Trekking has become a popular activity in Costa Rica, particularly because it is a fantastic way to really get to explore different areas of the country without missing any detail, also as an excellent physical activity that promotes both physical and emotional health allowing people to be more “in-touch” with nature and with the world in general.

El Camino de Costa Rica (The Trail of Costa Rica) is a project of the non-profit association Mar a Mar, which promotes rural development and established with the objective of creating a journey taking trekking lovers across the country from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast and in this way benefiting the small towns that usually don’t benefit from tourism.

“El Camino is a walking trail that provides a 16 day, 280 km hike crossing Costa Rica from the Atlantic to the Pacific, through rainforests, valleys, coffee, banana, coconut and sugar cane plantations, highlighting the country’s biodiversity and promoting eco-friendly economic development of rural communities”, explains the organization’s website.

The route begins in Barra del Pacuare in the Caribbean coast and finishes in Quepos in the Pacific; in the road, adventurers will get to walk through National Parks, visit Indigenous communities, small rural towns, explore the raw nature and rivers.

The idea of the project is to promote rural tourism through an inclusive and sustainable activity where people can also experience the culture, gastronomy and way of living of different communities while enjoying the rich flora and fauna of the different areas.

“We have already talked to tourism operators so they can take their clients through El Camino. They take care of the logistics such as lodging and food. Some of the lodging options include places that we have helped develop for people to camp”, explained Felipe Carazo, president of the Association Mar a Mar.

If you want to take this tour you can get information through the website https://www.caminodecostarica.org