Puerto Limón Attractions

Sights

Parque Vargas is a tired old park of straggling palms and plants that barely muster up a rustle when a coastal breeze rolls in. Sadly run-down, a colourful mural depicts the town’s turbulent history and woeful neglect while a peeling-paint pagoda stands waiting for the band that seems never to arrive. Craning the neck upwards through the trees, you may see the sloths that are said to meander their way through the upper reaches – but then that could be a town-wide joke at the expense of tourists. A promenade looks out to Isla Uvita where Columbus dropped anchor and you can’t help thinking: why did he bother?

South of the park, the docks are busy with cargo vessels and international crews making regular journeys, as well as the pristine floating palaces that cruise the Caribbean.

It’s all rather boring, unless you happen to roll up when a drumming band is practising in the street. Three dozen young men will appear in their finest bandannas and crisp ironed shirts, a small crowd will join in and an impromptu street party kicks off. Even the trees seem to perk up and, refreshed by the vibrancy, the dreary cloud dissolves, replaced instead by the optimistic glow of dusk-lit neon.