Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Land
The Pacific Coast
Two major peninsulas hook out into the ocean along the 1016km-long Pacific coast:
Nicoya in the north and Osa in the south. Although they look relatively similar from space,
on the ground they could hardly be more different. Nicoya is one of the driest places in the
country and holds some of Costa Rica's most developed tourist infrastructure; Osa is wet
and rugged, run through by wild, seasonal rivers and rough dirt roads that are always un-
der threat from the creeping jungle.
Just inland from the coast, the Pacific lowlands are a narrow strip of land backed by
mountains. This area is equally dynamic, ranging from dry deciduous forests and open
cattle country in the north to misty, mysterious tropical rainforests in the south.
The world-famous Organization for Tropical Studies runs three field stations and offers
numerous classes for students seriously interested in tropical ecology. See
www.ots.ac.cr
.
Central Costa Rica
Move a bit inland from the Pacific coast and you immediately ascend the jagged spine of
the country: the majestic Cordillera Central in the north and the rugged, largely unexplored
Cordillera de Talamanca in the south. Continually being revised by tectonic activity, these
mountains are part of the majestic Sierra Madre chain that runs north through Mexico.
A land of active volcanoes, clear trout-filled streams and ethereal cloud forest, these
mountain ranges generally follow a northwest to southeast line, with the highest and most
dramatic peaks in the south near the Panamanian border. The highest in the country is the
windswept 3820m peak of Cerro Chirripó.
In the midst of this powerful landscape, surrounded on all sides by mountains, are the
highlands of the Meseta Central - the Central Valley. This fertile central plain, some
1000m above sea level, is the agricultural heart of the nation and enjoys abundant rainfall
and mild temperatures. It includes San José and cradles three more of Costa Rica's five
largest cities, accounting for more than half of the country's population.
