Caribbean Coast Hardly Mentioned

[Kelly Clark]

Hi:

My wife and I are planning a two week trip to Costa Rica and really want to explore the Caribbean Coast but hardly anyone ever mentions it in any of the articles. We were thinking of flying into San Jose, renting a car and driving over to Limon. From there we would like to explore North and South of Limon. Is the Caribbean Coast just not developed at all or what since no one ever mentions it. We don’t mind roughing it a bit and love to seek out hidden gems in countries that have been overlooked by tourists. Does anyone have any expert knowledge of the CR Caribbean Coast or know of some guide books that cover that region?

Thanks,
Kelly Clark

[Wendy Reimer]

Kelly,

I am certainly not an expert, but I’ve read a lot and also noticed there is little to no activity on this forum unfortunately.

I’ve heard a few things about the Caribbean coast. It’s certainly less developed and prone to more power outages. Limon has some cri e to be aware of. They get more rain on this coast. Sounds like Puerto Viejo is a good/safer place on that coast to visit. I’m a newbie. So that’s all I can offer.

Wendy

[Kathleen Evans]

Hi Kelly,

Thanks for reaching out. Sorry for the slight delay in getting back to you. I am Kathleen, the Coastal Correspondent at IL. And as you guessed, there is a lot less discussion about the Caribbean side of CR, due in part to less development and being a bit more isolated geographically. Wendy is correct also. Although I have not experienced any more power outages on that side than I do on the Pacific side – which are fairly minimal these days.

Last month I worked on updating a travel piece for our website and wanted to share with you some notes regarding that region, which you will find below in quotes.

“Tortuguero-Colorado Canals:
Located in the country’s northeastern Caribbean region, this area includes the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge and Tortuguero National Park. It’s a floodplain of amazing, interconnected canals, waterways and lagoons. One of the rainiest areas in the country, you can travel through the region by boat, canoe, or kayak, visiting such beautiful spots as Cano Palma and Penitencia Lagoon. The region’s lush cloud forest makes it a favorite spot for canopy tours, as well. On the coast is a large national park that protects the beaches favored by nesting sea turtles. Lodges in the tiny town of Tortuguero (reachable by plane or boat only) offer guided tours, meals, and accommodations as package deals.

Puerto Viejo, Limon:
Most of the Costa Rica Caribbean coast consists of the aforementioned national parks to the north. The remainder of the southern coast certainly deserves a mention too. The large and industrial port city of Limon (pop 60,000) is not a city on most tourist’s radar, however, there are a number of cruise ships sailing there (2018 cruises on Holland-America, Princess, Carnival, MSC, Norwegian Cruise Lines all port in Limon). Thus, creating several tour businesses to take tourists to all of the unique places in the area, such as the national parks, white water rafting, banana plantations and the sloth sanctuary.
Development has not taken over the southern wetlands and beaches where mostly you will find a few sleepy enclaves of fishing villages as well as the lively Afro-Caribbean beach town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. This town offers visitors a variety of casual restaurants and bars, live music, along with accommodation for all budgets. Everything here has a flair of the islands, and this is where jerk sauces delightfully fuse with traditional casado plates. And reggae dances with salsa. A short drive south to the end of the road will take you to the border crossing with Panama.”

Best of luck with your trip planning. Pura vida! -KE

[Country Expert john michael arthur]

Hi there Kelly,
Sorry for the delay in answering. I and a whole host of other IL correspondents and editors were at the IL conference in Atlanta, and we were completely tied up for the entire time trying to answer the myriad questions from the 500 attendees that were there. Normally we endeavour to reply with 24 hours. The forums aren’t a venue where we initiate conversation, but one where we answer questions that folks like you have once you’ve posted them. The posting goes to the IL office and then it is parceled out to the appropriate correspondents.

You’re right that there is less information about the Caribbean but not because it is any less beautiful. Just a bit more remote and a bit less developed. For some people, that’s just what they are looking for; for more folks, they are looking for something a bit more “americanized.” So, more “air-time” is given to the other areas.

That said, I just wrote an article about the Caribbean that was published in the Costa Rica Insider last week.
Check it out; I love the Caribbean side.
JMA

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