Costa Rica Blog

Limon is a beautiful province of Costa Rica, located on the eastern tip of the country. It limits to the northeast with the Caribbean Sea to the west with Heredia, Cartago and San José with Puntarenas in the southwest and southeast with Panama. Limon is the pearl of the Costa Rican Caribbean. Is marked by great cultural diversity with a predominantly black population and with important roots of indigenous culture in Costa Rica, the Afro-Caribbean, white and Chinese, each group brings to the area its own style. It is the area where cultures converge more than in any other side of the Costa Rican territory. It has a warm climate, typical of the coast and humid, with an average annual temperature of 25.5 º C. The marks of historical temperature in Limon are 35C and 15C. It is located about 209 km from San Jose. Located south of the province in the Cordillera de Talamanca are the highest peaks in the country, most notably the Cerro Chirripo, highlight point of the geography of Costa Rica with 3819 meters above sea level and whose night temperature drops to below zero degrees in the dry season, with a historic mark of 9 ° C below zero. In 1973 it was reported as a brief snowfall at its summit.

Limon has located in its territory the oil refiner RECOPE and several state institutions as JAPDEVA. It has a little industrial area and is dedicated mostly to agriculture. It has the largest banana production in the country that makes Costa Rica the second largest exporter of the fruit. Also is the largest lemon producer in the world. This region suffered a devastating earthquake in 1991. Its port is the largest in Costa Rica and one of the largest container transit centers in Latin America. Christopher Columbus, Italian navigator who discovered America in 1492, arrived in this province, specifically to the Island Uvita, in September 18, in 1502.

The name of the province is because it was a lemon tree, in front of the governor’s office in the area, which was the only of its kind.
Lemon was a sparsely populated area because the attacks of mosquitoes and pirates during colonial period. During that time was inhabited by indigenous groups like the Huetar, Suerre, Pococí. Its development began with the leasing of land from U.S. companies seeking to establish their banana plantations. The first center of population began with the leak of Indians to high and inaccessible mountainous areas, exodus that lasted until independence. Focus of Indians as mentioned above, its first urban settlements began with the black slaves brought from the banana plantations, it was believed that they would not stay long in the territory for which their studies were conducted with the texts brought from Jamaica by which a variety of mix of English, Spanish and French is still preserved in the coastal area of Limon.

Limon offers 336 km of white sands, palm trees and beaches and lush national parks that protect tropical rain forests and coral reefs as well as hundreds of species of flora and fauna in danger of extinction. In this province is located all the Caribbean coast of the country.
Tortuguero National Park, located in this zone, contains the largest sample of protected tropical rainforest and here you can travel through their channels and rivers, to observe the flora and fauna, see the spawning of sea turtles and have the opportunity to observe more than 300 species of birds within which lies the beautiful green macaw, the Pavón and toucans. In this zone are carried out major scientific research and has become a special item for the scientific and ecological tourism. The place is also famous for the wide diversity of marine ecosystems, such as Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo, Uvita Island, Punta Uva, Cocles and Gandoca-Manzanillo. The carnivals in the city of Limon is one of the most famous popular parties in the province, and is celebrate in October when it commemorates the arrival of the Spaniards to land in Costa Rica.

Considered by many as one of the best beaches in Costa Rica, Playa Zancudo is a glorious black sand beach located 20 kilometers south of Golfito in the province of Puntarenas. Is an ideal place to spend a holiday day relaxing, Playa Zancudo offers to backpackers, surfers and families, a beautiful place away from the bustle and the activity of other beaches of Costa Rica. With beautiful landscapes intact and totally natural surroundings, this beach is a heaven for those who want a relaxing environment.

Playa Zancudo is a beach relatively calm, is believed to be the best swimming beach in the south Pacific coast of Costa Rica. However, what people do not know is that this is an excellent beach for surfing and fishing. Located on the south bank of the Rio Coto Colorado, Playa Zancudo is also near a mangrove swamp which provides an excellent opportunity to see lots of wildlife on the site. The tourist can observe many birds, monkeys and crocodiles that live here.

With a strip of 6 kilometers of beach almost totally flat, the crystal waters of the Pacific Ocean fall quietly at the shore of the beaches of Playa Zancudo creating a gentle wave ideal for everyone to enjoy and relax. While the northern part of the beach is calmer, the south part is much more intense enough for surfing. For those who enjoy the boggie boarding or surfing, the central part of the beach at Playa Zancudo is ideal.

With its spectacular sunsets, this beach turns into the night in a magical kingdom full of stars, while the small marine life glow illuminating the waters of the beach to present a unique and beautiful spectacle. During the day Playa Zancudo has a great view over the Golfo Dulce within the bay. An ideal haven for backpacker and surfers because of its excellent surfing, Playa Zancurdo has very cheap accommodation, excellent food, a good number of bars, restaurants and discos and a casual atmosphere with friendly inhabitants making it the ultimate getaway for a holiday.

Here, the Pacific Ocean is your amusement park where you can give free rein to a variety of water sports including scuba diving, sport fishing, snorkeling, water skiing, horse riding and kayaking tours to the nearby Rio Coto Colorado. For those tourist who like to enjoy activities on the land, they can also visit the Botanical Gardens Orchid House or walk along the trails near the river.

Playa Zancudo can be reach by bus from Golfito or take a water taxi from the docks. If you choose to travel by boat, be sure to bring your camera because you will have countless opportunities to take fabulous pictures along this magnificent coastline.

Puntarenas is a coastal city located in the province of Puntarenas, the longest in Costa Rica. He is currently the largest city in the Pacific coast. It is located 120 kilometers west of San Jose. Until a few decades ago it was one of the most important fishing ports of Costa Rica. Geographically it is located in the Gulf of Nicoya and has played an extremely important historical role in the history of Costa Rica.

As it was mentioned earlier, this city functioned as an important fishing port, however at present serves primarily as a port stop for many cruise ships plying the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Because there is still important fishing activity at the site, Puntarenas offers a wide variety of delicacies from the sea like fish, shrimp and lobster among others.
The city of Puntarenas attracts crowds of tourists every year because it is used by travelers as a starting point for addressing the numerous beaches and islands located in the area that are famous for their natural beauty. From Puntarenas the tourist can travel to Playa Tambor, Playa Malpais, Playa Dona Ana, Playa Naranjo, Isla San Lucas and Isla Cedros among many other destinations. Also can be accessed many national parks and biological reserves highly valued by tourism, such as the National Park Carara, Manuel Antonio National Park, Forest Reserve Monte Verde and Santa Elena Forest Reserve. For tourists from Costa Rica visiting Puntarenas during public holidays or weekends is a tradition of many years.

Puntarenas is a very attractive city, one of its most interesting features is the famous Paseo de los Turistas that travels throughout the coastal area adjacent to the beach and which is formed by a beautiful line of trees and palms. On weekends, this city becomes a very interesting place to visit with a variety of bars, discos, restaurants and accommodations for all tastes. The beach itself is not very suitable for swimming because the waters are very murky, but it is the perfect place to rest and relax with a sunbath.

Because of their unusual buildings and structures that can be found through the city is an interesting experience to visit and to know the place to see hotels and restaurants where you can enjoy delicious sea food. Among interesting places to visit there is an ancient church that is worth visiting. Another important place to visit is the House of Culture that stands out for its excellent concerts and cultural activities of all kinds. In Puntarenas take place very colorful festivals and celebrations that can be very attractive for tourists as the Fiesta de la Virgen del Mar in July and the Puntarenas Carnival in February.

The quiet little town of Sierpe is located about 30 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean along the Rio Sierpe at only 15 miles south of Palmar del Sur and a few miles from the Pan-American Highway. Is the main access for those wishing to go to Corcovado National Park or Isla del Caño. Sierpe is a small town dedicated to banana cultivation located about 280 kilometers south of San Jose City in the province of Puntarenas. The best way to get to Sierpe is on a domestic flight from the Juan Santamaria International Airport until Palmar in the South and from there take a boat or a water taxi that will lead there.

The village of Sierpe is located in the splendid Valley Diquis and is a key coastal port, usually used by tourists wishing to explore the beautiful and untouched Osa Peninsula, famous for its nature. Besides being Sierpe a colony settled near the Rio Sierpe, is a village which has complete commercial services, adequate hotels and luxurious lodgings for all budget with also a good number of restaurants and bars. It is used by many transportation waterway companies as a starting point for boat tours that are going to discover this beautiful region of the country. Sierpe is also used by many hotels in the province as a starting point to pick up the tourists who make tours in the region.

From the point of view of conservation, Sierpe is an important town since it serves as a gateway to one of the largest mangrove reserves in Latin America. The National Wetland Térraba-Sierpe it is located where the mouths of rivers Sierpe and Térraba unite and contains some of the world’s largest mangrove. It is habitat for an incredible diversity of indigenous animals of all kinds like birds and reptiles, including turtles, crocodiles, monkeys, alligators, frogs and many more. This wetland is a wonderful place so impressive that must be visited by all those who are in Sierpe.

In addition to the mangrove reserve, Sierpe offers to the travelers the best fishing opportunities of Costa Rica throughout all the year. There are enough local shops that sell hooks, bait and other fishing equipment. In these shops the tourist can rent or buy the necessary things that will use during their fishing trips at comfortable prices. Sierpe offers not only fish but also wonderful diving expeditions for those who want to prove more exciting activities.

As for its nightlife Sierpe has nice bars and restaurants which offers a quiet but very nice ambient for those tourist who likes to enjoy a festive atmosphere without too many people and bustle.