The climate is warm, humid and wet. The temperature stays between 25 and 27°C year round. There are no well-defined seasons - it rains in all months. However, it rains a little less from February to the beginning of May. When the heavy prolonged rain starts, all kinds of creatures renew their life cycles and the exuberant flora blossoms again. This is what Costa Ricans call the Green Season, the time when some areas of the country are at their best: wetlands, rain forest and mountain slopes are the favorite destinations.

These lands were once tropical forests, which during the past decades have been transformed into cattle pastures and fruit plantations. Continued deforestation and strip mining are endangering the zone's rich ecosystem. Conservation organizations are working hard to maintain the forest and its various habitats that support many animal and bird species.

San Carlos, as the entire zone is known, devotes almost 70% of its territory to cattle. The area produces first-quality milk, beef cattle and agricultural products. Ciudad Quesada is the main center of services and commerce for the Northern Zone. This colorful town was settled around 1840 when the Quesada family from San Ramón formed a village. Nowadays Ciudad Quesada has a population of over 30,000 and is easily accessed from San José.

It's a little town centered around the Catholic church and the central park. Around the park is a good place for visitors to sit on a bench and watch the daily activity. Across from the northwest corner of the park is the central market, featuring colorful stalls with fruit, vegetables, herbs, leather products and local arts and crafts. There is also an annual cattle fair in April, the most important and largest in the country.

Here you can find most of the services you will need during your trip. There are bank agencies, a public hospital where anyone can get medical attention, government offices including the Police Station, the Public Works Office, the telephone company and the post office. Some universities have branches in Ciudad Quesada, and some environmental research and conservation institutions have settled their headquarters here. You will also find a wide variety of restaurants and accommodations for all tastes and budgets.

Ciudad Quesada is an excellent place to start exploring the Northern Plains.

Traveler's Delight
A private zoo three kilometers west of Aguas Zarcas is a non-profit organization which exhibits jaguars, tapirs, agoutis, peccaries, badgers, monkeys and other mammals. There are also species of birds from around the world that, together with the animals total about 450 species. The owners take orphaned or ill animals to cure and rehabilitate and then keep them in the security of the zoo.

Between a mountain setting and clear rivers, about ten minutes from Ciudad Quesada is Termales del Bosque, a beautiful hotel with lodging facilities and all kinds of adventures, relaxation and ecological programs. There is also El Tucano, an elegant lodge with thermal natural pools which some say have healing properties by the minerals carried down from the slopes of Arenal Volcano.

Heading north on the same road you get to Boca Tapada. Seven kilometers southwest of Boca Tapada is Laguna del Lagarto, a private reserve protecting about 500 hectares of virgin rain forest and swamp. The diversity of fauna can be seen in the multiple streams and wetlands: crocodiles, caimans, enormous turtles, thousands of poisonous frogs of an intense red and green, as well as sloths, felines and all kinds of birds. This reserve also hosts permanent biological research by universities and other institutions.

From Aguas Zarcas, following the road to the northwest, is the little town of Muelle. It is mainly an important intersection, with a gas station and a store. This spot will take you to La Fortuna if you take the road to the west. If you decide to continue to the north, you will eventually get to Los Chiles, a small frontier town only a few kilometers from the Nicaraguan border.

On your way to La Fortuna you can visit the crocodile and caiman project, a rustic private tourist project that also hopes to replenish some of these animals in the local river. Both crocodiles and caimans are hunted for their hides. This refuge also features turtles, vipers and poison-arrow frogs in terariums. It is on the road to El Tanque just after the sawmill.

In La Fortuna you'll find all kinds of services and accommodations: car rentals, restaurants, adventure tour centers, banks, supermarket, gas station, police station and post office. La Fortuna is also the center of tourist activities for the area. From here most of the tours are tailored to explore the northern plains. It's also a friendly town and a nice place to spend the evening sipping a cup of coffee on a rustic porch.

The 230-foot Fortuna Waterfall, five and a half kilometers from La Fortuna is accessed by a beautiful hike, a relaxing horseback ride or a 20-minute four-wheel drive ride. This is a community development project featuring a sandy bank and a swimming area. The natural pool has a gently flowing current downstream from the crashing waves of the waterfall. Swimming near the violent water is not recommended, but it is always a beautiful day trip to have lunch and enjoy a magnificent view.

Tabacón Hot Springs, two kilometers northwest of La Fortuna, is a relaxing way to soothe muscles sore from horseback riding or hiking. The waters coming down from the volcano are channeled into 5 different pools with different temperatures, and a Jacuzzi. Various colorful bird species including toucans inhabit the grounds.