Puntarenas

Puntarenas, which means "Sandy Point" in Spanish, is the capital and main city in the province Puntarenas, Costa Rica, at the Pacific coast. The homonymous and oddly shaped province has its largest section in the South, far from the capital.

Its port, Caldera, is one of the main ports in the country. Some 100,000 live in the city and close towns. With beaches on the Pacific Ocean, it also attracts many tourists, especially surfers. It is also a possible stopover point for the touristy Monteverde, further inland.