Costa Rica's Caribbean coast is a world apart from the rest of the country. The people, the food, and the rhythmic lilt of patois and reggae music fill the air. Costa Rica's Caribbean offers a vast variety of outdoor activities--world-class fishing, hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, jungle camping, all types of water activities including white water rafting, ocean and river kayaking, first-class surfing and diving, snorkeling, canoeing . . . the list goes on. In the Talamanca region add hiking and camping in uncharted wilderness and visits to various Indian reservations

More than half of the coastline it´s very hard to access or is still inaccessible except by boat, old dust roads or small plane. This inaccessibility has helped to preserve large tracts of untouchable rainforest, now named and preserved as Tortuguero National Park and Barra Del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge. These two parks are Costa Rica's most popular destinations for adventurers and travelers who want to learn more of wild life an nature. Of particular interest are the sea turtles that nest here. You can also find Cahuita National Park; it is another popular national park, seated up to preserve 200 hectares (494 acres) of coral reef, but its palm tree-lined beaches and gentle trails are stunning.

All the Caribbean side of the country, it’s been developed by their un culture. The original inhabitants of the area included people of the Bribri, Cabecar tribes, and these groups maintain their cultures on reserves in the Talamanca. In fact, until the 1870s, there were few non-Indians in this area. However, when the railroad to San José was built, and began planting bananas, black laborers from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands went brought to lay the track and work the plantations.


These workers and their descendants established fishing and farming communities up and down the coast. Today dreadlocked Rastafarians, reggae music,  and the patois of this Afro-Caribbean culture give this region a kind of Jamaican flavor. Many visitors find fascinating this striking contrast with the Spanish-derived Costa Rican culture. Over the years, the Caribbean coast has built a reputation as being a dangerous, drug-infested zone, rife with crime and danger. Although there have been several high-profile crimes in the area, overall this reputation is exaggerated. The same crime and drug problems found here exist in San José and most of the more popular beach destinations on the Pacific coast. Use common sense and take normal precautions and you should have no problems on the Caribbean coast.

A little bit of history
Limón, gateway to the Caribbean, is where the cruise ships dock and is the perfect place to begin exploring. Capital of the Afro-Caribbean culture in Costa Rica, many of the region's people speak English dialects that have survived since colonial times thanks to the mountainous natural barriers between this zone and the rest of the country. Stroll through the city's central park and see if you can spot the sloths in the trees; relax on beautiful crescent beaches like Playa Bonita north of the city; visit areas of historical interest and discover the roots of Caribbean culture.

All the Caribbean side of the country, it’s been developed by their own culture. The original inhabitants of the area included people of the Bribri, Cabecar tribes, and these groups maintain their cultures on reserves in the Talamanca. In fact, until the 1870s, there were few non-Indians in this area. However, when the railroad to San José was built, and began planting bananas, black laborers from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands went brought to lay the track and work the plantations. These workers and their descendants established fishing and farming communities up and down the coast. Today dreadlocked Rastafarians, reggae music, and the patois of this Afro-Caribbean culture give this region a kind of Jamaican flavor. Many visitors find fascinating this striking contrast with the Spanish-derived Costa Rican culture.

Off shore from Limón is Isla Uvita, the small island where Christopher Columbus anchored during his discovery voyage to this area in 1502. Tours to the island offer ocean kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving on a sunken Galleon.
Some nature information

The coral reefs of Cahuita National Park are known by many, as is the extraordinary surfing available at several points along this southern coast. But there is much more to do here and local tour operators provide a generous offering. All manner of water activities including snorkeling and scuba diving the reefs of Cahuita and Manzanillo are prime options. River Kayaking is an excellent way to probe the interior around Manzanillo. Hikes into the jungle to visit several Indian Reservations give good insight into indigenous life. Other pursuits available for the adventurous nature lover include camping in the jungle near Cahuita and jaunts into primary forest areas like Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve, wading far upriver into the interior where you're as likely as not to see several varieties of poison arrow frogs (Dendrobates sp.), as well as dozens of different birds.

Manzanillo is the end of the road and the beginning of many great adventures. From here you take a boat, a horse, or set off on foot. This area is part of Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, one of the most scenic regions in Costa Rica and one rich in flora and fauna. Nearly four hundred species of birds have been identified in and around the refuge and the only mangrove estuary on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast is here. Several endangered species such as the tapir and crocodile find protection in the park. With off-shore diving as good as any in Costa Rica and enviable weather all year round, Manzanillo is as close to that lost tropical land of your dreams as you are likely to discover

Although the northern Caribbean coast has one of the heaviest rainfalls in the country--as much as five and a half meters per year--at Manzanillo the average precipitation is much less, similar to the two and a half meter-average of Guanacaste's coastal regions. The rain is distributed more evenly throughout the year than in other areas of the country making this a more pleasant "evergreen" environment, without the extremes of dry and wet that other areas experience. The average 77- to 86-degree temperature is moderated by the warm, shallow Caribbean water and refreshing tropical breezes.

As far as seasonal variations go, as in the rest of the country, the changing factor is rain and this is how it falls:

January and November are transitional periods with higher winds and some rainy days
February through May is generally sunny with a little rain
July and December are the months of heaviest rainfall
Mid-August through the first part of November is summer with the least rain
For diving, Shawn Larkin at Aquamor said March, April and May, as well as September and October, are "bookable" diving months, there's no doubt of weather conditions suitable for diving on any given day. He said the other months are variable, but periods of more than a couple days of bad weather are rare.