Tourism has bypassed this peaceful valley, despite the fact that the all important town of San Isidro is a gateway to Parque Nacional Chirropo – set in a vale popular with rafters, hikers, and birders.

The main market and centre for the region is this unprepossessing town. The town offers few attractions and its primary role is as a service centre for fuel and as the gateway to Dominical and the Central Pacific, and to Parque Nacional Chirripo.

The tropical Science Centre manages Los Cusingos – named after a small, orange-billed toucan – for ecological tourism and bird observation.