Choosing a
Destination
Pacific coast, Caribbean coast, hot and humid, hot and dry, cooler with rain; Costa Rica’s many micro climates have something to offer everyone. From the dense humid jungle to the cool cloudforest and everything in between, your vacation to Costa Rica or the place you choose to live can be whatever you want it to be. Looking for a rural excursion or a city with art and culture, Costa Rica has it all.
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Destinations in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces and each province is divided into cantons. The cantons are further divided into districts. There are 82 cantons and 478 districts.
All of these are numbered. The provinces are numbered with 1 digit, the cantons are numbered with 3 digits with the first being the number of the province. The districts get 5 digits with the first 3 being the numbers of the canton. Confusing? Yes, we agree. Unless you live there, the only thing you really need to remember is the province and the city your are trying to visit. For example, there is a Matapalo in Puntarenas, but also in Guanacaste province. So to be sure you have the right one, it is important to remember the province, too.
FYI: The district numbers are also used as postal codes.
The provinces to remember include Guanacaste (Northwest region), Puntarenas (Mid and South Pacific), Alajuela (Central North), Heradia (Central North), San Jose (Central), Cartago (Central) and Limon (Easter Caribbean).
Within each of these provinces are unique destinations with varying landscapes and weather patterns.
Below are just some of the most popular destinations to live or visit. There are many more that are wonderful to explore, as well.
Tamarindo (Guanacaste)
Samara (Guanacaste)
Lake Arenal (Guanacaste)
La Fortuna (Alajuela)
Grecia (Alajuela)
Monteverde (Puntarenas)
Jaco (Puntarenas)
Quepos/Manuel Antonio (Puntarenas)
Dominical (Puntarenas)
Uvita (Puntarenas)
Ojochal (Puntarenas)
Golfito (Puntarenas)
San Juan (San Juan)
San Isodoro de el General (San Juan)
Cartago (Cartago)
Puerto Viejo (Limon)
Puerto Limon (Limon)
Cahuita (Limon)
Follow the blog for more information on each of these destinations. We’ll talk about the weather, the culture, the landscape and more for these and other cities.
Read More About Destinations
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