Costa Rica's Caribbean Beaches: Discover Them

Here is a fun, little test of your geography skills. What country:

a. Was discovered and named The Rich Coast by a world-famous explorer in 1503?
b. Was criticized by its Governor in 1519 as "the most miserable" Spanish colony and today is a hot tourist destination?
c. With war torn dictatorships to its north and south, abolished its army more than 60 years ago?
d. Is ranked No. 1 as the Happiest Place on the globe?
e. Is the first in the world to announce it will be completely carbon neutral by 2021?
f. Has reserved 25% of its country as parks and refuges?
g. Plants millions of trees every year and, in a world beset by deforestation, has restored more than 25% of its land in the last two decades?
h. Has 112 volcanoes, including from one of which a visitor can see the two oceans at the same time?
i. Has 400 miles of great Caribbean beaches waiting to be discovered?

Ready?

Costa Rica.

The Latin American country we know as Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places on earth, world-famous for its pristine waters, tropical mountains, and volcanoes. Tourists travel there for its white, brown, and black sand beaches, coral beaches, and rugged boulder strewn beaches with magnificent surf along Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Because of its many attractions and warm, hospitable people, it is one of the favorite tropical vacations for beach lovers and eco-tourists.

Explorer Christopher Columbus was the first Old World adventurer to explore the tropical waters off the Costa Rica eastern shores. He was so enthralled he named his discovery Costa Rica which means Rich Coast in Spanish. He was mistakenly convinced that the land was filled with gold but the name stuck despite the Spanish Governor's conclusion 16 years later that it was "the most miserable" colony in the Spanish New World.

Fortunately, the Spanish Governor was wrong and Columbus right (though for the wrong reasons). Better yet, Columbus left a lot of places to discover for future explorers like you and I. With nearly 400 miles of Caribbean coastline, folks are sure to find that very special vacation spot, but, if you travel this part of Costa Rica do not expect to find the same attractions that are all along along the Pacific. Indeed, the Caribbean has a distinctive Caribbean, Bob Marley, ambience.

For many nature lovers, a Costa Rica vacation is not complete without visiting Tortuguero National Park along the northern Caribbean coast. There are no roads to Tortuguero so most tourists go to Limon and travel north to the park by boat, although there are small airfields as well. Despite its remoteness, this park was voted by Costa Ricans as one of Costa Rica's Seven Wonders. Initially created as the world's largest green sea turtle nesting area, today it hosts many lodges and tours servicing fishermen and ecotourists who come to see its rivers, estuaries, and wildlife .

The community of Limon is south of Tortuguero and most tourists go through it to reach roadless Tortuguero and Barra Honda beaches north or to turn south to a number of small beach communities and mile upon mile of great beaches. Limon should be considered as merely a jumping off point to head north or south because it is not a popular destination. But, for those who travel south along the beaches Columbus sailed past, Puerto Viejo awaits. It has the dangerous but challenging La Salsa Brava wave, a spectacular large wave that tests the best surfers on the planet, particularly when at its largest between November and April. Less experienced surfers should go a bit farther south to nearby Playa Cocles.

About 25 miles south of Limon and just a short distance north of Puerto Viejo is Cahuita, a little, laid-back community with many kilometers of pristine beaches, some nearly black and others snow white. September and October are the least-rainy months of the year and visitors who come around October 12 take in Carnaval at Limon, a week-long fiesta celebrating Columbus Day. Cahuita is famous for its wonderful reef snorkeling around its two shipwrecks. Not a lot of nightlife in this little burg so hop down a few miles south to Puerto Viejo.

If you continue venturing south, the Gandoco-Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve awaits nearly at the Panama border. This is where Columbus landed and gave the country its name. Here he found, and you will, too, crystal clear tropical waters perfect for swimming. But, unlike that explorer, you will be able to go scuba diving at the country's largest coral reef. Additionally, the rare and recently discovered freshwater Tucuxi Porpoise lives only here. Visitors frequently see sea turtles nesting and fishermen love its silvery tarpon and snook. Lots of them. In the sea just offshore, in the many lagoons and rivers. Very few fishermen. But when they are here, lots of fish!

So, welcome to the Caribbean Costa Rica beaches. Pura Vida!