The Atlantic SlopeSights

Sights in The Atlantic Slope

  1. A

    Parque Vargas

    The city’s main attraction is the waterfront Parque Vargas, an incongruous expanse of bench-lined sidewalks beneath a lost little jungle of tall palms and tropical flowers, centered on an appealingly decrepit bandstand.

    reviewed

  2. Isla Uvita

    This island is most famous as the site of Columbus' landing on his last trans-Atlantic voyage. It's also a popular destination for surfers, for its thrilling (and often punishing) left reef break. Those in the know claim that this is the most powerful left in Costa Rica, with 3m (9.8ft) waves on good days. Ask around the pier to hire a boat for the trip. Pack a picnic, as there are no facilities on the island.

    reviewed

  3. Playa Bonita

    While not the finest beach in the Caribbean, Playa Bonita offers sandy stretches of seashore and good swimming, conveniently close to Limón. Surfers head to Bonita for its point/reef break, which makes for a powerful (and sometimes dangerous) left. Just north, Portete is a small bay with a wicked right working off the southerly point.

    reviewed

  4. B
  5. Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo

    Enter this underexplored national park and you will have an idea of what Costa Rica looked like prior to the 1950s, when 75% of the country’s surface area was still covered in forest: steep hills cloaked in impossibly tall trees are interrupted only by cascading rivers and canyons. It has an extraordinary biodiversity due to the range of altitudes, from steamy 2906m cloud forest alongside Volcán Barva to lush, humid lowlands on the Caribbean slope. It’s most incredible feature, however, is that this massive park (the size of Rhode Island) is only 30 minutes north of San José.

    Founded in the 1970s, Braulio Carrillo’s creation was the result of a unique compromise bet…

    reviewed