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Emerge yourself in Nature
The Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica in the Province of Limon beckons you to enjoy its 130 miles of sandy beaches and coconut palms. It runs from the northeast to the southeast and can be divided into two distinct sections:
1) Tortuguero National Park & Barra del Colorado, extending from the border with Nicaragua to the city of Limon and
2) Limon to Rio Sixaola, extending from the city of Limon to the border with Panama.
The journey from the Central Valley to the Caribbean Coast is an exquisite natural experience taking you through the virgin forests of the impressive Braulio Carrillo National Park, passing by waterfalls and canyons.
The country’s most important port, Puerto Limon was founded in 1870 as a port city to export coffee and bananas from Costa Rica to various parts in the world. |
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One of the oldest cities on the continent, Puerto Limon was established in 1502 when Christopher Columbus landed here during his exploration of the New World.
The Caribbean is a mixture of influences combining indigenous people with African and Spanish, resulting in a rich cultural combination reflected in colorful edifications and spicy foods with traditional and authentic flavors, influenced mainly by the Afro-Caribbean culture.
The area offers different accommodation options, ranging from deluxe rainforest lodges to layback bungalows nestled in tropical gardens.
Apart from holding a great deal of Costa Rica’s history, the Caribbean Coast is blessed with a dense rainforest, a place to breathe pure air and simply relax on its golden sand beaches, layback in your hammock or visit one of the many wildlife sanctuaries. The main attractions of the area are Tortuguero National Park in the north and Cahuita, Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo in the south.
Tortuguero National Park is one of the rainiest and most biologically diverse regions in the country, a natural network of waterways runs through the park, connecting navigable lagoons, of great scenic beauty, forming the habitat for turtles, monkeys, manatees (sea cow) and crocodiles. Wildlife observation is an important activity. The beach at Tortuguero National park is the most important nesting site in the Western Caribbean for the green sea turtle. Hugh leatherback and hawksbill also visit these beaches to nest.
Barra del Colorado to the far north offers world-class tarpon and snook fishing.
Cahuita National Park has beautiful golden sand beaches as well as a large portion of one of the most important coral reefs in the country with a wide variety of marine life; including many species of tropical fish, crabs, sponges, anemones and sea weed.
Puerto Viejo beach is an active Caribbean town with plenty of activities such as surfing, snorkeling, fishing, and horseback riding; however many people enjoy visiting Puerto Viejo just to relax on the beach under the shade of a coconut tree during the day and to party all night long.
Gandoca/Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge was created to protect flora (seagrass beds, mangrove - and primary forest) and fauna (coral, 3 species of monkey, sloth, crocodiles, caiman, manatees, dolphin and 358 species of birds) as well as protecting the nesting beach used by the Leatherback turtle, and to a lesser extent the Green and Hawksbill turtles. Manzanillo beach is a sheltered white sand beach protected by offshore coral reefs and Gandoca beach is a black sand beach with a medium to steep slope.
The laid-back Afro-Caribbean lifestyle of the region is irresistibly alluring. It is the perfect place to shed the pressures of the concrete jungle.
| Estimated driving times: |
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| San José - Limon city: |
3 hrs |
| San José - Puerto Viejo: |
4 hrs |
| San José - Tortuguero: |
6 hrs (3 hrs by ground & 3 hrs by motorboat) |
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| Domestic Flights available: |
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| San José – Limon: |
(30 min. flight) |
| San José – Tortuguero: |
(30 min. flight) |
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