Beyond the pale of human incursion, the vast Talamanca massif is a last frontier for tourism. Here Costa Rica’s wildest terrain has been enshrined for posterity in a mammoth park that the country shares with its southern neighbour, Panama.

The 193,920 hectare park, the nation’s largest, girdles the Talamancas, a great tectonic massif thrust from the ocean over several million years and twisted into a number of ranges.

Hiking is a true adventure but should only be undertaken with adequate preparation. The park has scant facilities but the headquarters in San Isidro provides information. An arduous trail across the mountains begins at Ujarras and ends in the Reserva Biologica Hitoy-Carere. The park headquarters can provide a list of ranger stations from where you can hike into the park.