Los Chiles (Costa Rica)

Los Chiles is a border town in the north of Costa Rica.

Understand
It's pretty wealthy because of its geographic border situation. It's the northernmost town and the only official border crossing east of Lake Nicaragua between Plains of the North, Costa Rica, and Río San Juan Region in Nicaragua.

By bus

 * San José, Central Valley - Los Chiles: 05:30, 15:00, Terminal de San Carlos (₡2,100, 5 hr)
 * Ciudad Quesada every hour from the central bus terminal

By boat

 * There used to be boats to/from San Carlos (Nicaragua) but they have been shut down indefinitely as of September 2018.

Get around
Pretty small - walkable! The avenidas and calles are clearly marked and numbered. Getting lost should be pretty much impossible.

See
On the riverbank of the Río Frío you can sometimes see Howler monkeys and different birds. There´s a great path that goes along the bank, heading north from the dock. You´ll see lots of locals fishing, which is a great way to spend a day.

If it's a weekend, you can probably catch an afternoon mejenga (soccer match) in the Central Plaza.

Do
You can hop on a tour boat driving around on the Río Frío watching birds and stuff like that. Most of these tours are organised from Fortuna.

Buy
Los Chiles has something San Carlos (the Nicaraguan town across the border) doesn't: a supermarket. That doesn't mean that you can't get anything in San Carlos but the choice is certainly limited. If you just can't live without certain things buy them here before heading into the Río San Juan area.

Alcohol (well, rum) however is a lot cheaper in San Carlos than this side of the border.

Eat
There are plenty of Sodas all over town.

Drink
If you are headed north and you like cacique this is your last chance, as it is virtually unavailable in Nicaragua. The immediate border area around the Río San Juan also has a notably limited selection of European liquors. If you are on a budget, however, try sticking to Nicaraguan rum (Flor de Caña, also commonly sold in Costa Rica, but at much higher prices) once you're across the border: it's cheaper than most booze in Costa Rica and is world renowned for its quality.

Sleep

 * Hotal Tulipan (₡10,000-12,000) right in front of Migration with bar & restaurant.
 * Cabinas Jabiru (₡8,000-10,000) closer to the bus station (follow the signs)
 * Small hostels on the southern side of the soccer field/central park for about ₡2,500-3,000.

Go next

 * Every hour there is a bus to Ciudad Quesada (₡2,200).
 * At 11:00 and 15:00 there is a direct bus to San Jose (cheaper than changing in Ciudad Quesada) (₡2,100).
 * At 13:30 the boat leaves to San Carlos, Nicaragua (₡5,000).