Southern Costa Rica Overview

With the notable exception of Parque Nacional Chirripó, this relatively isolated area doesn’t really cater to tourists. In its small towns, which are either business hubs of fruit producers or gateways into the secluded wilderness of the region, foreigners often receive inquisitive stares, or an emphatic “hellooooo” and laughter from children practicing their English. Travelers who choose to explore the even more remote areas are richly rewarded; Parque Nacional Chirripó offers lush cloud forests, stunning waterfalls, and ridgeway views of both coasts, while the less visited Parque Internacional La Amistad features hikes into Panama and expeditions to seek out the quetzal and its iridescent tail. It is the area’s diversity—from its concentration of indigenous reserves to the unexpected Italian flavors of San Vito—that keeps its small-town life uniquely vibrant.

• Buenos Aires

Hemmed in on all sides by lucrative pineapple plantations, Buenos Aires is a typical farming town: busy with business by day and deserted by night. In contrast to the bustling city of San Isidro, 64km ...more