Liberia Overview

As the commercial center of Guanacaste and the cultural heart of this dusty cowboy region, Liberia (pop. 40,000) is more visibly entrenched in history than many other Costa Rican towns. It still, perhaps paradoxically, strives to appease a trendier crowd: surfer stores and local sodas line the street in Spanish-style, white-washed colonial houses while a flag waves above the parque central. Though Guanacaste maintains a strong sense of regional autonomy and identity, Liberia still celebrates Guancaste Day, which commemorates the annexation of the “Partido de Nicoya,” now known as Guanacaste, in 1824. An eight-day festival culminating on July 25th features the traditional tope (horse parade). Constant fiestas, dancing, concerts, bullfights, and cattle auctions in front of the University of Costa Rica make this a highly anticipated week, drawing crowds from around the country. Apart from seasonal festivities, there’s not much to see in Liberia, though it works well as a base for visits to national parks like Rincón de la Vieja, Santa Rosa, and Palo Verde.

• Flights: The airport, 13km west of Liberia, can be reached by taxi or public transportation from the 200m north of Hotel Guanacaste (buses, 9 per day 5:30am-5:30pm). Sansa (☎+1-877-767-2672; www.flysansa.com) flies to San José (1hr.; direct flights: departures 9:18am, 5:56pm (Dec.-Apr. only); arrivals 12:27pm, 5:46pm (Dec.-Apr. only); one-way US$65, round-trip US$130).
• Buses: Schedules often change; check at either the Pumitán or Central station. Buy tickets in advance for Playa Hermosa, Playa Panama, Playa Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo, Nicoya, and all international buses. Otherwise, pay on the bus. Because Liberia is a transportation hub, buses fill up quickly; arrive about 30min. early. Unless otherwise noted, buses leave from Estación Central, across from the market, to: Cañas (1hr., every hr. 5am-3:20pm, ¢550); the Nicaraguan border at Peñas Blancas via La Cruz (1hr., every 2hr. 5am-7pm, ¢900); Playa Tamarindo and Flamingo (2hr., 11 per day 3:50am-8pm, ¢920); Playa del Coco (1hr., every hr. 5:30am-6:30pm, ¢350); Puntarenas via Cañas (3hr., every hr. 5am-3:30pm, ¢1125); Nicoya via Santa Cruz and Filadelfia (2hr., every 30min. 4:30am-7:30pm, ¢785); Playa Hermosa and Panama (1hr., 7 per day 4:45am-5:30pm, ¢325). 3 companies depart for Nicaragua from Hotel Guanacaste, 2 blocks south of Estación Central. Rivas, Las Virgen San Juan del Sur, Nandaime, Granada, Masaya, and Managua can be reached on Central Line (7:30am, US$15) or Transnica (9:30am, US$20) that continues to San Salvador, El Salvador (US$80). Buy tickets from Hotel Guanacaste (☎2666 0085). Buses to San José via Bagaces leave from the Pulmitán terminal (☎2666 0458), 1 block south of the main terminal (4hr.; every hr. 4am-8pm, 9am and 3pm buses stop at Playa Coco; ¢2175).
• Taxis: Line up at the north side of the parque, as well as by Estación Central. Taxi Liberia (☎2666 7070 or 2666 3330). Taxi Porteadores (☎2665 5050 or 2665 5051).
• Car Rental: Sol Rent-a-Car (☎2666 2222 or +1-800-SOL-RENT/2765 7368; www.solrentacar.com), 250m south of the Toyota dealership on the Interamericana Hwy. From US$33 per day. Open daily 7:30am-5pm. Multiple rental options are also available on the road to the airport.

Orientation And Practical Information

The city is built on a typical grid (streets, however, are not well marked), with Avenida Central (or Av. 25 de Julio) acting as the southern border of the parque central, officially known as Parque Ruiz. Calle Central, or Calle Ruben Iglesias, is split by the parque. The oldest barrios of Cerros, Los Angeles, Condega, and La Victoria do justice to Liberia’s other name, Pueblo Blanco, with their white-washed colonial buildings. In front of the church in the main plaza sits the Frondoso Arbol de Guanacaste, an indigenous tree after which the province was named. The Universidad de Costa Rica is on the west side of town.

• Tourist Information and Guided Tours: Most of the hotels in town offer information on tourism and tours of nearby national parks. Hotel La Posada del Tope, Hotel Liberia, La Casona, and Hotel Guanacaste offer transportation and, during the dry season, various activities in the national parks. Buses for Rincón (depart 7am, return 4pm; US$20) and Santa Rosa (depart 6am, return 3pm; US$25; from Hotel La Posada). Arrange at least a day in advance with a hotel. La Posada del Tope hostel offers tourist info and the following tours during the dry season: rafting trips (US$45), trips to Palo Verde in the dry season (US$50), canopy tours (US$45), and full adventure tours (tubing, canopy tour, and horseback riding; US$85).
• Banks: Banco Nacional (☎2666 1032), 3 blocks west of the parque. Exchanges traveler’s checks and offers V cash advances. Open M-F 8:30am-3:45pm. Banco de San José (☎2666 2020), across the Interamericana Hwy. 100m on the left, under Bar LIB. Cirrus ATM and MC/V cash advances. Open M-F 8am-6pm, Sa 9am-1pm. Banco de Costa Rica (☎2665 6530), north of the church. Exchanges traveler’s checks, AmEx/V cash advances, and exchanges dollars and colónes. Open M-F 8am-4pm.
• Police: (☎2666 0213, emergency 911), on the parque.
• Red Cross: (☎2666 0016), 200m south of the hospital, east of the parque.
• Pharmacy: Farmacia Lux (☎2666 0061), 100m west of the parque ’s southwest corner. Open M-Sa 8am-10pm, Su 8am-4pm. AmEx/D/MC/V. Farmacia La Inmaculada, Av. 25 de Julio (☎2666 7657), 50m west of Banco Nacional. Open M-F 8am-10pm, Sa 8:30am-9pm, Su 4-9pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Hospital: (☎2666 0011, emergency ext. 325, or 911), 1km northeast of the parque.
• Internet Access: Pura Vida Internet, 1 block south of the parque ’s southwest corner, has the cheapest Internet in town. ¢300 per 30min, ¢500 per hr. Open daily 8am-10pm. Ciberm@nia (☎2665 2531), on the north side of the parque. Over 30 computers, printing (black and white ¢100; color ¢300), international calls (¢100 per min. to US), and Internet (¢300 per 30min., ¢550 per hr.). Open daily 8am-10pm. Planet Internet (☎2665 3737; planetliberia@hotmail.com), on C. Central south of the parque . 30 PCs. ¢350 per 30min., ¢600 per hr. Open M-Sa 8am-10pm, Su 9am-9pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Post Office: (☎2666 1649), 3 blocks west and 1 block north of the parque. Open M-F 8am-5pm, Sa 8am-noon. Postal Code: 5000.

Accommodations

There are many options in the city center. Some more luxurious hotels line the Interamericana Hwy. Rates may increase in the high season (Dec.-Apr.).

• Casa Vieja (☎2665 5826), 2 blocks south and 50m east of the southwest corner of the parque. Offers the best lodging in town without depleting your wallet. With plush couches lining the hallway leading up to a full kitchen and a covered patio with snug chairs and a TV, this new casa invites rest and leisure. Dark wooden doors open up into fresh rooms with elegant curtains, private bathrooms, and cable TV. Reception 24hr. Singles ¢10,000; doubles ¢17,000; triples ¢21,000. US$/¢.
• La Posada del Tope (}/fax 2666 3876), 1 block south of the parque. Spend the night in a 150-year-old building, in which rooms are decorated with multicolored sheets and wooden shelves hanging from a straw rope. Hidden away from the main road, entering the rustic courtyard with dark wooden picnic tables and old sewing machines is like stepping into a time warp. Beds come with mosquito nets. All rooms have cable TV. Offers tours during the dry season and transportation to Rincon and Santa Rosa (US$20). US$8 per person with shared bath, US$22 with private bath.
• Hotel Liberia (☎2666 0161; www.hotelliberia.com), 1 block south of the parque ’s southeast corner. Simple rooms are separated from the street by the hotel’s tiled patio with hammocks and pink bushes. Offers tours during dry season and transportation to parks. Laundry US$2 per kg. Parking available. Reception 24hr. Checkout noon. US$9 per person; US$11-13 with bath. MC/V/US$/¢, 16% charge for credit cards.
• Cabinas Paraíso (☎2666 3434), 500m north of the parque and 100m west of the fire station on a quiet dead-end street. Though it can be a trek to get here, simple white rooms with flowered sheets and windows that open onto a balcony await you. Cable TV in some rooms (¢1000 extra). Singles ¢6000, with bath ¢7000; doubles ¢9000/11,000; triples ¢14,000 includes TV); quads ¢18,000.

Food

For an adventurous food experience (or its alleged digestive benefits), try a very sweet traditional drink called chan, made from coyol or flower seeds, which can look like frog eggs in water. Also ask restaurants about a popular snack widely offered on buses and soda menus, chorreadas —a corn crepe-pancake hybrid eaten with cream or cheese. Those shopping for supplies can browse the outdoor street market, five blocks west and three blocks north of the parque. (Open M-Sa 6am-7pm, Su 7am-noon.) SuperCompro is one block west of the parque ’s southwest corner. (☎2666 5242. Open daily 8am-9pm.) Supermercado Palí is in front of the Palacio Municipal. (☎2666 2109. Open M-Th 8am-7:30pm, F-Sa 8am-8pm, Su 8am-6pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.)

• Los Comales (☎2665 0105), 3 blocks north of the northeast corner of the parque. Coopeingua RL, a cooperative of 25 women, runs this authentic, homey place, serving hearty Guanacaste típico to locals. The arroz de maíz (¢1200) is not actually rice, but broken corn chips cooked with chicken. Sopa de albóndigas ¢1200. Open daily 6am-10pm. Second location (☎2666 3417), 3 blocks west of the northwest corner of the parque. Open M-Sa 7am-5pm. MC/V/¢.
• El Café Liberia (☎2665 1660), a few blocks southwest of the parque. The only European-style cafe you’ll find in Liberia, which serves freshly roasted Guanacastan coffee (roasted in a machine in the dining area) alongside homemade delicacies. The Panamanian owner always wanted her own romantic, intellectual cafe/cultural center, and she succeeded. Enjoy a toasted pesto, goat cheese, and tomato sandwich (¢3000) and homemade cheesecake (¢1200) on the couches. Breakfast combos of 100% natural juice, wheat toast with jam, coffee, and an omelette or yogurt with granola and fruit (¢3000) will fuel a day of hiking. Free Wi-Fi, multilingual book exchange, world music, and live performances F night. M-F 8:30am-7:30pm, Sa 10am-6pm. Cash only.
• Pan y Miel (☎2666 0718), on the corner next to Palí. The loaves of fresh bread stacked behind the counter are replenished often, as swarms of locals deplete the shelves of favorites like pan danes (¢650). Pastries and cakes are also on sale, but since the 4 small tables don’t allow much room to dine in-store, you may want to get your goodies to go. Treat your mouth to the refreshing native horchata, a drink made with chocolate, cinnamon, peanuts, rice, and milk (¢400). Open daily 6am-8pm. AmEx/MC/V.
• Paso Real (☎2666 3455), on the 2nd fl. of a building overlooking the parque from the south side. A breezy outdoor balcony wraps around the cool, high-ceilinged interior of this popular marisquería. Seafood and shellfish are their specialty, and they cook it every way possible. Try the shrimp cordon bleu fish fillet (¢6000) or their recommended shellfish casserole (¢5000). Open daily 11am-10pm. AmEx/D/MC/ V/US$/¢.

Sights

Iglesia de la Ermita, six blocks east of the parque along Av. Central, is the oldest church in town. (Open daily 2:30-3:30pm.) A large portion of Guanacaste converges each weekend at Rancho Santa Alicia, 20min. from Liberia on the Interamericana Hwy. toward San José, where horse races, rodeos, and unrelenting heat keep crowds sweating with adrenaline. The large horse statue at the entrance (and the roaring of mobs within) make it hard to miss. (☎2671 2513; info@ranchosantaelena.com. Open Tu-Su.)

Entertainment

There are hardly any foreigners at the bars or discotecas here, only ticos coming from surrounding villages for the minimal party scene. Even with the University of Costa Rica nearby, the young crowd flocks to the beach towns for more exhilirating nights. Disco Kurú, 300m past Burger King across the Interamericana Hwy., is one of the busiest late-night spots in Liberia, with two bars, karaoke, and a dance floor with mirrors. Dancers sometimes overflow into the seating area and get down between the tables to merengue, salsa, cumbia, and hip hop. (☎666 0769. Karaoke M-W 10pm. Cover Th-F ¢1000, Sa ¢1500. Th college students free. Beer ¢600. 18+. Open daily 8pm-5am.) With a higher cover (¢5000), Bar LIB, across the Interamericana Hwy. 100m on the left above the bank, draws a more exclusive crowd, though still packs quickly. While many move to lively salsa and merengue beats on the dance floor, others choose to have a meal or just lounge at the tables that surround the floor. Mall-Plaza Centro Liberia is a new movie theater that has become one of the town’s gathering spots. Located off the Interamericana Hwy. (taxi ¢1000), it shows a range of recent flicks in both Spanish and English. (¢2000, seniors ¢1700, children ¢1500). Movies usually start around 2pm.