Costa Rica's Caribbean coast runs two hundred kilometers between Nicaragua and Panama extending inland as far as Braulio Carrillo National Park and narrowing in the south where the Talamanca mountain range sweeps toward the coast.
Typically different from the rest of the country, life in the Caribbean is a mixture of influences. Indigenous heritage combines with African, Oriental and Spanish bloods, offering as a consequence a rich combination reflected in spicy foods as well as "spicy" cultural expressions.
On the northern end of this zone is a long, straight coastal strip separated from the sea by a series of freshwater lagoons extending to Tortuguero and the Colorado River.
The city of Limon is capital of the province of the same name and marks the border between the north and the south. It is also the main port of access to the country on this coast and one of the preferred destinations for cruise ships navigating the Caribbean.
As an example of unique culture that reflects in language, food and dance, the Caribbean also offers world-class fishing, bird watching, horseback riding and all types of water activities including white-water rafting, ocean and river kayaking, first-class surfing and diving, snorkeling and canoeing. In the Talamanca region-yesterday's land-add hiking and camping in uncharted wilderness and visits to various Indian reservations. In one word, "abundance".
The Atlantic slope is an area of great biodiversity that the country is endeavoring to retain through several protected zones. Perhaps Costa Rica's most well known area is the northern coast where Tortuguero National Park and Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge protect a vast alluvial flood plain and the famous Tortuguero canals. A peaceful boat ride through these canals reveals abundant animal life and a multitude of birds in the exuberant foliage lining the waterways.
The fishing lodges of Barra del Colorado take advantage of the world-class tarpon fishing available in the area.
The beach at Tortuguero is the most important nesting site in the western Caribbean for the green sea turtle. The giant leather back and the hawksbill turtles also nest along these shores.
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