|
Sparsely populated Limon province sweeps south in an arc from Nicaragua down to Panama. Hemmed in to the north by dense jungles and swampy waterways, to the west by the mighty Cordillera Central and to the south by the even wider girth of the Cordillera Talamanca, Limon province can feel like a lost, end-of-the-world place. Here you can watch gentle giant sea turtles lay their eggs on the wave-raked beaches of Tortuguero ; snorkel coral reefs at Cahuita ; surf at Puerto Viejo ; drift along the jungle canal from Tortuguero to Barra del Colorado , a major sports-fishing destination, or try animal- and bird-spotting in the many mangroves. The interior is criss-crossed by the powerful Rio Reventazon and Rio Pacuare, two of the best rivers in the Americas for whitewater rafting . Although Limon remains an unknown for the majority of visitors - especially those on package tours - it holds much appeal for eco-tourists, having the highest proportion of protected land in the country. In addition, more than anywhere else in Costa Rica, the Caribbean coast exudes a sense of cultural diversity and a unique and complex local history. The only town of any size, Puerto Limon , is a lively if jaded port town, with a large (mostly Jamaican-descended) Afro-Caribbean population, while in the south, near the Panamanian border, live several communities of indigenous peoples from the Bribri and Cabecar groups. There are few options when it comes to getting around Limon province. From San Jose to Puerto Limon you have a choice of just two roads, while from Puerto Limon south to the Panama border at Sixaola there is but one narrow and badly maintained route (not counting the few small local roads leading to the banana fincas). North of Puerto Limon there is no public land transport at all: instead, private lanchas ply the coastal canals connecting the port of Moin, 8km north of Puerto Limon, to Rio Colorado near the Nicaraguan border. There are also scheduled flights from San Jose to Barra del Colorado. A good, frequent and quite reliable bus network operates in the rest of the province, with the most efficient and modern services running from San Jose to Puerto Limon and on to Sixaola. English is spoken widely along the coast, not just in Limon but also in Tortuguero, due to the many Miskito-descended people from Nicaragua. It's very wet all year round, with a smaller dry spell in January and February. South of Limon, September and October offer the best chance of rain-free days.
Your Tip for Limon
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Limon - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Limon - visit the main Limon forum to ask a question!
|
