellents with high concentrations of DEET is recommended by the CDC

Costa Rica is Spanish for rich coast. As such, one can expect to find this place to be the ideal tropical paradise. A native song is that the Virgin Mary came down to Costa Rica and never went back to Heaven.

Costa Rica is often called the Switzerland of Central America.

There is such biodiversity in Costa Rica not only because it's a land bridge between North and South America, but also because the terrain is so varied and there are weather patterns moving in from both the Pacific and Atlantic/Caribbean. There are impressive volcanoes, mountain areas, rivers, lakes, and beaches all throughout the country. There are many beautiful beaches - most of the popular ones are on the Pacific side but the Caribbean has many excellent beaches as well.

The local currency is Colón(es). The rate of exchange is about 490 Colones for 1 US Dollar. You can find ATMs in most places. They normally dispense US Dollars and Colones. Traveler's checks are rarely used.

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Spanish is the main language in Costa Rica. English is used widely in areas populated by international tourists.

The emergency number in Costa Rica is 911

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