Known for its lush forests and abundant wildlife, this rain-soaked south-western quarter of the county offers a nether-reaches appeal, epitomized by a remote national park protecting the largest extant stand of primeval rain forest along the Pacific coast of Central America.

Banana plantations cover much of the two major valleys and are the economic mainstay of the somnolent towns of Palmar Norte, Ciudad Neily, and Golfito. Golfito, the colourful and somewhat forlorn capital of the region, has a lassitude typical of tropical ports and derives much of its income today from a duty-free zone and sport-fishing.

Costa Rica and Panama share the Peninsula de Burica, a pendulous piece of real estate tapering into the Pacific like a crocodile’s snout at the very southernmost tip of the country, with nothing but the blue expanse of the Pacific beyond.