Los Chiles is a border town in the north of Costa Rica.
It's pretty wealthy because of its geographic border situation. It's the northernmost town and the only official border crossing east of Lake Nicaragua between Plains of the North, Costa Rica, and Rio San Juan Region in Nicaragua.
Pretty small - walkable! The avenidas and calles are clearly marked and numbered. Getting lost should be pretty much impossible.
On the riverbank of the Rio Frio you can sometimes see Howler monkeys and different birds. There´s a great path that goes along the bank, heading north from the dock. You´ll see lots of locals fishing, which is a great way to spend a day.
If it's a weekend, you can probably catch an afternoon mejenga (soccer match) in the Central Plaza.
You can hop on a tour boat driving around on the Rio Frio watching birds and stuff like that. Most of these tours are organised from Fortuna.
Los Chiles has something San Carlos (the Nicaraguan town across the border) doesn't: a supermarket. That doesn't mean that you can't get anything in San Carlos but the choice is certainly limited. If you just can't live without certain things buy them here before heading into the Rio San Juan area.
Alcohol (well, rum) however is a lot cheaper in San Carlos than this side of the border.
There are plenty of Sodas all over town.
If you are headed north and you like cacique this is your last chance, as it is virtually unavailable in Nicaragua. The immediate border area around the Rio San Juan also has a notably limited selection of European liquors. If you are on a budget, however, try sticking to Nicaraguan rum (Flor de Caña, also commonly sold in Costa Rica, but at much higher prices) once you're across the border: it's cheaper than most booze in Costa Rica and is world renowned for its quality.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division