Southern Costa Rica

Introducing Southern Costa Rica

In the oft-overlooked southern zone, the mist-shrouded peaks of the Cordillera de Talamanca descend dramatically into agricultural lowlands and raging river valleys, offering a completely different landscape to the rain forests and beaches on the coasts.

The well-trodden tourist trail does not traverse the southern sector – at least not yet. You’ll be hard-pressed to find the resort hotels and fast-food chains that cater to norteamericanos in other parts of the country. Instead, you’ll find limitless opportunities for bird-sighting, fly-fishing and mountain trekking. Not to mention the country’s friendliest, most welcoming Ticos (though you may have to speak Spanish to appreciate them).

These hard-working, simple life–loving locals are employed primarily in agriculture. The countryside in the northern part of the region is carpeted with coffee plantations and family-run fincas (farms); while further south, African palms and banana plants dominate the landscape.

Southern Costa Rica is home to the country’s single largest swath of protected land – the virtually unexplored Parque Internacional La Amistad, which extends across the border into Panama. The regional capital – the bustling town of San Isidro de El General – also serves as a gateway to nearby Parque Nacional Chirripó, home to the nation’s highest mountains.

And while Monteverde is the country’s most famous cloud forest, southern Costa Rica offers many other equally enticing opportunities to explore this mystical habitat. If you hope to spy the quetzal, you can start looking at the Parque Nacional Los Quetzales, the country’s newest national park that was named in his honor.

Last updated: Mar 31, 2009