Introduction
Costa Rica is the Central American state forming the land-bridge between North and South America and it has a surprising diversity of terrain (see General section). In the cities and towns, the country’s Spanish heritage provides the main features of interest. Elsewhere, Costa Rica’s national parks are its greatest glory.
The capital was founded in 1737 and is a pleasant mixture of traditional and modern Spanish architecture. Places of interest include the Teatro Nacional, the Legislative Assembly building, and the Parque Central, east of which is the Cathedral. The National Museum and the Museum of Gold are also worth a visit. There are numerous other parks in the city, including the Parque Nacional, the Parque Bolivar and the Parque Morazán.
San José is a good centre for excursions into the beautiful Meseta Central region. The nearby town of Cartago was founded in 1563, but there are no old buildings as earthquakes destroyed the town in 1841 and 1910. However, some of the reconstruction was in the colonial style. Excursions can be made from here to the crater of Irazú and to the beautiful valley of Orosi, with its colonial church.
There are numerous beaches, ports and towns worth visiting. The biggest is Puerto Limón; others include Guapiles, Tortuguero, Barra del Colorado, Cahuita and Puerto Viejo.
Costa Rica’s principal Pacific port for freight is Puntarenas. The beaches around it are rather poor, although San Lucas Island, just off the port, has magnificent beaches. Another island worth a visit is Isla del Coco where a great hoard of treasure is supposed to have been buried by pirates. Puerto Caldera, a few miles south of Puntarenas, has recently become the country’s premier port of call for cruise liners. Quepos, Nicoya, Liberia and Samara are the region’s other major towns. There are beautiful beaches in the Guanacaste area, near Quepos in the Central Pacific and near Golfito in the South.
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