Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [147]
Cheap meals can be found in the mercado (market) beside the bus terminal, or pop into the SuperCompro (8am-8pm) for groceries; it’s located just across from the park.
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Getting There & Away
Tilarán is usually reached by a 24km paved road from the Interamericana at Cañas. The route on to Santa Elena and Monteverde is unpaved and rough, though ordinary cars can get through with care in the dry season.
Buses arrive and depart from the bus terminal, which is half a block west of Parque Central. Be aware that Sunday-afternoon buses to San José may be sold out by Saturday. The route between Tilarán and San José goes via Cañas and the Interamericana, not the Arenal–La Fortuna–Ciudad Quesada route. Regular services go to the following locations:
Cañas ₡350; 30 minutes; departs 5am, 7am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 11:30am and 3:30pm.
Ciudad Quesada, via La Fortuna ₡1550; four hours; departs 7am and 12:30pm.
Nuevo Arenal ₡500; 1¼ hours; departs 5am, 6am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm.
Puntarenas ₡1530; two hours; departs 6am and 1pm.
San José (Auto-Transportes Tilarán) ₡3650; four hours; departs 5am, 7am, 9:30am, 2pm and 5pm.
Santa Elena/Monteverde ₡1200; 2½ hours; departs 7am and 4pm.
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INTERAMERICANA NORTE
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Even between the Tico speed demons and lumbering big rigs, the Interamericana offers up a wide-angle view of the region. This highway, the main artery connecting San José with Managua, Nicaragua, runs through kilometers of tropical dry forest and neat roadside villages, to the open grasslands and fincas of the northern end of Guanacaste Province. Vistas across vast expanses of savanna, which seem more suited to Africa or the American southwest, are broken only by windblown trees, some of which shed their leaves during the hot, dry summer. But complex communications between these seemingly dormant giants will suddenly inspire an entire species to erupt into fountains of pink, yellow or orange blossoms, welling up from the dry grasses in astounding syncopation. This is also where you’ll see the signature gait of the sabanero (cowboy) as he rounds up a herd of cattle with grace and precision.
For travelers, this is the main route for accessing Monteverde, Liberia, the northern volcanoes, Parque Nacional Santa Rosa and the extreme northwest. The Arenal route connects with the Interamericana Norte in Cañas.
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REFUGIO NACIONAL DE FAUNA SILVESTRE PEñAS BLANCAS & AROUND
This 24-sq-km refuge, not to be confused with the Nicaraguan border crossing of the same name, is along the steep southern arm of the Cordillera de Tilarán. Elevations in the small area range from less than 600m to over 1400m above sea level, variations that result in different types of forest, such as tropical dry forest in the lower southwestern sections, semideciduous dry and moist forests in middle elevations, and premontane forest in the higher northern sections. The terrain is very rugged, and while there are some hiking trails, they are unmaintained and difficult to follow.
The name Peñas Blancas (White Cliffs) refers to the diatomaceous deposits, similar to a good-quality chalk, found in the reserve. The whitish deposits, remnants of unicellular algae once common here when Central America was under water, are found in the steep walls of some of the river canyons in the refuge.
The refuge was created to protect the plant species in the varied habitats as well as an important watershed, and until the Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía (Minae; Ministry of Environment & Energy) develops some tourist infrastructure, the region is inaccessible to all but the most diligent visitors. There are no facilities at the refuge. Camping (per person US$2) is allowed, but you must be self-sufficient and in good shape to handle the very demanding terrain. The dry season (January to early April) is the best time to