Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Caribbean Coast
Why Go
While the sunny climate and easy accessibility of the Pacific have paved the way (literally)
for development on that rich coast, the Caribbean side has languished in comparison. The
same rain-drenched malarial wildness that thwarted the first 16th-century Spaniards from
settling here also isolated this region for centuries afterward. Thus, its culture - influenced
by indigenous peoples and West Indian immigrants - blended slowly and organically and
is distinctly different from that of the rest of Costa Rica. It still takes a little more effort to
travel here to see the nesting turtles of Tortuguero, raft the Río Pacuare or dive the reefs of
Manzanillo. Life is more rugged and rustic on this coast, allowing wildlife to thrive. And
it's well worth tasting its unique flavors: the
rondón
(spicy seafood gumbo), the lilt of
patois, and the uncrowded stretches of black-sand beaches.
