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Regional
Guide
San
José
San José is the country’s most highly populated
province. Located in the Central Plateau, it extends to
the northeast, crossing the impressive mountains of the
Central Mountain Range, which includes national parks,
forest reserves and fertile lands, with an abundance of
coffee plantations.
Costa Rica’s capital, San José, is situated in
the Central Valley. It’s an extense plain, with towering
volcanoes and green hills, honoring the natural richness
that exists throughout the national territory.
Its architecture is diverse, as may be the people walking
its streets. In the north sector of the city you can find
the most refined samples of urban development of the early
last century. There are many houses and buildings of European
inspiration, built with a profound Costa Rican sense of
style.
Among the most representative places of the city, we can
mention the National Theater, Costa Rica’s pride, and
historically, house to some of the best artists, national
as well as foreign. Inaugurated in 1897, fruit of the
determination of merchants, intellectuals and politicians,
who were able to identify the importance an opera house
could have, to present the best artistic productions in
the world.
Nonetheless, a list of world class museums, parks, hotels,
theaters and historic buildings, are some other options
to be discovered by the thousands of tourists visiting
San José yearly.
Once in the city, visitors may choose among dozens of
one-day tours to the most outstanding natural places,
inside and out of the Central Valley, as well as having
access to a great variety of sports adventures and activities
for exploring.
Climate
Sunny mornings can be very pleasant, but overnight temperatures
can dip to near freezing, especially from November to
January. Bring layers of clothes for being comfortable
when out walking around in the varied climate conditions
during the course of a day. Take along sun block because
if it is sunny the thinner air and cooler temperatures
in the highlands can cause you to burn without your even
knowing it until it is too late.
Heredia
Heredia is Costa Rica’s smallest province, and has just
75,000 inhabitants. A great number of adobe houses can
be seen along the communities of Barva and Santo Domingo.
The city of Heredia, best known as 'City of the Flowers',
was founded in 1762.
In Heredia you still find an important number of coffee
plantations, many of which have been adapted to perform
guided visits with tourists. It can be delightful to enjoy
the captivating process of harvesting, drying and roasting
of coffee beans.
Within the province of Heredia, you will find Barva volcano,
a formidable colossus located at the west part of Braulio
Carrillo National Park, which rises 2.906 meters over
sea level. The surrounding vegetation is astonishing;
an ideal place for bird watching, especially for those
who dream with the magnificent quetzal. Braulio Carrillo
National Park itself represents the greatest natural richness
near the Central Valley. A tropical rainforest, home to
hundreds of plant and animal species. The dense vegetation
of the park safeguards many cascades and rivers, some
of which are used in sports adventures. Sarapiquí
River is another of the attractions of the province. This
imposing river travels through dense vegetation, where
birds are abundant and, has an ideal current for those
who enjoy the rapids, with a moderate degree of difficulty.
Climate
Like the province of Alajuela, Heredia includes a portion
of the Central Valley and the Central Volcanic Cordillera,
but the majority of its territory lies in the northern
lowlands, south of Nicaragua. The geographical variation
contained within this province gives it as wide a range
of climatic conditions as any of the provinces, from warm
and humid lowlands, to cool and damp highlands, to the
mild but seasonally wet and dry Central Valley.
Guanacaste
Guanacaste is known for its cattle ranching production
and spectacular beaches. It is the driest region of Costa
Rica, particularly the coastal areas.
Guanacaste became part of Costa Rica in 1825; until then,
it had remained an independent province. This territory
has a very important natural and cultural richness, for
Costa Rica’s economy. Some of the best beach hotels in
the world are found on the beaches of Guanacaste. There
are an abundance of hotels, cabins and restaurants. From
budget to luxury, accommodations can be found to suit
every budget and taste.
Panamá Beach, in the north area of the province,
is one of the good options for tourism. A quiet place
with white sand and easy waters, invite you to enjoy a
care-free weekend. Cocos Beach features as one of the
most popular spots, due to its nightlife and great number
of visitors; and without having to travel much you can
reach Flamingo Beach, an ideal place for those preferring
a mix of good hotels and a quiet atmosphere. There are
also Ocotal and Hermosa beaches, among the favorite of
Guanacaste’s coast. Grande Beach is located further south,
and along with Las Baulas National Park, is a sanctuary
for thousands of leatherback turtles (baula) arriving
to spawn on its coasts each year. Tamarindo offers a blend
of white-sand beaches and mangroves; sea birds and iguanas,
making it a perfect spot for those wishing to live in
harmony with nature.
Many other beaches along the coast of Guanacaste will
complete a matchless natural offer. Carrillo Beach, Ostional
Beach, Manzanillo or Coyote, are some of those destinations
giving the greatest province of Costa Rica its reputation
In Guanacaste you can enjoy authentic traditional Costa
Rican dishes to international flavors.
Santa Rosa National Park is located to the north of the
province. It is a jewel of the tropical dry forest, counting
with a remarkable biological inventory. Likewise, embedded
in the Guanacaste Mountain Range, are the Tenorio, Orosi,
Miravalles and Rincón de La Vieja volcanoes, the
latter surrounded by the national park of the same name.
Climate
The weather throughout the province of Guanacaste is characterized
by being hot with well-defined wet and dry seasons. The
one exception is the highland portion of the province
which consists of the upper Pacific-facing slopes of the
volcanoes in the Guanacaste Cordillera and the northern
half of the Tilarán Cordillera. The cool, moist
conditions along these ridges support luxuriant cloud
forests. Elsewhere, the natural vegetation type originally
found in Guanacaste is tropical dry forest.
Puntarenas
Known as the "Pearl of the Pacific", Puntarenas
is the largest province of Costa Rica. Its main attraction
is its Pacific coastline, extending over more than 500
miles down to the Panamanian border.
This vast province offers a variety of beaches, national
parks and natural reserves of an extraordinary ecological
importance, since it is a transition area between the
dry tropical lands of Guanacaste and the green forests
of the Central Pacific.
The city of Puntarenas receives hundreds of tourists daily
from the many cruise ships visiting it's port. Some of
these ships are travelling with the Panamá canal
as destination, which allows passengers to explore Costa
Rica’s inland, only to meet their cruise ship some days
later at the port of Limón, in the Caribbean.
Carara’s Biological Reserve constitutes one of the best
showcases to the natural heritage of Puntarenas. Some
portions of the reserve are available to tourists, and
professional guides, who are allowed to explore some restricted
areas, may be hired.
Manuel Antonio National Park, is another of the destinations
of the province of Puntarenas. With its impressive white-sand
beaches, blue waters of the Pacific and a small rainforest,
this park is one of the smallest in Costa Rica, but one
of the most highly visited.
Manuel Antonio is one of the few places in Costa Rica
where the spider monkey (Titi) still lives. Within the
park you may also find over 100 species of mammals and
an equal number of bird types.
Also belonging to Puntarenas, another feature is the Corcovado
National Park - located south, and constituting the habitat
of important endemic species such as the gold frog - as
well as the Tárcoles River, whose banks are guarded
by hundreds of American crocodiles
Great food, especially seafood, plus the well-known carnivals
held each summer, and the warmth of its people, are some
of the nice surprises expecting tourists visiting this
province.
Climate
Being Costa Rica's largest province, Puntarenas includes
practically all of the climate types found in this small,
but tremendously varied, country. From tropical dry forest
to rain forest, and from mangrove swamp to cloud forest
to subalpine paramo.
Cartago
The province of Cartago is the oldest province of Costa
Rica. This town was the first Costa Rican Capital and
according the Tourism Institute, it conserves the richness
of the colonial times. The catholic religion is perhaps
the most deeply rooted here. In the city there is the
Basilica of the Virgin of The Angels, which has its own
story and traditional celebration every year. This province
is famous for the ruins of the Saint Bartholomew Church
which was destroyed by an earthquake while still under
construction at the beginning of the last century. Cartago
is an agricultural province and the people use to sow
very good qualities of potatoes, onions and ornamental
plants.
This interior province consists primarily of the Reventazón
River valley and the surrounding high mountains to the
north (Irazú and Turrialba Volcanoes) and south
(Cerro de la Muerte and Mount Chirripó) and is
situated practically entirely on the Atlantic side of
the continental divide. Therefore, the moisture brought
in by the trade winds directly affects most of the province,
although the city of Cartago itself is in the rain shadow
of the 3,432 meter high Irazú Volcano and as a
result is one of the driest parts of Costa Rica, after
the lower portions of Guanacaste province. The overall
high elevation of Cartago province and frequent cloud
cover combine to impart relatively cool temperatures throughout
the year.
Climate
Moisture brought in by the trade winds directly affects
most of the province, although the city of Cartago itself
is in the rain shadow of the 3,432 meter high Irazú
Volcano and as a result is one of the driest parts of
Costa Rica, after the lower portions of Guanacaste province.
The overall high elevation of Cartago province and frequent
cloud cover combine to impart relatively cool temperatures
throughout the year.
Alajuela
Is one of the most extense provinces of Costa Rica, is
known as "The Land of Mangoes". Its territory
spreads to the north, reaching the boundary with Nicaragua.
Alajuela was founded in 1848.
This province has a great natural richness. Its uneven
topography includes the rainforest and exuberant plains
to the north. Visitors have a choice of the two most impressive,
active volcanoes of the country: Arenal volcano, in the
City of San Carlos and the Poás Volcano, at the
Central Volcanic Mountain Range.
Poás volcano is one of the most splendid volcanoes
in Costa Rica, for its beautiful landscape. Around it
you may appreciate different habitats, from the cloud
forest to areas of scarce vegetation, where species have
become adapted to emissions of gas and the climatic factor
characteristic of a volcano. While the Arenal volcano,
with its beautiful conic silhouette, is one of the most
active in the world. Its charm is enhanced at night, when
the color of its eruptions and lava rivers can be fully
appreciated. Many of the hotels offer a panoramic view
of the volcano and its evening show.
In Alajuela you will also find colorful cities like San
Ramón, Zarcero and Sarchí, places to buy
crafts and admire woodcarving and painting of Costa Rican
craftsmen.
The Biological Reserve of the Monteverde Cloud Forest,
is a natural reserve founded by a community of dairy farmers
4 decades ago. This reserve is home of hundreds of exotic
species of plants and animals, meaning 400 bird species
and 2500 species of plants. Monteverde also has a living
laboratory, to welcome visiting scientists each year.
A great variety of hotels and restaurants may be found
throughout the province offering a variety of accommodations
and foods suitable to the taste and budget of every visitor.
Climate
Alajuela with the warm and sunny climate that characterizes
the city of the same name and the various towns in the
western end of the Central Valley that also belong to
this large and populous province. Wetter, and much cooler,
conditions exist along the Caribbean-facing slopes of
the cordilleras, which reach a height of 2,704 meters
above sea level on the summit of Poás Volcano.
Limón
Limon is a paradise on the caribbean, formed by a combination
of dense jungles, imposing mountains, and beautiful beaches.
Limón has the highest percentage of protected land
in Costa Rica, as well as a wide variety of flora and
fauna. Its vegetation is exuberant, as are the cultures
meeting throughout the province.
The road to Limón from San José, crosses
the majestic Braulio Carrillo National Park. At this point
begins a beautiful journey to the lowlands of the Caribbean.
A significant change in temperature and landscape can
be experienced. One of the most exuberant areas of Limón
is Tortuguero National Park, at the north part of the
province. A vast extense of protected land and the most
important of the Atlantic coast of the American continent,
for the spawning of the green turtle.
The city of Limón is the point of arrival for visitors.
It is a port, which is essential in Costa Rica’s economic
life, and the greatest living example of the multicultural
meeting experienced in this region thoughout history.
Travelling south, you will find Cahuita, a typical Caribbean
villa. This town has become popular among tourists, and
represents the essence of a culture, and the beauty of
Cahuita National Park, which protects an important expanse
of coral reefs.
If you enjoy watersports, this is the place. For snorkelers,
the underwater scenery is marvelous, with a wide chain
of coral reefs, composed of different types of coral and
occupied by an immense variety of tropical fish.
Another important point in the Caribbean province is Puerto
Viejo, about 30 minutes from Cahuita. Here you find a
profound respect for the cultural identity of its people.
A combination of music, beaches and food, so characteristic
of the place, are the elements attracting thousands of
tourists year by year.
Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge is located
just at the end of the coastline, almost at the border
with Panamá. This refuge protects a large portin
of the beaches and sea, for the spawning of 4 species
of turtles.
In Manzanillo you can rent kayaks and glide through the
gentle mangroves in search of birds and reptiles characteristic
of the area.
Along the coastal area, travelers find many options for
lodging and dining. The vast majority of hotels and cabins
are small and formed of traditional Bungalows, a very
particular type of construction of the Caribbean. Restaurants
offer local caribbean cuisine as well as the more internationally
recognized dishes.
The province of Limón possesses a unique culture
in Costa Rica, a way of life that may be fully appreciated
during the traditional carnivals held each year, an experience
of rythms, and euphoric and captivating colors.
Climate
Limón is the only one of Costa Rica's seven provinces
to be entirely on the Caribbean side of the Continental
Divide, and thus its weather is directly affected by the
flow of warm, moist air brought in off this body of water
by the northeast trade winds. The result is a climate
with no real dry season, even though it does tend to be
less rainy in the months of March, April, September, and
October, and typically rains the most in June, July, August,
November, and December. The lowland regions remain warm
and humid year-round, while the higher portions are both
cooler and wetter.
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