Northern of Costa Rica is still forgotten by tourism which
concentrates more in the central valley, on the Pacifiques
coasts and the Atlantic of the country.
This area was covered with a wet tropical forest but the
human activity made disappear from many forest extents,
with some sublimes exceptions, as the national park Braulio
Carillo or the national reserve of life Sylvestre de Cañon
Negro. North is also a plain fertile, luxuriant, where herds
of cows feed around the farms.
SARCHI
Sarchí, is one of the great artisanal centers. It
is thus rather tourist. But it deserves to be known because
it is especially here that one manufactured the carreta,
the traditional cart with oxen dyed of colors sharp which
was détrônée by the tractor about 1950-1960.
The carpenters, who saw péricliter their activity,
then had the idea to make of them miniature counterparts,
magnificiently decorated, which always have a great success.
ARENAL
Until the early morning of July 29, 1968, Arenal was a quiet
mountain, glaze of a luxuriant vegetation. For 3000 years,
the volcano had remained inactive. This day, its alarm clock
was only more spectacular. Since, Arenal never ceased being
active.
The lake Arenal, length 30 km out of 5 broad supplies out
of water the arid areas of the Pacifique coast. The lake
which attracts many fishermen attracts also December at
March, when the winds reach 40 and 50 nodes of many veliplanchists.
The lake proposes the best conditions of the country and
certainly of all the Central America. The amateurs find
themselves in Rock To rivet Lodge, Cabinas Xilde or Ventured
Tilarán. Many stations of board with veil are in
construction on the banks.
By leaving the lake Arenal, while passing by Los Chiles
or Upala, one reaches splendid and the still little visited
reserve of wildlife Caño Negro. Near to the Nicaraguan
border, it extends on 800 ha and one can see there tortoises,
crocodiles and many birds.
The tropical jungle invades the area of Saraquipí
on banks of Río Saraquipí, which is born on
the Atlantique slope from the central cordillera.
In this area one finds Selva Biological Station, Selva Verde
Lodge and Rara Avis, which are for these two last of the
private reserves.
In Vara Blanca, the road passes between covered mountains
of forests touffues, where the cascades bubble.
The diversity and the abundance of the life in the tropical
forest of the plains of Saraquipí drew very early
the attention of the biologists, who founded here more than
25 years, Organization for Tropical Studies, as well as
the biological reserve of Selva.
In 1986, under the aegis of the Costa Rican government,
the limits of the national park Braulio Carillo were extended
until integrating the 607 ha of the reserve, forming a zone
protected from 2104 ha which spreads sea level up to 3.000
m. This park includes the sites and the migratory paths
of the rare birds and the mammals, which move between the
high ones and lowlands.
RARA OPINION
Rara Opinion, a wet of 1335 ha, perfectly virgin tropical
forest is the property of an ecologist, American Amos Bien,
since 1977. The track to reach that point is one exténuant
mud pit where one patauge during four long hours, of ruts
in marshes and peat bogs, without hoping several rivers
to be crossed to ford, under the continual attack of the
mosquitos.
If the access to Rara Avis is difficult, the visit is also.
It is thus to better be a senior hiker. The site is not
only devoted to the ecotourism: Amos Bien develops to with
it the horticulture of rare species of wild palm trees as
well as the culture of medicinal and cosmetologic plants.
