Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Public bus-boat transportation from Cariari is the cheapest transport option. Take the 4am
or 2pm bus from Cariari to Puerto Lindo (US$5, 2½ hours), then transfer to the boat for
Barra del Colorado (US$6, 45 minutes). Return boats from Barra del Colorado to Puerto
Lindo leave at 5am and 3pm.
An alternative, more scenic way to reach Barra del Colorado is by chartering a boat
from Tortuguero. The 90-minute trip costs upwards of US$100 (price varies depending on
gas prices, season and number of passengers). A recommended guide is
Roberto Abram
(
8818-8749)
, who can be contacted through Casa Marbella in Tortuguero village; he also
leads local river trips originating in Barra del Colorado.
Otherwise, most folks get here on air charters from San José arranged by the individual
lodges.
SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN
The southern coast is the heart and soul of Costa Rica's Afro-Caribbean community. Ja-
maican workers arrived in the middle of the 19th century to build the railroad and then
stayed on to serve as labor for United Fruit. After the banana industry began its decline in
the 1920s, government-mandated segregation kept the black community here. For more
than eight decades, they existed independently of the rest of Costa Rica, managing subsist-
ence farms, speaking English and Mekatelyu, eating spicy Caribbean gumbos and swaying
to the beat of calypso. Although the racial borders fell in 1949, the local culture retains its
unique traditions.
Also in this area, to the interior, are some of the country's most prominent indigenous
groups - cultures that have managed to remain intact despite several centuries' worth of
incursions, first from the Spanish, later from the fruit industry and currently from the glob-
alizing effects of tourism. They principally inhabit the Cocles/Kèköldi, Talamanca Cabécar
and Bribrí indigenous territories.
Naturally, this fascinating cultural bubble wouldn't remain isolated forever. Since the
1980s the southern coast has seen the arrival of surfers, backpackers and adventurous fam-
ilies on holiday - many of whom have stayed, adding Italian, German and North American
inflections to the cultural stew. For the traveler, it is a rich and rewarding experience -
with lovely beaches to boot.
