The northern mountains
Here you can find many natural attractions in a small space
The northern mountains refer to the mountain ranges of Guanacaste and Tilarán, which are separated by the Arenal reservoir, as well as the adjoining flatland that extends to the “Lago de Nicaragua”.
The Cordillera de Tilarán forms the watershed between the Atlantic and Pacific. Most famous in the region is the active Arenal Volcano , the most active volcano in Central America, which just returned to action in July 2009. Lake Arenal can be found directly at the volcano - a reservoir that is used to generate energy. Lake Arenal is internationally recognized as one of the best windsurfing areas. The cloud forest region around Monteverde is less known, but all the more exciting. Monteverde is a nature reserve that offers many different hiking trails through beautiful nature. You can see countless tree and plant species, and the diversity of fauna is unsurpassed. Near Monteverde is the town of Santa Elena, a very interesting place as a starting point for nature exploration.
Even less well-known is the Tenorio volcano , which has long been extinct and you can take excellent hikes to its source. The Rio Celeste is a sky blue river that originates from the Tenorio volcano. You can find out how the water gets its blue color on one of our tours there. Just a few kilometers as the crow flies west of the Rio Celeste you come to the wetland of the Caño Negro and the Rio Frio. This is the most important wetland in Costa Rica and is of course protected accordingly. The abundance of animals in this area is unsurpassed.
The Rio Frio flows into the Rio San Juan in Nicaragua , as does the Rio San Ramon, which offers fabulous boat tours all the way to Nicaragua. Animal observation is the focus of the tours.
