Limon (Puerto Limon) is located at 10 ° north latitude on the south eastern coast of Costa Rica. It is remote around 90 km from the border with Panama and borders the warm Caribbean Sea. Often, Costa Rica is said to be located in the most beautiful part of North America and if you see the local nature even if for a moment you will understand why. The dense equatorial forests in the area of Limon are one of the best places to practice eco tourism in the world.
City. The coastline of the province of Limon is slightly indented. On the territory of one of the few small peninsulas is located the city of Limon. Near the harbour is located the city center.
There are many shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels. On the streets of the city there is a lot of greenness and everything looks so colourful and unpretentious.
If you look closely while walking the streets of Limon you will find that most buildings are designed to withstand heavy rains and tropical storms that sometimes rage here.
Buildings in the city are completely low, without high-rise office buildings or hotels. The biggest attraction of Puerto Limon is its annual festival.
Every year on October 12 begin a week-long celebration marking the anniversary of the Christopher Columbus’s mooring off the coast of Limon. The famous seafarer moored near the town in 1502nd.
Economy. Limon and the entire province are among the less developed parts of Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica is a rich country, the city suffers from higher unemployment and lower living standards compared with other parts of the country.
The local economy relies strongly on the city port. From Limon are exported worldwide high quality goods such as coffee, bananas and other exotic tropical fruits.
This is the largest Costa Rica’s port on the Atlantic coast and because of this reason it is very important. After the port of Limon, second largest source of income is tourism industry.
This is primarily a green eco tourism. The most important tourist attractions are the incredible humid tropical forests, which attract an increasing flow of foreign visitors.
Population. Limon is the second largest city in Costa Rica and has a population of about 65.000 inhabitants. The population of the area is around 110,000 inhabitants and the entire population of the province of Limon is about 350,000 inhabitants.
Local population speaks Spanish, but the Jamaican dialect of English is also widespread. The population of the city of Limon and the area is mostly of European origin, but the black and indigenous residents are much higher percentage in comparison with other parts of Costa Rica.
Main religion in this part of the country and throughout Costa Rica is Roman Catholicism.
Climate. Limon falls within the subequatorial climate zone. The weather is warm all year round with daytime temperatures around 28°C and night temperatures between 20 and 22°C.
Throughout the year the weather is wet, but there are also two short “dry seasons”. The first one is in February and March and the second – in September and October. These are the best months to visit south eastern Costa Rica.
In this part of the year rain is most scarce and still fall to about 170-200 mm per month! It may seems a lot but just imagine that during July and December rainfall reaches to about 400 mm rain!
Humidity is high throughout the year, so this brings a feeling of warmer weather. However, temperatures are not too high and that belongs to the fame of Costa Rica as one of the countries in the world with the best climate.
Nature. The nature in the vicinity of Limon is amazingly beautiful. The city is surrounded by lush rainforests, which are among the places in the world with the greatest diversity of plants and animals.
An interesting fact is that the forests of Costa Rica are home to amazing animals such as jaguar, harpy (this is the most dangerous bird species in the eagle’s family) and extremely beautiful but deadly poisonous miniature tree frogs.
These tiny creatures are with the size of a human fingernail, but their bright colours warn anyone who approach to be careful and not to hang them. Another attraction of the local fauna is the turtles that come to lay their eggs on the deserted beaches.
Except for amazing wildlife and vegetation, the vicinity of Lemon offers also beautiful beaches, which are almost always empty and deserted. The colour of the sand reminds of cinnamon and waves rarely subside completely.
The advantages, however, can not be ignored – warm sea water, all year round shiny weather and sun, which do not miss to smiles even in the cloudiest days.
Do not forget also and the excellent opportunities for diving in the waters of the Caribbean. All these facts make Lemon attractive place to spend your summer vacation.
One of the biggest attractions in the area is the Turtuguero National Park. It is located north of the city and can be reached only by air or water. It is an exciting experience to visit the Park.
Most tourists have the chance to see crocodile, boa constrictor and even one of the most beautiful cats in the world – Jaguar. Lemon City and the entire province as a whole are very rich in water.
The rivers are generally short, but very deep. Most of them come from the high mountains in the interior of Costa Rica and the year around heavy rains along the rivers fed them.
When to visit Limon? October is the best time to visit Puerto Limon. At this time of year match dry weather and one of the most exciting festivals. Except for October, other suitable months to visit Puerto Limon are February, March and September.