Κόστα Ρίκα – Η πιο ευτυχισμένη χώρα

It’s been a long time coming but at last Brits can enjoy direct flights from London Gatwick to Costa Rica – dubbed the world’s happiest country – thanks to Thomson Airways. The weekly service starts in November 2015 but what can you expect from this lush Central American country?

For one thing, though it is not the world’s biggest country, it has five per cent of the world’s biodiversity, across four mountain ranges, 800 miles of coastline, 200 volcanic formations and hundreds of national parks, that are easy to get to from the capital, San Jose.

One day you could be climbing through cloud forest and be visiting an active volcano the next, and later taking time out relaxing on a pristine white beach of bathing in natural hot springs and living the cowboy life on a working ranch.

But most people head here to get close to wildlife, notably cuddly sloths, white faced capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys and hundreds of tropical birds including the gorgeous quetzal – called by some birdwatchers the most beautiful bird in the world.

Costa Rica prides itself on its green credentials and this, together with its peaceful democracy (it has had no army since 1948) and abundance of natural beauty has earned it the name ‘the world’s happiest country’.