James Armitage
Visiting the Osa Peninsular, one of the top wildlife biospheres in the world, and seeing a pod of 30 humpback whales while snorkelling in the waters of Costa Rica are amongst James’s highlights of Costa Rica.
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At the southern end of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast in the Limon Province, lies Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a charming and vibrant seaside town with a unique blend of Bribri, Latino and Afro-Caribbean cultures.
It has wonderful beaches with fine volcanic sand lapped by warm water. The Salsa Brava waves that come ashore here are some of the most powerful in Costa Rica and attract surfers from around the world. This stretch of coast that neighbours Panama’s Bocas del Toro Islands is culturally a world apart from the rest of the country. Most residents here are of Afro-Caribbean descent and were drafted in from Jamaica, among other Caribbean islands, to work on banana plantations that still grow this important cash crop.
Visit any of the small laid-back towns around Talamanca and you’ll be greeted by the sounds of reggae and calypso music, the smell of jerk chicken and a challenging local dialect that blends Spanish and English. Talamanca town (called Puerto Viejo by the locals) is a lively place with a variety of bars and restaurants. It’s fun to visit but the forest-lined beaches are the biggest draw. Punta Uva, Playa Chiquita and Playa Negra offer scenic spots for a few days rest on the coast.
The Gandoca-Manzanillo Reserve near the Panama border encompasses several rare habitats and hosts some extraordinary wildlife including tapirs, turtles, eagles, caimans and West Indian Manatees in its mangroves.
Cahuita National Park has one of the most stunning beaches in Costa Rica. The park was created in 1970 to protect the country’s largest coral reef and this amazingly colourful underwater world provides some of the best snorkelling and diving in the country. Over 35 species of coral, green turtles, carey turtles, lobsters and manta rays can be seen in the crystal clear waters.
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