This broad plain is a patchwork of banana plantations and rain forests; the latter sweep down the northern flanks of Barva and Cacho Negro volcanoes and extend north in billowy green waves to the Rio San Juan. The lush rain forests and riverbanks provide birding nonpareil – including a unique opportunity to spot the endangered green macaw.

One of the distinctive attractions in the region is Rara Avis, a private reserve that protects 1,280 hectares of remote montane rain forest abutting Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, on the eastern flank of Volcan Cacho Negro. The rain forest is fed by an overwhelming 500 cm of rainfall annually, which means that visitors are sure to be deluded on almost any day.

Nearby, Heliconia Island is ablaze with heliconia and ginger blooming in riotous colour. Manicured to near perfection this garden displays more than 80 species of heliconia form around the world, as well as scores of bamboo, orchid, and other species.