The Northern Lowlands

The lowlands begin about an hour north of San José, and, for most visitors, are a tract of land merely to get through on the way to the coast. The Caribbean does beckon, after all, but a couple of lesser sights here may tempt you to stop. If you stay on the well-maintained main Guápiles Highway, you head southeast toward Limón and the Caribbean coast. The highway passes through sultry agricultural lowlands, home to large banana and cacao plantations, but bypasses the region's three main communities: burgeoning Guápiles and the smaller towns of Guácimo and Siquirres.