Barra del Colorado

Barra del Colorado covers around eight hundred square kilometres of the northeastern corner of Costa Rica, from the Tortuguero canals up to the San Juan river on the Nicaraguan border, and it is the largest protected area in the country's refuge system. It is almost entirely water and swamp forest: canals, lagoons, flooded forest and river mouth, with no roads at all and a village at the coast reachable by boat or a small plane onto a grass strip. Tarpon and snook fishing built what tourism there is, and the wildlife is the Tortuguero list without the visitors: manatees, caimans, otters, monkeys and an enormous bird count.

What you actually see

• The canal system - continuous waterways down to Tortuguero.
• Tarpon and snook - the fishery the village grew around.
• Manatees and caimans - in the lagoons and quieter channels.
• The San Juan river - the northern boundary, running to the Caribbean.

When to go

September and October are the driest on this coast, with February and March a second window. Tarpon fishing peaks from January to June. Flights and boats are weather-dependent and cancellations are common.

Honest expectations

There are no roads and no scheduled public transport worth the name; getting here means a chartered boat or a small plane, both expensive. Accommodation is a handful of fishing lodges. It rains a very great deal. The river forms an international border and boats should stay on the Costa Rican side. Insects are severe.

Nearby

Tortuguero is south down the canals; the San Juan is the northern boundary.