Puerto Limón
★ The Caribbean Capital
Puerto Limón, the provincial capital of the Caribbean coast, is not a classic tourist attraction — the city is rough, loud, and has security issues. Most travelers quickly pass through on their way to Puerto Viejo or Tortuguero. But: In October, Limón transforms into a festival.
Carnaval de Limón
Every year around October 12th (Día de las Culturas), Limón celebrates its Carnival — the largest Afro-Caribbean festival in Costa Rica. For a week, there are parades with colorful costumes, Calypso and reggae music, Creole food, and an energy that is unmatched. Ticos from the rest of the country flock here, and the otherwise sleepy town explodes with joy.
The carnival has its roots in the Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants who came in the late 19th century to build the railway. They brought Calypso, Soca, and a carnival tradition that over the decades mixed with Costa Rican elements. The "Comparsas" (dance groups) rehearse for months for the parades.
Veragua Rainforest
About 30 minutes west of Limón lies the Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure Park — a combination of rainforest hikes, a gondola ride through the treetops, and a research center. The park offers good wildlife observation (sloths, frogs, snakes) and is a worthwhile alternative for those using Limón as a base.
Veragua Rainforest: approx. 70 USD including all activities. Daily 8:00–15:00. 30 km west of Limón.
History: The Railway and Caribbean Identity
Limón owes its existence to coffee and the railway. In the 1870s, construction began on a railway line from the Central Valley to the Caribbean coast to export coffee. The American entrepreneur Minor C. Keith brought thousands of Jamaican workers who laid the tracks through the jungle under terrible conditions — malaria, yellow fever, snake bites. Thousands died.
Keith subsequently founded the United Fruit Company, which dominated Costa Rica's banana industry and exerted political influence up to the government — the origin of the term "banana republic." The Jamaican workers stayed and shaped the Afro-Caribbean culture that still defines the Caribbean coast today. However, until 1949 they were not allowed to travel to the Central Valley — a dark chapter in the history of otherwise progressive Costa Rica.