Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [32]
With a length of 1016km, the Pacific coastline is infinitely varied as it twists and turns around gulfs, peninsulas and many small coves. Rugged, rocky headlands alternate with classic white- and black-sand beaches and palm trees to produce an image of a tropical paradise along some stretches. Strong tidal action creates an excellent habitat for waterbirds as well as a visually dramatic crashing surf (perfect for surfers). Inland, the landscapes of the Pacific lowlands are equally dynamic, ranging from dry deciduous forests and open cattle country in the north, to lush, magnificent tropical rainforests in the south.
Monotonous in comparison, the Caribbean coastline runs a straight 212km along a low, flat plain that is inundated with brackish lagoons and waterlogged forests. A lack of strong tides allows plants to grow right over the water’s edge along coastal sloughs, creating walls of green vegetation. Broad, humid plains that scarcely rise above sea level and murky waters characterize much of this region.
The fabulous limestone caves of Parque Nacional Barra Honda were formed in the remains of ancient coral reefs after they were uplifted out of the ocean.
OUT ON A REEF
Compared to the rest of the Caribbean, the coral reefs of Costa Rica are small fry. Heavy surf and shifting sands along most of the Caribbean coast produce conditions that are unbearable to corals, but on the southern coast two beautiful patches of reef are protected on the rocky headlands of Parque Nacional Cahuita and Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo.
These diminutive but vibrant reefs are home to more than 100 species of fish and many types of coral. Countless damselfish, sergeant majors, parrot fish and surgeonfish gather to feed on abundant marine algae, while predatory barracudas come to prey on the fish. Gandoca-Manzanillo is a famous nesting ground for four species of sea turtle. Even better, turtle volunteers have been patrolling these beaches since 1986 to prevent poachers and the turtle populations are doing really well thanks to their efforts.
Unfortunately, the reefs are in danger due to sediments washing downriver from logging operations, and from toxic chemicals that wash out of nearby agricultural fields. In 1991 an earthquake lifted the reefs up as much as 1.5m, stranding and killing large portions of this fragile ecosystem.
So far the coral reefs of Costa Rica have been largely overlooked, but with these threats hanging over them, there’s little time to lose.
Running down the center of the country, the mountainous spine of Costa Rica is a land of active volcanoes, clear tumbling streams and chilled peaks clad in impenetrable cloud forests. These mountain ranges generally follow a northwest to southeast line, with the highest and most dramatic peaks in the south near the Panamanian border (culminating at the 3820m-high Cerro Chirripó). The difficulties of traveling through and farming on these steep slopes have, until recently, saved much of this area from development and made it a haven for wildlife.
In the midst of the highlands is the Meseta Central – Central Valley – which is surrounded by mountains (the Cordillera Central to the north and east and the Cordillera de Talamanca to the south). It is this fertile central plain, 1000m and 1500m above sea level with abundant rainfall and consistently mild temperatures, that contains four of Costa Rica’s five largest cities and more than half of the country’s population.
Like most of Central America, Costa Rica’s geologic history can be traced to the impact of the Cocos Plate moving northeast and crashing into the Caribbean Plate at a rate of about 10cm every year – quite fast by geological standards. The point of impact is called a ‘subduction zone,’ and this is where the Cocos Plate forces the edge of the Caribbean Plate to break up and become uplifted. It is not a smooth process, and hence Central America is an area prone to earthquakes and ongoing volcanic activity