The Limon Province in the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica, is probably the one with the richest and most authentic culture of our country, because everything about it is different than the in the rest of Costa Rica, like the food, the music, the life style, etc. This province is also a very natural place, because all of the zones of it are rainforests.
The Limon Province is inhabited mainly by Jamaican descendent people, who came to Costa Rica to work under indention back in the 1800’s, with the purpose of building a railroad that would connect San Jose with the Port on the Caribbean Sea, basically as an incentive to export coffee. Back in those days the trail to take the coffee to the port was very rough, it would take a few days to get there by foot and many people died because of diseases, accidents, etc. After the railroad was built the exportation of coffee grew a lot, as well as the exportation of many other products. Nowadays, this is the most important port of the country, where the majority of the commerce of Costa Rica takes place.
As mentioned above, Limon’s population is mostly Black Jamaican descendant people; and this is the reason why the culture is very similar to the Jamaican culture. As an example of this we can talk about the language, most people in the Limon Province speak a “Jamaican style” English called here “Patua”, this is the only region of Costa Rica where Spanish is not the dominant language. Another example is the food; many of the dishes found in Limon are basically the same style dishes that you would find in Jamaica. This province is also known because of the laid back mentality of its people, people in this region put as a priority to enjoy life and don’t have stress over other ways of living. A good example of this is the Limon’s Carnival, a celebration unlike any other in Costa Rica, where the party is more intense than other activity like this in our country.
Something else that is very important for the people of this province is soccer, the Limon Team is one of the teams that provide a huge amount of good and skilled players for the biggest teams of Costa Rica stablished in the San Jose area, as well as for the Costa Rican National Team. The team of Limon doesn’t do very well in the country’s tournament because of financial barriers due to the low population of the province, but the team is very unique and its followers are always very proud, because is one of the most authentic teams of Costa Rica.
In terms of economic activity, the Ports of Limon and Moin are the biggest sources of employment in this area, directly or indirectly, because there are many companies that provide employment to their people that are stablished here because of the ports and it is important to mention that another “Mega Port” is being built here, the expectation is that it is going to bring a lot more development to the province and the country overall. Another important economic activity here is the agricultural plantations, being the most important the bananas. Costa Rica is the third most important exporter of bananas in the world, but there are many other products that grow here, like yucca root, heart of palm, peach palm, plantains, cocoa, and others. The third most important activity here is tourism, some parts of the Limon Province are very well stablished touristic destinations of the country, like Tortuguero and Puerto Viejo, but there are many other areas where tourism is staring to grow.
Some of the most important touristic destinations in this province are:
Tortuguero National Park: This place is known as the “Amazon Jungle of Costa Rica”, because of its very dense rainforests and because the only way of transportation is by boat through its canals, just like in many parts of the Amazon Jungles. This national park is very important too because of Turtle nesting, it is the most important nesting site on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.
Puerto Viejo de Limon: This is the most beautiful beach area on the Caribbean Coast of our country. There are many beaches from the Cahuita National Park all the way to the Gandoca Manzanillo National Park bordering Panama, and all of these beaches are gorgeous for the enjoyment of the visitors.
Rainforest Aerial Tram: This attraction is located close to the Town of Guapiles and bordering with the Braulio Carrillo National Park. This is an attraction where the visitors can admire the lush rainforests from the tram, but can also do nature hikes, zip lining, or stay overnight at their rustic lodge.
City of Limon: This is a place that is starting to grow in terms of tourism, here the visitors can learn about the rich Caribbean Culture. The Port of Limon also receives many cruise lines during the year.
Sloth Sanctuary: This is probably the most famous attraction of this area worldwide, because there is a TV show on Animal Planet called “meet the sloths”; people from around the world come to Costa Rica just to visit this attraction, where people learn everything about these wonderful rainforest animals.
Bribri Indigenous Community: This native tribe is starting to become a popular touristic attraction, because of its proximity to the Puerto Viejo Beaches. This is an ideal place to learn about the living style and traditions of the Native People of Costa Rica.
Barra del Colorado: This is a place where tourism is very small, but it is very popular for those who like to do Sportfishing for Tarpon Fish.
Pacuare River: This is the best river in all Costa Rica to do white water rafting; it is actually rated as one of the 5 best rivers in the world for commercial rafting. The beauty of the surroundings of this river is spectacular, one of the most scenic places of Costa Rica.
This is some of the information about the Limon Province, where nature can be enjoyed at its best as well as a relaxing beach vacation. If you are visiting this province, just take in consideration that it rains more than other areas of Costa Rica, but the beauty of the place is incomparable with other touristic destinations of our country.
