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Costa Rica's Zona Norte ("northern zone") spans the hundred-odd kilometres from the base of the Cordillera Central to just short of the mauve-blue mountains of southern Nicaragua. Cut off from the rest of the country by a lack of roads, the Zona Norte has developed a distinct character, with independent-minded farmers and Nicaraguan refugees making up large segments of the population. Neither group journeys to the Valle Central very often, and many people of the north hold a special allegiance to and pride in their area. Geographically, the Zona Norte separates neatly into two broad, river-drained plains ( llanuras ), which stretch all the way to the Rio San Juan on the Nicaraguan-Costa Rican border. Less obviously picturesque than many parts of the country, the entire region nonetheless has a distinctive appeal, with lazy rivers snaking across steaming plains scarred by trails of blood-orange soil, and flop-eared cattle languishing beneath the draped limbs of riverside trees. Most travellers only venture up here to see the perpetually active Volcan Arenal , using the nearby town of Fortuna as their base. To the east is the Sarapiqui area, with its tropical forest eco-lodges and research stations of La Selva and Rara Avis . Further north, the remote flatlands are home to the increasingly accessible Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Cano Negro , which harbours an extraordinary number of migratory and indigenous birds. The climate in the north is hot and wet, more so in the east than in the west near Guanacaste, where there is a dry season. There's a serviceable bus network, though if you're travelling outside the La Fortuna or Puerto Viejo areas, you'd probably do better with a car. As for other facilities, the area around Volcan Arenal is best geared up for tourists, even boasting a couple of excellent five-star hotels . Between Boca de Arenal and Los Chiles in the far north, on the other hand, there is a real shortage of accommodation, though fuel and food are in good supply.
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