A Side Trip

Barra Honda National Park ★ ★ (tel. 2659-1551; daily 8am–4pm; $12 admission) is an extensive system of caves with a long history. Here human remains have been found that are thought to be 2,000 years old, believed to be Chorotega nobles. In 1967, spelunkers discovered 42 caves here, though only 19 were ever explored and only one, Caverna Terciopelo, is open to the public. To go inside, you’ll need to hire a guide, which should cost around $35 per person, depending on the size of your group and your bargaining abilities. You begin the tour by getting harnessed and roped and then descending a scary vertical aluminum ladder that is 17m (56 ft.) long, about the height of a five-story building. Inside you’ll see an impressive array of stalactites and stalagmites, many of them named after something they resemble (like a hen and her chicks, and papaya, and fried eggs). Cave tours are conducted from 8am to 1pm daily, and the park is open for hiking until 4pm, though the park is closed during the rainy season (May to Mid-Nov). Headlamps and helmets are provided. Do not wear flip-flops; you will be turned away for wearing them. Even if you don’t enter the cave, the trails around Barra Honda and its prominent limestone plateau are great for hiking and bird-watching. Be sure to stop at La Cascada, a gentle waterfall that fills and passes through a series of calcium and limestone pools, some of them large enough to bathe in.