Costa Rica Guide
Guanacaste
Liberia
True to its name, the spirited provincial capital of LIBERIA (from libertad, meaning liberty) is distinctively friendly and progressive, its wide clean streets the legacy of the pioneering farmers and cattle ranchers who founded it. Known colloquially as the "Ciudad Blanca" (white city) due to its whitewashed houses, Liberia is the only town in Costa Rica that seems truly colonial in style and character. Many of the white houses still have their puerta del sol – corner doors that were used, ingeniously, to let the sun in during the morning and out in the late afternoon, thus heating and then cooling the interior throughout the day – an architectural feature left over from the colonial era and particular to this region.
Tours from Liberia
Several of Liberia's hotels, including La Posada del Tope and El Sitio, run trips to attractions in the surrounding area, including Rincón de la Vieja ($15–20), Palo Verde ($25–35) or the Guanacaste beaches. Outside town, Safaris Corobicí ( 
669-6191, 
669-0544, 
www.nicoya.com ), 5km before Cañas on the Interamericana, specialize in floating trips on the Río Corobicí ($35–60 depending on duration). Guides row while you watch the local inhabitants – howler monkeys, huge iguanas and caimans. They also lead an interesting 2–3-hour bird-watcher's tour ($35–45). Mot-mots, cuckoos, laughing falcons, osprey eagles and herons, including the endangered Jabirú stork, have all been spotted along the Corobicí.
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