Guanacaste Day

Monday is a holiday in Costa Rica. Technically, the holiday was Friday but most businesses will be closed tomorrow to celebrate. July 25 marks the day in 1824 Guanacaste was annexed from Nicaragua. The holiday commemorates the region’s entry into the union. The province had to choose between belonging to Costa Rica or Nicaragua. Needless to say, they preferred to be 'Ticos and still are, to the joy of every Costa Rican. Celebrations include parades, music and craft fairs.

Long summer days and beautiful beaches are two phrases that best define what Guanacaste is all about. A province for the active soul, Guanacaste draws visitors with its stunning shoreline, incredible bird watching, amazing horseback riding, excellent surfing, superb snorkeling and wonderful mountain lake windsurfing. With so much to do, it’s easy to understand why so many people come to visit this amazing province.

Forming the eastern borders of Guanacaste are a chain of volcanoes that stretch out to join the Cordillera de Guanacaste and Cordillera de Tilaran mountain ranges. Offering some truly terrific hiking facilities, tourists can trek their way to the summit of a number of volcanoes, including Rincon de la Vieja Volcano Area, to enjoy some really breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. Passing through lovely lush dense forests, which play host to a fabulous array of exotic plant and wildlife, many rare and endangered animals and birds live here including jaguars and tapirs. From these mountains also flow various rivers that roll down to form an alluvial plain drained by the Rio Tempisque. This river in turns nurtures the province before emptying itself into the Golfo de Nicoya.

A region steep in culture, the name Guanacaste is derived from the word quahnacaztlan, which is a native word for the guanacaste tree. This tree is the national tree of Costa Rica.