Though it lacks the beachside location of other tourist hot spots, Costa Rica’s mountainous northern region is home to a plethora of climates and travel destinations, from mountains and rolling green pasture land to tropical rainforests and lagoons. Visitors to the lowlands will encounter a staggeringly diverse collection of wildlife, and those interested in more extreme adventure will find opportunities for windsurfing, rappelling, spelunking, and white-water rafting. Plus, while areas like Fortuna and Arenal see a huge influx of tourists every year, other parts of the lowlands are surprisingly untouristed, with a rich campesino culture mixed city life in towns like Ciudad Quesada and Los Chiles. A gateway to Nicaragua and both the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts, the lowlands contain some of Costa Rica’s most well-conserved examples of tropical rainforests, cloud forests, and marshlands. You can hike through the pristine jungles of Tirimbina Reserve or La Selva, drift along the swampy mangroves of Refugio Nacional Caño Negro, watch the lava flow on Volcán Arenal, and climb through the winding, bat-filled tunnels of the Venado Caves. Whether in search of extreme sports or a morning of relaxing sportfishing or birdwatching, visitors to the Northern Lowlands can strike a balance between tourism opportunities and authentic rural culture in an area distinguished for the richness and diversity of its natural wonders.
For 50 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
Northern Lowlands