Sights in Costa Rica
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Cerro Chato
The La Catarata de la Fortuna falls are the trailhead for this seriously strenuous five- to six-hour climb to the beautiful lake-filled volcanic crater that is Cerro Chato. Starting from here, you’ll have to pay a US$10 fee for crossing the finca (farm) leading to Cerro Chato; a slightly cheaper (though you’ll still pay a fee) and only slightly less physically taxing alternative would be to hike up the other side from Arenal Observatory Lodge.
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Parque Central
The somewhat shady but not particularly picturesque Parque Central frames Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción de María. The park is also the seasonal hangout of the Nicaraguan grackle, a tone-deaf bird that enjoys eating parrot eggs and annoying passers-by with its grating calls.
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Parque Central
The city’s central park is more of a run-down plaza than a park. At its center is a grandiose bandstand that looks as if it was designed by Mussolini: massive concrete arches support a florid roof capped with a ball-shaped decorative knob.
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Volcán Arenal
Arenal was just another dormant volcano from about AD 1500 until 29 July 29 1968, when something snapped. Huge explosions triggered lava flows that destroyed three villages, killing about 80 people and 45,000 cattle. Although it occasionally quieted down for a few weeks or even months, Arenal produced menacing ash columns, massive explosions and streams of glowing molten rock almost daily from 1968 until it all quite abruptly ended in 2010.
Still, any obituary on the Arenal area is quite premature given the fact that the volcano has retained its picture-perfect conical shape despite the volcanic activity, and there is still plenty of forest on its lower slopes and in the…
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Avenida 2
Heading inland from Parque Vargas, Avenida 2 is the pedestrian mall that caters to the cruise-ship traffic. Keep an eye out for vendors selling home-burned CDs by local hip-hop and reggaetón bands; you can also expect to see CDs by Los Trinitarios, a Limón band that has been fusing calypso and salsa since the ’70s.
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Cerro Arenal
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Cerro Chirripó
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Cerro Terbi
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Cerro Urán
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Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge
Located on the Pacific coast 3km northeast of Dominical on the road to Quepos, this wildlife refuge forms a key link in a major biological corridor called ‘the Path of the Tapir.’ It comprises more than 330 hectares of private and state-owned land that has been protected from hunting since 1976. The range of tropical habitats that may be observed here include pristine beaches, riverbanks, mangrove estuaries, wetlands, selectively logged forests, secondary forests, primary forests, tree plantations and pastures.
This diversity of habitat plus its key position in the Path of the Tapir biological corridor accounts for the multitude of species that have been identified in…
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La Casona
Historic La Casona, the main building of the old Hacienda Santa Rosa, is near park headquarters in the Santa Rosa sector. Unfortunately, the original building was burnt to the ground by arsonists in May 2001, but was rebuilt in 2002 using historic photos and local timber. The boulder foundation is still authentic, and there are other 19th-century charms such as wagon wheels, a restored adobe kitchen and one prominently displayed yoke on the porch eaves, not to mention those fabulous old shade trees around the Casona corrals. Two hiking trails leave from behind the museum.
The battle of 1856 was fought around this building, and the military action, as well as the region’s…
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La Selva
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Llano Bonito
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Los Crestones
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Mike's Jungle Butterfly Farm
Mike's beautiful mountainside property includes a lovely butterfly garden. He'll give you a tour if you make reservations in advance, and you can camp here too.
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Museo Municipal de Cartago
Occupying a former military barracks, this museum opened in 2010, bringing a little high-tech sophistication to historic preservation. It houses a digital library and a warren of galleries that feature a permanent collection as well as art and multimedia exhibitions and musical performances.
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Parque Internacional La Amistad
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Parque Nacional Barra Honda Caverns
You can only explore the caves with a guide from the Asociación de Guías Ecologistas de Barra Honda, which can be arranged at the ranger station. A guide charges about US$36 per person, US$52 for two, not including park admission. The descent involves ladders and ropes, so you should be reasonably fit and must be at least 12 years old.
The only cave with regular access to the public is the 41m-deep La Terciopelo, which has the most speleothems – calcite figures that rise and fall in the cave’s interior. The best known of these is El Órgano, which produces several notes when lightly struck. Scientists and visitors must obtain permits to enter other caves. These include…
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Parque Nacional Corcovado
Famously labeled by National Geographic as ‘the most biologically intense place on earth,’ Parque Nacional Corcovado is the last great original tract of tropical rainforest in Pacific Central America. The bastion of biological diversity is home to Costa Rica’s largest population of scarlet macaws, as well as countless other endangered species, including Baird’s tapir, the giant anteater and the world’s largest bird of prey, the harpy eagle. Corcovado’s amazing biodiversity has long attracted a devoted stream of visitors who descend from Bahía Drake and Puerto Jiménez to explore the remote location and spy on a wide array of wildlife.
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Parque Nacional Palo Verde
The 184-sq-km Parque Nacional Palo Verde is a wetland sanctuary in Costa Rica’s driest province. It lies on the northeastern bank of the mouth of Río Tempisque, and at the head of the Golfo de Nicoya. All of the major rivers in the region drain into this ancient intersection of two basins, which creates a mosaic of habitats, including mangrove swamps, marshes, grassy savannas and evergreen forests. A number of low limestone hills provide lookout points over the park, and the park’s shallow, permanent lagoons are focal points for wildlife.
The park derives its name from the palo verde (green tree), which is a small shrub that’s green year-round and abundant within the…
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Port Captain
Opposite the large Muelle de Golfito (where yachters check in when arriving).
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