Central Pacific

Known as the “Pearl of the Pacific”, Puntarenas is the largest province of Costa Rica, with an area of 11.276 Km2. Its main attraction is its Pacific coastline, extending over more than 500 miles down to the Panamanian boarder.

This vast province offers a variety of beaches, national parks, and natural reserves of an extraordinary ecological importance, since it is a transition area between the dry tropical lands of Guanacaste and the green forests of the Central Pacific.

The Port of Caldera and the City of Puntarenas, receive hundreds of tourists daily, from countless cruise ships making shore on its coasts. Some of these ships are traveling with the Panama Canal as destination, which allows passengers to explore Costa Rica’s inland, only to meet their cruise ship some days later at the port of Limón, in the Caribbean.

Carara’s Biological Reserve constitutes one of the best showcases to the natural heritage of Puntarenas. This reserve includes an extension of 11.600 acres of forests and mangroves.

Today, only some portions of the reserve are available to tourists, but professional guides, who are allowed to explore some restricted areas, may be hired.

Manuel Antonio National Park is another destination of the province of Puntarenas. With its impressive white-sand beaches, blue waters of the Pacific and hundreds of hectares of rainforest, this park is one of the smallest in Costa Rica, but at the same time, one of the most highly visited.>

Manuel Antonio is one of the few places in Costa Rica where the spider monkey (tití) still lives. Within the park you may also find over 100 species of mammals and an equal number of bird types.

Also belonging to Puntarenas, another feature is the Corcovado National Park -located south and constituting the habitat of important endemic species such as the gold frog as well as the Tárcoles River, whose margins are guarded by hundreds of American crocodiles.

Good food –especially seafood- as well as the well-known carnivals held each summer, and the warmth of its people, are some of the nice surprises expecting tourists visiting this province.