Travel Blog Costa Rica

Talamanca is a canton in the south of the Province of Limon, bordering Panama in the west and the south and the Caribbean sea in the east. There are not many regions left in Costa Rica where the concentration of indigenous people is high. Besides the Province of Guanacaste, the south part of the Province of Puntarenas, Talamanca are the few regions were indigenous people live in reserves. Talamanca is a mountainous, biological and agricultural rich region with protected areas such as the Parque International la Amistad and the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. It is not well know that the Talamanca region has 9 out of the 12 tropical life zones and hosts and around 60% of Costa Rica’s biodiversity. The history of Talamanca goes back to pre-Columbian times when indigenous tribes lived on the coast en higher up in the mountains. Later they were driven away by the Cabecar and Bribri Indians, who moved in from South-America. Although the Spanish conquerors and settlers tried to drive the indigenous people away, they did not succeed. In the beginning of the 19th century afro-Caribbean people were the first foreigners to successfully create settlements on the coast in Cahuita, Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo. Somehow these settlements blended in with the indigenous population. The real problems for the indigenous people of Talamanca began when the banana companies around 1900 began to acquire large amounts of land to create their plantations. The indigenous people lived using a well balanced way of living from the land by taking only what they needed to survive. The economic change disturbed the balance that the Talamanca region always had. Furthermore it forced the indigenous people either to work for the banana companies, or move away to higher, remote grounds. Of course this had a devastating effect on the indigenous culture of Talamanca. After the banana crisis in the 1940’s a new threat came in the form of extensive lumbering and the development of cacao plantations. With the arrival of a cacao disease at the end of the 1970’s the region economic and social situation rapidly deteriorated. The growing popularity of the Caribbean as a tourist destination and the return of the banana companies in the last decades of the 20th century sealed the fate of the isolated indigenous population. Until today the canton of Talamanca is one of the poorest of the country. There are some positive developments though in the indigenous reserves for the Bribri, Cabecar and Kekoldi Indians. Their culture, handicraft and organic products such as chocolate and coffee experience a growing interest of the tourist and export industry. Nowadays tours a wide variety of interesting tours to discover the rich culture of Costa Rica’s native population are open to the public. Talamanca is a jewel that offers an unequaled natural beauty, the remains of a fascinating indigenous culture and the afro Caribbean lifestyle on the coast.

For most people coming to Costa Rica, the Central Valley is the first part of the country they meet. Before landing on Costa Rica’s international airport Juan Santamaria you can observe the magnificent landscape of the valley, surrounded on all sides by the majestic mountain ranges with a lush green tropical vegetation. The Central Valley is really the heart of county, where more than 70% of Costa Rica’s population works and lives. Elevated more than 1,000 meters above sea level the Central Valley covers an area of approximately 40 by 80 kilometers. From North tot South the mountain ranges are known for their volcanic activity. In the Northwest starting with the Rincon de la Vieja and Miravalles volcanoes, more to the southeast the Arenal (a highly active volcano that is erupting non-stop flows of glowing lava during more than 35 years). Going south towards the Cordillera Central you find the Poas, Barva, Irazu and Turialba volcanoes. The south part of the Central Valley is the highest where the Talamanca mountains contain Costa Rica’s highest point; the peak of the Chirripo with an altitude of more than 3,800 meters. The Central Valley is dense populated area where once separate cities as Cartago, Tres Rios, San Jose, Heredia, Alajuela, Escazu and Santa Anna are now connected to form one vast metropolitan area. The Central Valley is also the geographical heart of Costa Rica and offers a perfect base camp for the exploration for the rest of this beautiful country. It’s worthwhile to take advantage of your stay in San Jose to visit its beautiful National Theatre, the vivid central market, Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, Jade Museum or just to enjoy the animated nightlife. If you prefer a more rural ambience the provinces of Heredia and Alajuala offer a variety of accommodations and attractions. The Central Valley is well connected by land and by air. Public transportation in Costa Rica is cheap and reliable, whether you want to discover the Pacific or the Atlantic coast. For a few dollars more you can take a small plane from San Jose to over 15 destinations within Costa Rica or in Nicaragua (Granada) and Panama (Bocas del Toro). Excursions to coffee plantations, rivers for rafting, volcanoes, waterfalls, canopy tours exist in abundance and are easily booked from almost every hotel. If you have your own rental car, take a tour through the country side and visit the many historic cities such as Cartago, Sarchi, Heredia or Grecia and connect with agricultural roots of Costa Rica.

Monteverde is the mountainous region of Costa Rica north west of San José. Since it has no airport, the only way to get to Monteverde is a four drive from San José. But Monteverde, meaning ‘Green Mountain’ in Spanish, is certainly worth the effort. In Monteverde you have the chance to admire one of Costa Rica’s most interesting microclimates the cloud forest. Monteverde has a landscape of green hills and clouds that come in at the end of the afternoon, just before sunset, often cover their peaks. Impressive to watch and after that to retreat and find a warm place in front of a fire place that many hotels higher up in the hills offer. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve stretches out over a vast area and consists of eight different ecological zones and has a fascinating wildlife. You have to be more interested in the quetzal than in a vibrating nightlife to truly appreciate this part of Costa Rica, but Monteverde has more to offer than its 400 species of birds and 100 different species of mammals. Monteverde is home the canopy tours in Costa Rica. The hills of Monteverde provide a perfect condition for adventurous an more calm version of this type of entertainment. Canopy refers to the tops of the tall tropical trees that often offer a complete eco-system, a unique experience in Costa Rica. You can chose to zip from tree to tree in Monteverde, hanging in a mountain climbing harness to which a roller is attached, or for a version where the tree tops are connected by hanging bridges. The place in Monteverde that offers it all is Selvatura Park. Looking for an adrenaline surge in Costa Rica, take their zip line tour of 15 cables. If you want to take your time to observe the wildlife of Monteverde Costa Rica, with or without a guide, opt for the treetop walk. Almost 2 miles of trails guide you trough different levels of the cloud forest of Monteverde and you find eight bridges up to more than 550 foot and to more than 200 foot high. Selvatura in Monteverde has one of the world’s biggest butterfly garden with fifty-plus species of butterflies, a hummingbird station, special for the 14 different species of cloud forest species of Monteverde and an educational center. So coming to Monteverde Selvatura is definitely a good choice. But there are more options in Monteverde. There is Monteverde’s Reserva Sendero Tranquilo, a 200-acre private reserve where you can take small, private guided tours. Bird fanatics should visit the Birds Sanctuary with more than four miles of trails offering the best of Costa Rica’s wildlife and flora. If you were not able to shoot the perfect picture in Monteverde of your favorite animal you should pay a visit to ‘The Hummingbird Gallery’, owned by the Frogden couple that spent their life taking photographs of Costa Rica’s tantalizing wildlife and have spectacular images for sale. But make sure you don’t leave Monteverde before paying a visit to the CASEM cooperation that sells beautiful clothing and artifacts. Remember that every colon or dollar you spend here benefits the local community of Monteverde. Since Monteverde is Costa Rica’s region of dairy cattle, you can’t leave this region after tasting its good cheeses. In the Monteverde Cheese Factory you can chose from more than a dozen different cheeses. Monteverde in Costa Rica stimulates all your senses and you can’t say you know the country without a visit to this magnificent region.