Coast to Coast Costa Rica: Ruta de los Conquistadores

Jacó to Limón, cross-country traverse · Costa Rica

Extreme4 daysNorth America~£1,900 est.

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Overview

La Ruta de los Conquistadores crosses Costa Rica from the Pacific to the Caribbean, tracing (in reverse) the sixteenth-century route of Spanish conquistador Juan de Cavallón. The race version crams roughly 270km and 8,000m of climbing into three days each November; toured over four days with vehicle support, it becomes one of the world's great mountain bike traverses rather than an exercise in suffering — though the two are never far apart here. From the beach at Jacó you climb into rainforest where the 'road' is a river of volcanic mud that swallows shoes whole, cross shoulder country between the Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes at over 3,000m — cold enough for full winter kit within sight of the tropics — and finish with banana-plantation railbed and beach riding into Limón on the Caribbean. The variable that catches people out is the mud-to-altitude double: you will be soaked at 35°C and shivering at 5°C in the same 24 hours. Go with a Costa Rican operator (most run supported tours outside race week) from San José. Budget around £1,900 for a guided, supported crossing with hotels and meals. Ride the December–March dry season unless you are racing.