Caribbean Lowlands Overview

Water, palms, and reggae music abound in the coastal lowlands along Costa Rica’s Caribbean shore. From the turtle-filled wetlands of Tortuguero and Parismina to the seaside-wildlife and reefs of Cahuita to the reggae and surfing hotspot Puerto Viejo, the Caribbean has almost every type of sandy shore imaginable. Though tourism on the coast is on the rise, the region’s most famous visitors are the nesting sea turtles that fill the beaches of Barra del Colorado, Tortuguero, Parismina, and Manzanillo. Puerto Viejo is becoming a surfing and party mecca as Cahuita and Manzanillo are defining themselves as more low-key beachside towns. Just south of the border in Panamanian archipelago Bocas del Toro, travelers can island-hop their way through scuba diving, sea kayaking, and sunbathing trips. Lacking the dramatic peninsulas and higher prices of the Pacific Coast, the Caribbean offers budget travelers a haven of volunteer opportunities, endless sandy beaches, and low-priced options of reasonable quality.

Though under-touristed until recent years, the Caribbean Coast has long been a hot spot for immigrants from around the world. The most prominent cultural groups in the area are the indigenous Cabécar and Bribrí tribes and the Afro-Caribs and Chinese, who immigrated in the 1800s to work on banana plantations and railroads. Though Spanish is still spoken by most residents, the local dialect, especially in the south, is a Jamaican-influenced Spanglish, almost indecipherable to everyone but locals. The most delicious result of the Afro-Caribbean influence here is the twist on típica food; instead of the traditional casados, enjoy rice and beans simmered in coconut milk, gumbo-style rondón soup, Jamaican, jerk-flavored meats, and an abundance of curries.

• Isla Bastimentos

While Bocas’s paved roads and international restaurants are testament to its cosmopolitan air, Isla Bastimentos’s simpler buildings, slower pace of life, and muddy beach trails reflect a different ...more