Northwestern Costa Rica

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Northwestern
Costa Rica
Why Go?
Includes 
Monteverde
& Santa Elena. . . . . . .
Bosque Nuboso
Monteverde. . . . . . . . .
Montes de Oro . . . . . .
Volcán Tenorio
& Around . . . . . . . . . . .
Volcán Miravalles
& Around . . . . . . . . . . .
Liberia . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parque Nacional
Rincón de la Vieja. . . .
Sector Santa Rosa. . .
193
209
213
216
220
223
228
233
Best Places
to Eat
¨¨Café Caburé (p206)
¨¨Café Liberia (p226)
¨¨Hummingbird Café (p218)
¨¨Monteverde Cheese
Factory (p200)
¨¨Orchid Coffee (p205)
What did you come to Costa Rica for? To lounge on pristine
beaches and ride glorious waves? To hike up volcanoes and
soak in geothermal springs? To spy on birds and monkeys
and get lost among ancient trees? The northwestern corner
of Costa Rica packs in all this and more. Unlike any other
part of Costa Rica, Guanacaste – in the far northwest – is
a wide, flat expanse of grasslands and dry tropical forest,
where savanna vistas are broken only by windblown trees.
Further east, the Cordillera de Guanacaste rises majestically
out of the plains in a line of sputtering, steaming volcanic
peaks that beg exploration. Further south, higher altitudes
create a misty, mystical cloud forest, teeming with life. What
did you come to Costa Rica for? Here it is…
When to Go
¨¨Guanacaste
is Costa Rica’s driest province, getting very
little rain from November to April, when the winds bless
(and blast) Bahía Salinas.
¨¨By
contrast, the ‘green’ season is very, very green in the
cloud forest.
¨¨From
May to November, there are much fewer tourists
and prices for accommodation are reduced.
¨¨Humpback
and October.
¨¨Other
Best Places
to Sleep
¨¨Casitas Tenorio (p217)
¨¨Capulín Cabins & Farm
(p202)
¨¨Celeste Mountain Lodge
(p217)
¨¨Hotel Belmar (p204)
whales migrate up the coast in September
seasonal events to watch out for are the
blooming of the yellow cortezes in March and the fiestas
Guanacastecas that occur throughout the year.
192
Sapoá
NICARAGUA Peñas
Golfo de
Santa Elena
Bahía
Salinas
NICARAGUA
de Nicaragua
(Lago Cocibolca)
El Tigré
Colón
La Cruz
La Azucena
Islas
Solentiname San Carlos
El Cairo
Santa
Cecilia
4
Correa
Papagayo
LIBERIA
Guanacaste
Panamá
El Coco
Isla Santa
Catalina
Lomas de Barbudal
Filadelfia
Parque Nacional
Belén
Marino Las Baulas
de Guanacaste
El Viejo
Parque Nacional
Refugio Nacional Wetlands
Laguna Mata Palo Verde
de Tamarindo
Redonda
Tamarindo
Villareal
Refugio Nacional de
Vida Silvestre
Ostional
Península
de Nicoya
Nosara
Sámara
Carrillo
PACIFIC
OCEAN
0
0
Rí
o Gr
ande
Islita
El Castillo
Parque
Nacional
Volcán
Santa
Arenal
Elena
Las Juntas de
Abangares
Monteverde
Cloud
Forest
18
1
Canopy
Puente de la
Amistad
Manzanillo
Santa
Ana
Volcán
Arenal
(1633m)
Reserva
Santa Elena
Puntarenas
Isla
Chira
Rancho
Grande
a
an
Indígena
Matambú
Hojancha
Tilarán
Río
Chiquito
ic
er
Refugio Bosque Nicoya
Nacional Diriá
Reserva
Cañas
m
Paraíso
L Nuevo
de agunArenal
Are a
nal Unión
142
1
Corobicí
Caño
Negro
ra
te
In
Guaitil
27 de
Abril Santa Parque Nacional
Cruz
Barra Honda
San José
de Pinilla
6
164
Llanos
de Cortés
Los
Chiles
San Rafael
de Guatuso
Parque Nacional
Volcán Tenorio
Bagaces
Sardinal Reserva Biológica
Jua
n
Refugio Nacional
de Vida Silvestre
Caño Negro
Pi
Rí
o
Santa
Parque
El Carmen
Elena
Refugio Nacional Puerto Nacional Volcán Orosí
Soley
Guanacaste (1487m)
de Vida Silvestre
México
Bahía Junquillal
1
zo
Volcán
Volcán
te
San
Cuajiniquíl Cacao
Rincón
(1659m) de la Vieja Volcán Santa José
Poza El
Murciélago
Upala
Zona
Quebrada
General
(1916m) María
Sector
Protectora
Grande
(3772m)
Santa Rosa
Playa
Miravalles
Aguas
Naranjo
Portrerillos
Rinconcito
Claras
Bahía
Islas
San
Parque Nacional
Naranjo
Murciélago
Bijagua Miguel
Rincón de la Vieja
Volcán
Volcán
Cañas
Curubandé
Miravalles
Tenorio
Dulces
Guayabo
(2028m)
(1916m)
Golfo de
Fortuna de
Bagaces
oS
Rí a
n
El Ostional
Isla de Ometepe
(Nicaragua)
Cárdenas Lago
Blancas
Reserva
Biológica
Isla Pájaros
Golfo de Isla
Nicoya Caballo
Jicaral
Río Blanco
Miramar
y
Lepanto Ferr
Barranca
PUNTARENAS
Playa
Puerto
Naranjo
Caldera
Bejuco
San Francisco
Jabilla
Paquera
de Coyote
Pochote
Curú
Tárcoles
Tambor
20 km
10 miles
Cóbano
Santa Teresa
Mal País
Montezuma
Cabuya
Northwestern Costa Rica Highlights
1 Spotting the resplendent
quetzal through the mist
at one of the reserves near
Monteverde (p193).
2 Making like a monkey by
zipping and swinging on the
Cloud forest canopy tour
(p198).
3 Checking off your bird
list at Parque Nacional Palo
Verde (p221), Costa Rica’s
largest wetland sanctuary.
4 Hiking along the raging
Río Celeste at the Parque
Nacional Volcán Tenorio
(p218), and marveling at her
cerulean-blue waters.
5 Cooling off with a refreshing
waterfall shower and bath at
Llanos de Cortés (p223).
6 Trekking past waterfalls,
thermal pools and volcanic
vents at Parque Nacional
Rincón de la Vieja (p228).
7 Surfing the legendary
Witch’s Rock at Playa Naranjo
(p235).
8 Satisfying your need for
speed with a kitesurfing course
at Bahía Salinas (p238).