Christopher Howard's Costa Rica Books
Books about travel, living, retiring, investing or working in Costa Rica
HOME
ABOUT US
OUR BOOKS
SERVICES
LINKS
 
Sign Up for our Free Costa Rica Update newsletter
 
 

 

 

The Northern Zone

 

The quaint mountain town of Zarcero is famous for its sculptured bushes. The park in front of Zarcero's church is full of shrubs that have been sculpted into the shapes of arches, animals, people and even an oxcart complete with oxen.

San Carlos, or Ciudad Quesada as it is sometimes called, is considered the capital of the country's Northern Zone. We know a few North Americans who own ranches in this area. Almost everything of importance is found within several blocks of the town's main square.

Plaza San Carlos is a new mall with about 143 stores including a supermarket, movie theaters, food court, travel agencies and much more.

Northwest of San Carlos is the beautiful, 48-square-mile, manmade Lake Arenal. This area is rapidly becoming popular with foreign residents.

The lake was created to be a reservoir when engineers flooded a large valley. It is surrounded by rolling hills covered with pastures and patches of tropical forest. The very active Arenal Volcano can often be seen smoking in the distance.

There are many enjoyable things to do around Arenal. The lake and surrounding area offer excellent fishing, sailing, hiking, windsurfing, mountain biking, bird-watching and other outdoor activities. Land around the lake is readily available. Prices vary per square meter depending on location and views.

Several interesting towns are found in this area. Nearby Tilarán is home to a number of foreigners, as are Nuevo Arenal and La Fortuna.The latter is a quiet town east of the volcano and a good place to view its activity. The Catarata La Fortuna is a spectacular waterfall that plummets some 100 feet into a deep pool surrounded by luxuriant foliage. We have met a few foreigners who live in and around Fortuna.

Northern Zone

Northern Zone

At the Tabacón Resort you will find a hot spring in a lush valley at the base of the picture-perfect Arenal Volcano. This is the place to soak your tired bones after a day of participating in one of the many activities this area has to offer.

From "The New Golden Door to retirement and Living in Costa Rica" by Christopher Howard.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this article may be reproduced without written permission of the authors and copyright owner.
 

"Baby boomers are redefining retirement - and leading the move to a new generation of dream countries"

AARP Magazine

----------------------
The Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica

Christopher Howard's The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Cost Rica, is important when doing research about moving to Costa Rica.

By Hillary Chura
New York Times
July 30, 2005

----------------------

Costa Rica Relocation and Retirement Tours - the first logical step to making the move to Costa Rica

 
Retirement communities in Costa Rica, Active adult Community
 
  Contact Us

Copyright © 2005 Costa Rica Books - All rights reserved.
All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner.
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest © 2004 by me. All Rights reserved.