Guanacaste

Guanacaste in Costa Rica's largest and least populated province. It's nestled on the northwestern portion of the country, in the westernmost tip, abutting the Pacific and blessed with great topography. Liberia, the province's main city, still preserves most of the colonial architecture that once put it on the map as the White City. The burg is also home to the nation's second-largest international airport (Tomas Guardia). In Guanacaste, tourism is one of its premier economic activities and for good reasons. The territory is blessed with lovely beaches, landscapes and sunnier weather than in the rest of the country. In the same breath, Guanacaste is packed with a variety of options for adventure seekers, sun tanners and water sport buffs. In addition, there are many hotels, restaurants, means of transportation and stores, let alone museums, art galleries, golf courses and recreational centers. The towns are equally great attractions in this neck of the woods, some of them, like Guaitil, featuring the best local handicrafts money can buy. Santa Cruz, declared the National Folkloric City where gaudy parties, regional parties and other festivities, like the Punto Guanacasteco, are the name of the game. The Santa Rosa, Guanacaste and Rincon de la Vieja national parks, the Bahia Junquillal Wildlife Reserve, among other places, make up the country's conservation system. Santa Rosa, for its part, is important from a historic standpoint because it treasures ruins that date back from the colonial era and the independence wars. Guanacaste is the right place for those who'd like to share nature, sea scenes and the bustling lifestyle of the Costa Rica's most exciting cities.