Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
take your first left after the plaza, cross the one-lane bridge, turn right and follow the signs
to Monteverde.
INTERAMERICANA NORTE
Despite Tico speed demons and lumbering big rigs, the Interamericana, which bisects the
travel hub of Liberia, offers a wide-angle view of the region. The main artery connecting
San José with Managua runs through kilometers of tropical dry forest and neat roadside
villages to the open Guanacaste grasslands, where savanna vistas are broken only by wind-
blown trees. Along the way, thin, (mostly) earthen roads branch off and wander up the
slopes of hulking volcanoes shrouded in cloud forest, skirt hidden waterfalls and meander
into vast estuaries that kiss pristine bays.
WORTH A TRIP
LA ENSENADA LODGE & WILDLIFE REFUGE
Is the 'beaten track' getting you down? Stop the tourist madness and experience
something really special at La Ensenada Lodge & Wildlife Refuge ( 2289-6655;
www.laensenada.net ; s/d/tr/q US$60/74/94/100, meals US$8-16; ). This is a wonderfully
remote 800-acrefinca(farm) and working cattle ranch, salt farm and papaya orchard.
Thanks to an ongoing reforestation effort, some 30% of the property is now covered by
trees. Containing primary and secondary forest (a rarity in this part of the country), as
well as mangrove swamps at the mouth of the Río Abangares, this property has been de-
clared a national wildlife refuge. It's an incredible setting for birding, horseback riding and
good old-fashioned rest and relaxation.
Rustic but comfortable wooden bungalows face out onto the Golfo de Nicoya, and have
private solar-heated bathrooms and private patios with hammocks - perfect for watching
sunsets (or birds). There's also a pool, restaurant, tennis courts, a romantically rickety
jetty and a terrific trail network. The place offers boat tours to the mangroves (per person
US$82), where you can glimpse dozens of bird species, caimans and crocs, as well as
horseback tours (US$27) through the tropical dry forest.
Cañas
Pop 25,900
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