Costa Rica’s province of Heredia, stretches from the Central Valley in the south, all the way up to the border with Nicaragua in the north. Heredia covers 2,657 km2 and has a population of more than 375,000 inhabitants. The borderline between the provinces of Heredia and Alajuela in the west is a straight line going up to the Nicaraguan border. On the east most of the borderline of Heredia with the Province of Limon is naturally formed by the Chirripo River. After the first Spanish settlement in Costa Rica was founded in Cartago, settlers came to province of Heredia and founded the village of Barva, named after the volcano on which hills it was located. Development was limited to the southern part of the volcano. The fertile volcanic soil of this part of Heredia allowed plantations to prosper. The near by Sarapiqui river was used for transportation of agricultural products. The Barva region stayed isolated until the 1960’s. Costa Rica’s province of Heredia houses two National Parks: the Barva section of the Braulio Carillo National Park and the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge. Other attractions in Heredia form the famous, active Poas Volcano and the Sarapiqui area, a birdwatcher’s paradise and favored destination for white water rafting. Unique for Costa Rica are the class 4 and 5 rapids, which allow families with children to enjoy a thrilling ride, starting in La Virgin. Downstream on the Sarapiqui River you can take a more quiet boat trip to the Rio Sucio (Dirty River) to experience the extremely rich wildlife in this part of Heredia. La Selva Biological Station is one of the oldest and most respected research sites of Costa Rica. More than 50 universities in Costa Rica and the United States of America, joined in the Organization for Tropical Studies operate La Selva in Heredia and two other ones: Las Cruces (on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica near the Panamanian border) and Palo Verde (within the Palo Verde National Park in the province of Guanacaste). La Selva protected a vast area of primary tropical rain forest in a part of Heredia that was widely deforested for agricultural purposes. Heredia’s Sarapiqui region hosts more than 440 species of birds (which is more than 50% of all birds in Costa Rica), more than 70 species of bats, 1850 species of plant flora. The province of Heredia is easily accessible. From San Jose a multitude of busses leave towards the city of Heredia, and a variety of tours are offered including transportation to the Poas Volcano, coffee plantations close to Heredia and the La Paz waterfalls. From the bus terminal Del Caribe comfortable public buses leave to other destinations in Heredia, such as Sarapiqui.