Without a doubt, Costa Rica is a beautiful, spectacular country and a premier tourist destination. Most people, though, have never heard of its natural gem, Corcovado National Park. This teeny park covers only 100,000 acres (about 42,000 hectares) of the Osa Peninsula, situated along the south Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and protects eight unique habitats. It is unlike almost anywhere else on the planet and the largest remaining primary forest in Central America.

Most tourists do not realize that Costa Rica got its name from Christopher Columbus who explored the Americas in 1502. He sailed the Caribbean from Mexico south, landed south of what is now Limon, Costa Rica, and named his discovery ‘Costa Rica’ or the ‘rich coast’. We can only imagine what he saw along the way. Spectacular tropical forests covering Central America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Waters teeming with fish, porpoises, and whales. So many sea turtles that seafarers, lost in the fog, found shore simply by listening to the sounds of tens of thousands of animals paddling towards nesting beaches. Alas, the passage of five centuries has not been kind to either the forests or animals and today most of the primary forests from Mexico to South America have been cut down or burned. Fortunately, Costa Rica had the good sense to preserve Corcovado and its primary rainforest.

Columbus never saw Corcovado. The first Western explorer to see it was Sir Frances Drake (remember him? The sea captain who destroyed the Spanish Armada in 1588 and saved England from Spain) who landed just north of the Osa Peninsula in a beautiful place now named after him: Drake Bay. The bay serves as the gateway to Corcovado.

Do not be misled by the tiny size of this gem. Though it is less than 160 square miles in size (your daily commute is probably larger) this national park protects has been described by National Geographic as ‘the most biologically intense place’ on the planet. There are 400 species of birds in an area only about 20 miles long and 8 miles wide. How intense is this? Consider. The continental United States—48 States—has 900 or so different species. The largest remaining population of magnificent Scarlet Macaws in Central America lives there, some 1000. Visitors are regularly able to watch these birds in flight or feeding near the shoreline. The mangrove swamps, montane forest and jolillo palms of Corcovado provide a home for 139 different species of mammal and 116 species of amphibian and reptile. The mammals (including six species of wild cats) represent a 10th of the species of mammals still alive in the Americas and are supported on only 0.000101777% of the landmass.

Rare frogs such as the red-eyed tree frog, poison-arrow frog and the enigmatic glass frog are all found here. And this park is one of only a handful of sites in Costa Rica where you will find squirrel monkeys. At night, fishing bats literally scoop fish from the rivers.

The seemingly deserted beaches of the park provide a nesting ground for four species of sea turtle and because of the large tapir population jaguars and crocodiles also inhabit this area. They prefer to hunt around the edges of the Corcovado Lagoon and are often sighted. The footprints of this large carnivorous cat are often found in the mud trails which surround the lagoon.

The forests of Corcovado are as impressive as the rainforests of the Amazon, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This area receives as much as 400 cm or rain annually and torrential rains fall during the April to December months. It is best for visitors to plan a trip to Corcovado in the dry months which are January to April.

The Garmin Handheld GPS Foretrex 201 is a very accurate and technologically advanced receiver that can be worn like a wrist watch. Like other Garmin Handheld GPS receivers, they are the most popular gps units in the world. Not only accurate but rugged so you can use them for any outdoor activity for navigation.

One of the great features of the Garmin Handheld GPS Foretrex 201 is it’s light weight and size that allows it to be worn like a wrist watch. It has total dimensions of 3.3 inches x 1.7 inches x 0.7 inches and a weight of a mere 2.75 ounces. Even with it’s small size and weight it is accurate and durable for all outdoor adventures. The black and white LCD screen screen measures a generous 1.4 inches x 0.92 inches for easy viewing. The screen has a pixel size of 100 x 64 pixels.

Anytime in your outdoor excursions, you can be located by another member of your party if they also have a Garmin Handheld GPS receiver. This is possible by using Garmin’s exclusive TracBack feature. Usin this feature a Garmin receiver will show a dotted line to your current position. Also by using the TracBack feature you can precisely retrace your route so their is not a danger of you becoming lost. The Foretrex 201 is very technologically advanced for such a small unit in size.

The Garmin Handheld GPS Foretrex 201 allows you put in up to 500 of your favorite locations with a computer and serial cable. You may also download maps from the internet of your favorite fishing or hunting locations. You can also add your parked car or your camping spot while on your adventure. It is very convenient to be able to locate your parked car without help in unfamiliar territory.

If you compete in competitive events your Garmin Handheld GPS Foretrex 201 has a timer you can use to keep up with elapsed time in the event. The display screen is of generous size and allows easy viewing with just a glance. It is versatile and usable in any outdoor situation. The Foretrex 201 is durable but does not float when dropped in water. It has a sensitive receiver and stays locked in on the satellite signals under most conditions people encounter.

Once you get the box that the Garmin Foretrex 201 comes in, do not throw the owner’s manual or the quick start guide away; they will be very helpful in the future. As far as accessories are concerned such as holsters and clips, as well as adapters; you will have to purchase them separately.

The Garmin Foretrex 201 is a fun and useful gps receiver to use. It is accurate and will add pleasure to any of your outdoor forays. Everyone can benefit from using this remarkable device.

Garmin Handheld GPS receivers are the best selling gps units in the world for a good reason. They are durable, accurate and are pleasurable to use. The Foretrex 201 is no exception and will give long service.

[1:7:T] If you are like many people, you love to travel. If you travel, at some point in time you will get lost in unfamiliar territory. People often get robbed or even killed because they lost their way and ended up in areas that were unsafe. If you buy a gps receiver you can eliminate losing your way. The Garmin Handheld GPS 60 receiver is an excellent choice for many reasons.

This Garmin hand held receiver is the best companion to have on your sojourns abroad. Its economical, sturdy and has some great features. In fact the features of Garmin GPS 60 resemble those of 60-series color navigators but it comes cheaper and more in your budget. The Garmin Handheld GPS receiver has many features and is economical to purchase.

Waterproof and robust: Whether you want to go hiking or water rafting you dont have to worry about the Garmin Handheld GPS 60. Its sturdy and waterproof and takes in some real rough handling.

The Garmin Handheld GPS 60 receiver is never difficult to read with it’s large LED lighting background. It is visible in total darkness, moonlight as well as bright sunlight. It features a large 4 level gray scale display.

The Garmin Handheld GPS 60 is WAAS enabled which means it is more accurate than those that do not use WAAS technology. With WAAS technology you will know within 3 meters your exact location. WAAS technology does not cost any extra charges for the GPS 60. Wide Area Augmentation System technology is called WAAS for short.

Longer battery life: The Garmin Handheld GPS 60 has a long battery life of up to 28 hours at a stretch. Hence, its battery can last for 28 hours so you dont have to worry about it often.

You can connect your Garmin Handheld GPS 60 both via serial and USB connection to your computer and download all the maps and the places of interest. You can even download maps and scenic routes on to your GPS 60 from the Garmin website.

Your Garmin handheld GPS 60 receiver comes equipped with 1 MB of memory which can be used for storing all kinds of destinations and has a preloaded database of world wide city point. It has games, alarm clock, and weather and moon phases information as well. So next time you want to go anywhere, just tell your Garmin60 handheld GPS receiver and set out on an adventure!