Guanacaste

Guanacaste is one of the provinces of Costa Rica located in the extreme northwest of the country, it is one of the provinces with the greatest territorial extension and curiously less populated.

The city of Liberia is the capital of the province, it still preserves its traditional architecture with whitewash on the walls of its old adobe houses, which also gives it the name of the White City. The second international airport in Costa Rica, the Daniel Oduber Quiros, is located there.

It has volcanic peaks from the Guanacaste mountain range, peninsulas such as Santa Elena to the northwest, the Nicoya Peninsula to the southeast, the largest in the country and known as the Gulf of Nicoya. In the center of the province we can find the valley of the Tempisque River that offers great plains that have given it the name of the Guanacaste prairie. These plains are ideal for raising livestock and growing grains, such as rice, cotton, corn, and sugar cane, as well as salt production among others.

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1999. This area is formed by the Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste National Park, and the Rincon de La Vieja National Park. We can also find other national parks such as Palo Verde and Barra Honda. All house an incredible variety of flora and fauna representative of Costa Rica. The Santa Rosa National Park, due to its diversity and biological richness, has become an important research center worldwide on the ecology of the dry tropical forest and is a nesting sanctuary for the olive turtle, leatherback turtle, and green turtle of the Pacific.

In Guanacaste we can find part of Costa Rican folklore, such as native music, musical instruments such as the marimba and the quijongo, typical dances, bull riding, the masquerades in the street parades with their cimarrona (musical group) playing typical songs as the Caballito Nicoyano, Luna Liberiana and el Torito. In addition, the horse as a means of transportation is part of this folklore. The city of Santa Cruz was declared a National Folkloric City, for its typical celebrations with traditional meals and regional dances such as the Punto Guanacasteco.

One of its attractions is the manufacture of pottery made in the town of Guaitil, located between the cities of Santa Cruz and Nicoya. The pottery of Guaitil has its origins in the Chorotega Indians that inhabited these areas. Now the pottery is elaborated with the millenarian methodology of the pre-columbian chorotegas and can be acquired by the people who visit the area.

Another highlight of Guanacaste within its tourist attraction is to has a dry and sunny climate most of the year. Beautiful and lush beaches bordering the Pacific Ocean coastline with accommodation of all kinds of prices for all likes. Beaches such as Tamarindo, Playas del Coco, Ocotal, Flamingo, Playa Garza, Playa Hermosa, Samara, Nosara, Carrillo are the most visited, to name a few, and where you can practice surfing. Guanacaste also has diving points worldwide such as Isla Catalinas and Isla Murcielagos.

Travel to Costa Rica and enjoy its sunny beaches with endless sunsets in one of the most beautiful areas of the country!