Costa Rica Attractions / Northern Region / Chilamate, Sarapiqui

The community of Chilamate exhibits a rare coincidence of forest and road. Chilamate is located where the Sarapiquí River passes through the southern extension of the Sardinal Hills. Probably because of the ruggedness of the terrain, the land has not yet been deforested. The main road from Puerto Viejo to the capital city of San José, parallels the river, thus in Chilamate, there is easy access to the forests of the Sardinal Hills. In addition, electric and telephone lines run along the road through Chilamate. This coincidence of forest with road access and basic utilities makes Chilamate an ideal location for the development of nature tourism projects. Sarapiqui; has been a center of conservation activity in Costa Rica for many years, originally due to the presence of La Selva, an international research station just south of Puerto Viejo.