This region covers a large area of the country, straddling the provincial border of Alajuela and Guanacaste. The landscape is beautiful and varied, including mountains of Arenal and Tenorio, the Monteverde cloudforest, the plains north of the lake that border Nicaragua, the rainforest, and the pastureland where beef farmers graze their cattle.

There are a variety of national parks and protected areas in this part of the country, which limits where you can own property and build to a number of specific areas. The national parks and reserves in the area include the Zona Protectora de Arenal, the Arenal Protected Zone, the Arenal National Park, The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Volcano Tenorío National Park and the Guatuso Indigenous Reserve.

The highest point in the whole area is the Tenorio Volcano – at nearly 2,000 meters – whose national park lies off the northern tip of Lake Arenal. The area in question for the purposes of this chapter extends from the northeastern slope of the Tilarán mountain range downwards into the lowlands around San Rafael de Guatuso.

The altitude of the area makes it cooler than other parts of the country, a welcomed relief to people who find they cannot handle the constant heat of Northwest Guanacaste or the damp stuffiness of Golfito in the Southern Zone. On the other hand, residents from San Carlos to Tilarán joke that it rains 13 months out of the year – so those who experience joint problems in damp weather may want to take a pass.

Annual rainfall averages about 3,000 mm, and while it’s best to be prepared for rain any time, the wettest months are from June to October and the driest are from February to April. The annual average temperature is a pleasant 24ºC. Like the bad rap the Caribbean gets for being so rainy, the northern zone doesn’t get a fair shake – once you’re there, it doesn’t really seem to rain as much as all that. Besides, there are benefits to the rain, such as wonderful forests, deep green pasture, fantastic rainbows and fast-growing plants and trees. The latter is particularly helpful if you want to start a nursery for a commercial tree operation .

There is plenty of wildlife in the area, and the Arenal area alone has more than 1,000 species of plants including aquatic, semi-aquatic, platanillas, epifitas and orchids. There are more than 500 species of birds and animals, everything from the elusive jaguar and puma, to ocelots, hummingbirds and herons.

As far as the weather, it is important to note that parts of the Arenal area can be very windy. If you are planning to build a home, make sure your architect takes this into account, especially with regards to direction. Apparently, December and January are particularly windy months, and rain often falls horizontally as a result. Any windows facing the north and east had best be sealed and preferably fixed, rather than sliding or hinged. Aluminum frames for the whole house are also a good idea, as they withstand the constant water better than wood.