Guanacaste has been called Costa Rica’s “Wild West.” The name Guanacaste derives from quahnacaztlan, a native word (“place near the ear trees”) for the tall and broad guanacaste (free ear or ear pod) tree which spreads its gnarled branches long and low to the ground; in the heat of summer, all that walks, crawls, or flies gathers in its cool shade in the heat of midday.

The lowlands, to the west, comprise a vast alluvial plain of seasonally parched rolling hills broadening to the north and dominated by giant cattle ranches interspersed with smaller pockets of cultivation.

To the east rises a mountain meniscus—the Cordillera de Guanacaste and Cordillera de Tilarán—studded with symmetrical volcanic cones spiced with bubbling mud pits and steaming vents. These mountains are lushly forested on their higher slopes. Rivers cascade down the flanks, slow to a meandering pace, and pour into the Tempisque basin, an unusually arid region smothered by dry forest and cut through by watery sloughs.

The coast is indented with bays, peninsulas, and warm sandy beaches that are some of the least visited, least accessible, and yet most beautiful in the country. Sea turtles use many as nurseries.

The country’s first national park, Santa Rosa, was established here, the first of more than a dozen national parks, wildlife refuges, and biological reserves in the region. The array of ecosystems in the region ranges from pristine shores to volcanic heights, encompassing just about every imaginable ecosystem within Costa Rica.

No region of Costa Rica displays its cultural heritage as overtly as Guanacaste. The people who today inhabit the province are tied to old bloodlines and live and work on the cusp between cultures. The campesino life here revolves around the ranch, and dark-skinned sabaneros (cowboys) are the preeminent sight.

Come fiesta time, nothing rouses so much cheer as the corridas de toros (bullfights) and topes, the region’s colorful horse parades. Guanacastecans love a fiesta: the biggest occurs each July 25, when Guanacaste celebrates its independence from Nicaragua.

Guanacaste’s climate is in total contrast to the rest of the country. For half the year (Nov.–Apr.) the plains receive no rain, it is hotter than Hades, and the sun beats down hard as a nail, although cool winds can lower temperatures pleasantly along the coast December–February. The dry season usually lingers slightly longer than elsewhere in Costa Rica.

The Best of Guanacaste

• Monteverde and Santa Elena
• Selvatura
• Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
• Las Pumas Rescue Center
• Río Corobicí
• Las Hornillas Volcanic Activity Center
• Palo Verde National Park
• Rincón de la Vieja National Park
• Santa Rosa National Park