Highway 32 to Puerto Limón

Highway 32 (the Guápiles Highway) connects San José [1] with the Caribbean [2] and runs east–west 104 kilometers from the foot of the Cordillera Central to Puerto Limón [3].

Drive carefully: The heavily trafficked Highway 32 coils steeply down the mountains and is often fog-bound, landslides are frequent, and Costa Rican drivers can be exceedingly reckless—all of which makes for a white-knuckle drive. The road is frequently closed due to landslides; call the tránsitos (tel. 506/2268-2157) before setting out.

The road spills onto the northern lowlands at El Cruce, at the junction with Highway 4, with a gas station and Rancho Roberto’s (tel. 506/2711-0050), a huge, modestly elegant thatched restaurant.