Puntarenas

It is a province located in the west of Costa Rica. It is the largest area of the country.

You can see very varied environments and landscapes. Within its limits includes much of the Pacific coast of the country (except for a part that belongs to Guanacaste), where there are areas of beaches, mangroves and islands. At a (variable) distance from the coast the relief is elevated by mountains.

It has several tourist localities and protected areas that can be visited:
- The south of the Nicoya Peninsula belongs to this province. On its west coast there are long beaches by Malpaís, Playa Carmen, Playa Hermosa and Santa Teresa. In the east is Montezuma with waterfalls and more beaches. And in the extreme south is the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve where there is hiking and wildlife watching.
- The Route 34, also called the Costanera Sur road, runs parallel to the Pacific coast and connects tourist towns like Dominical, Jacó and Parrita. There is also Manuel Antonio National Park, which with its beaches and trails is one of the most visited natural areas in the country. And the Marino Ballena National Park, which is ideal to visit its tombolo or “whale tail” and go whale and dolphin watching.
- On the Osa Peninsula is the Corcovado National Park, where you can visit a large area well preserved and with a biodiversity considered one of the highest in the world. It is home to species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), which is the largest feline in America.
- In Monteverde its cloud forest offers trails to observe its flora and fauna species, where one of the species present is the emblematic resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno).