Northwestern Costa Rica - Costa Rica - page 484

vanna woodland, oak forest, deciduous forest, evergreen forest, riparian forest, mangrove
swamp and coastal woodland.
Hiking
Near Hacienda Santa Rosa is El Sendero Indio Desnudo , an 800m trail with signs inter-
preting the ecological relationships among the animals, plants and weather patterns of
Santa Rosa. The trail is named after the common tree, also called gumbo limbo, whose
peeling orange-red bark can photosynthesize during the dry season, when the trees' leaves
are lost (resembling a sunburned tourist…or 'naked Indian', as the literal translation of the
trail name implies). Also seen along the trail is the national tree of Costa Rica, the
guanacaste . The province is named after this huge tree species, which is found along the
Pacific coastal lowlands. You may also see birds, monkeys, snakes and iguanas, as well as
petroglyphs (most likely pre-Columbian) etched into rocks along the trail.
Behind La Casona a short 330m trail leads up to the Monumento a Los Héroes and a
lookout platform. There are also longer trails through the dry forest, including a gentle
4km hike to the Mirador , with spectacular views of Playa Naranjo, which is accessible to
hikers willing to go another 9km along the deeply rutted road to the sea. The main road is
lined with short trails to small waterfalls and other photogenic natural wonders.
On the road to Playa Naranjo, and about 8km from shore, you'll pass a trailhead for the
Mirador Valle Naranjo . It's a short 600m hump to a viewpoint with magical Naranjo vis-
tas.
From the southern end of Playa Naranjo there are two hiking trails: Sendero Carbonal
is a 5km trail that swings inland along the mangroves and past Laguna El Limbo, where
the crocs hang out; Sendero Aceituno parallels Playa Naranjo for 13km and terminates
near the estuary across from Witch's Rock.
There's also a 6km hiking trail that starts where the northern branch of the access road
terminates - this leads to the biological research station at Nancite; you'll need prior per-
mission to access this beach. You'll also need to park in Naranjo and walk the 3.5km back
to the Sendero Nancite trailhead, from where it's an additional 7km to the secluded beach,
where there's no water source, so plan extensively and carefully.
Surfing
The surfing at Playa Naranjo is truly world-class, especially near Witch's Rock , a beach
break famous for its fast, hollow 3m rights (although there are also fun lefts when it isn't