Experience More

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Parque Nacional Los Quetzales

Pan-Am Hwy, 47 miles (76 km) SE of San José @ To Km 80, then hike # 8am–4pm daily www.sinac.go.cr/ES/ac/accvc/pnlq/Paginas/default.aspx

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t A hummingbird perched on a spiny branch in Parque Nacional Los Quetzales

Bordering the Pan-American Highway is Parque Nacional Los Quetzales, created in 2005 from the Los Santos Forest Reserve, the Biological Reserve of Cerro de las Vueltas, and various state properties. Covering 19 sq miles (50 sq km) of cloud forest, the park spreads along the banks of the Río Savegre. This is one of the most biologically diverse regions in Costa Rica, with 116 species of mammals, mangroves, and lagoons of glacial origins. One of the highlights is the glorious emerald-green-and-garnet resplendent quetzal, for which the park is named.

Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge, southeast of the park’s main entrance, has trails running through primary cloud forest in which peccaries, deer, tapir, otters, ocelots, and pumas have all been sighted.

Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge

2.5 miles (4 km) S of San Gerado de Dota dantica.com

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Jardín Botánico Lankester

4 miles (6 km) SE of Cartago @ From Cartago # 8:30am–4:30pm daily jbl.ucr.ac.cr

Operated by the University of Costa Rica as a research center, these luxuriant botanical gardens were founded in 1917 by English horticulturalist and coffee-planter Charles Lankester West. They display almost 3,000 neotropical species in separate sections dedicated to specific plant families. The highlight – and the focus of conservation research here – is the sizable orchid collection spread throughout the garden. The 1,100 species are best seen in the dry season, especially from February to April.

Pathways wind through a bamboo tunnel, a swath of premontane forest, a cactus garden, a butterfly garden, a medicinal plant garden, and a Japanese garden. Visitors are first given an orientation talk before setting out on a self-guided tour; alternatively, guided tours are available on Sundays: phone ahead to book a place.

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t Lush neotropical plantings at the Jardín Botánico Lankester

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San Isidro de Coronado

6 miles (10 km) NE of San José @

Clinging to the western slopes of Irazú volcano, San Isidro de Coronado is an agricultural center boasting the largest Gothic church in the country. The Parroquia de San Isidro, which soars over the town’s tree-shaded plaza, was pre-fabricated in Germany in 1930, erected in situ, and finally completed in 1934.

San Isidro is a gateway to Irazú Volcano National Park via an unbelievably scenic stretch of Rancho Redondo. The road snakes along the mountainsides, granting spectacular vistas over San José and the rolling Central Highlands.

Parroquia de San Isidro

Calle Polo Rodriguez www.diocesissanisidro.org

Experience Central Highlands

Costa Rican Coffee

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t Sorting coffee, from the ripe cherry to the roasted bean, for quality, size, and shape

Costa Rica’s famous coffee was introduced to the country in 1779. For more than a century, beginning in the 1830s, the grano de oro (golden grain) was Costa Rica’s foremost export, funding the construction of fine buildings and enriching a rising class of so-called coffee barons.

GROWING CONDITIONS

The nation’s mountains provide ideal conditions for the coffee plant, which prefers consistent, warm temperatures, distinct wet and dry seasons, and fertile, well-drained slopes. Shade trees allow the ideal amount of sunlight to filter through, while volcanic soil contains the nutrients that coffee bushes require. More than 425 sq miles (1,100 sq km), concentrated in the Central Highlands at elevations between 2,650 and 4,900 ft (800–1,500 m), are dedicated to coffee production.

FROM BERRY TO CUP

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t A fresh, milky brew, made from fine Costa Rican coffee beans

Typically it takes four years for the coffee bush to bear fruit. Small white blossoms appear with the rains in May, giving off a jasmine-like scent. The fleshy green berries containing the beans gradually turn red as they ripen. From November, the red berries are hand-picked and carried from the field in handwoven wicker baskets to be measured. The berries are cleaned at a beneficio, where the fleshy outer pulp is stripped off and returned to the slopes as fertilizer. The beans are dried, in the sun or in hot-air ovens, and the leathery skin removed before roasting. The roasted beans are sorted by quality, size, and shape. Export-quality beans are vacuum-sealed in foil bags. Lower grade beans are sold domestically as café puro (unadulterated) or café tradi cional (mixed with sugar).

Experience Central Highlands

The Early Days

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Before the advent of the railway in the late 19th century, coffee beans were transported to port in carretas (oxcarts). Trains of carretas loaded with coffee traveled down the mountains in convoys. The beans were then shipped to Europe, a journey that took three months.

Experience Central Highlands

STAY

Tacacori Eco Lodge

Surrounded by coffee fields and forest, this hilltop eco-lodge features stand-alone villas with killer views.

Tacacori # tacacori.com

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Poás Volcano Lodge

Deluxe boutique mountain lodge with glorious rooms on a working cattle farm.

Vara Blanca # poasvolcanolodge.com

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Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel

Chic remake of a colonial mountaintop hacienda in its own forest reserve. Chalets have whirlpool tubs.

Los Angeles Norte # villablanca-costarica.com

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Alajuela

12 miles (19 km) NW of San José k @

Sitting at the base of Volcán Poás, this busy market town is Costa Rica’s third-largest city. The mango trees that shade the main square, Plaza del General Tomás Guardia, are the source of Alajuela’s nickname, “City of Mangoes”; the fruit even has its own festival here, in July. Centered on a triple-tiered fountain with cherubs at its base, the plaza has a bandstand, and benches with built-in chess sets. It is dominated by the simple, domed Catedral de Alajuela, with a magnificent barrel-vaulted ceiling lavishly adorned with frescoes and a Classical façade. More interesting is the Baroque Iglesia Santo Cristo de la Agonía, five blocks east, which dates only from 1935. The interior boasts intriguing murals. The former jail, one block north of the main plaza, houses the Museo Histórico Cultural Juan Santamaría, honoring the local drummer-boy who gave up his life torching William Walker’s hideout during the War of 1856. Call ahead to arrange a guided tour and a screening of a video about the event.

A bronze statue of Santamaría stands in cobbled Parque Juan Santamaría, which is two blocks south of the main plaza.

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Museo Histórico Cultural Juan Santamaría

Ave 1 and Calles Central/2 # 10am–5:30pm Tue–Sun museojuansantamaria.go.cr

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t National hero Juan Santamaria, standing defiant in Alajuela

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Zoo Ave Wildlife Conservation Park

Hwy 3, La Garita, 2 miles (3 km) E of Pan-Am Hwy @ From San José (Sat–Sun at 8am) & Alajuela # 9am–5pm daily rescateanimalzooave.org

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t A peacock displaying its plumage to a peahen at the Zoo Ave wildlife park

Costa Rica’s foremost zoo has the largest collection of tropical birds in Central America, covering 145 acres (59 ha). The privately owned zoo is one of only two in the world to display resplendent quetzals. More than 60 other native bird species can be seen in large flight cages. Mammals are represented by deer, peccaries, pumas, tapirs, and the four native monkey species. Crocodiles, caimans, and snakes are among the dozens of reptile species.

Many of the animals and birds here were confiscated from poachers, or rescued by the National Wildlife Service. Zoo Ave is also a breeding center and has successfully raised endangered species such as green and scarlet macaws.

A short distance away, the Botanical Orchid Garden delights with its walking trails, exhibitions, and hothouses where about 150 orchid species are grown. Bamboos, heliconias, and palms are also represented, and there’s a macaw breeding facility. The peaceful water gardens offer a relaxed stroll with glimpses of koi carp and turtles.

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Botanical Orchid Garden

1 mile (1.6 km) W of Autopista General Cañas # 8:30am–4:30pm Tue–Sun orchidgardencr.com

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Grecia

11 miles (18 km) NW of Alajuela @

A tranquil market town first settled in 1864 and voted the nation’s cleanest town several times since, Grecia’s claim to fame is the Iglesia de Grecia, made of rust-red prefabricated steel plates. Trimmed in white filigree, the church has twin spires and a wooden interior with an elaborate marble altar.

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Universidad de Paz

8 miles (13 km) W of Escazú @ To Ciudad Colón, then by taxi # Campus: 8am–4:30pm Mon–Fri; Recreation Park: 8am–4pm daily upeace.org

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t The stirring Monument for Disarmament, Work, and Peace at the Universidad de Paz

A United Nations institution, the University of Peace (UPAZ) enjoys an idyllic setting on the Hacienda Rodeo, a cattle estate and forest reserve that donated the land for the purpose. Founded in 1980, the university is dedicated to research and education for the promotion of peace. The Recreation Park surrounding the campus contains busts of famed pacifists such as Mahatma Gandhi, novelist Alexsey Tolstoy, and Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross. Particularly moving is the life-size statue Peace Pilgrim by Fernando Calvo, dedicated to Mildred N. Ryder (1908–81), who, from the age of 44 until her death, walked for the cause of world peace. Trails lead into the Reserva Forestal el Rodeo, a 4.6-sq-mile (12-sq-km) primary forest reserve that shelters deer, monkeys, wild cats, and more than 300 species of birds.

Around a lake to the south of the university grounds is the roadside Monument for Disarmament, Work, and Peace, by Cuban artist Thelvia Marín. A series of majestic columns each depict a key moment and personality in Costa Rican history, striding towards peace.

Did You Know?

Oscar Arias, founder of the Universidad de Paz, won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for ending Central America’s civil wars.

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Sarchí

18 miles (29 km) NW of Alajuela @ n Plaza de la Artesanía, Sarchí Sur

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t Workshop in the town of Sarchí, famed for traditionally crafted and decorated wares

The country’s foremost crafts center is set in the midst of coffee fields on the southern flank of Volcán Poás. The town is famous for its wooden furniture, leather rocking chairs, and hand-painted oxcarts, decorated with signature floral motifs and geometric designs. The whitewashed buildings of Sarchí Norte, the town center, are graced by similar motifs. Don’t miss the pink-and-turquoise Iglesia de Sarchí in the town plaza. One of its twin spires is topped by a trademark oxcart wheel.

Craft stores and mueblerías (furniture workshops) are concentrated in Sarchí Sur, half a mile (1 km) east. A good place to buy souvenirs is Fábrica de Carretas Joaquín Chaverrí. Decorative oxcarts of various sizes are painted in talleres (workshops) at the rear. Fábrica de Carretas Eloy Alfaro is the only remaining taller in the country that actually makes oxcarts.

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Fábrica de Carretas Joaquín Chaverrí

Sarchí Sur § 2454-4411 # 8am–5pm daily

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Fábrica de Carretas Eloy Alfaro

164 yd (150 m) N of Sarchí Norte # 8am–5pm daily souvenirscostarica.com/en/

Experience Central Highlands

TRADITIONAL OXCARTS

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The quintessential symbol of Costa Rica, the traditional solid-wheeled carreta (oxcart) was once used on farmsteads and for transporting coffee beans. In the mid-19th century, the carts began to be painted in brightly colored, stylized floral and geometric starburst patterns, with metal rings on the hubcaps that create a unique chime when in motion. Still traditionally made, today’s carretas are largely decorative, and can cost as much as $5,000.

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Atenas

15 miles (24 km) W of Alajuela @

Heralded for having the best climate in the world, this quiet mountain town was once an important way-stop on the old camino de carretas (oxcart trail). A century ago caravans of carts, laden with coffee beans, would begin their descent to Puntarenas from Atenas, which perches atop the westernmost ridge of the Cordillera Central. The Monumento a los Boyeros, by Manuel Torrecillas López, commemorates the carters, and the Museo Ferrovariaro, in the old railway station on Rio Grande, displays antique locomotives from the same era. Today, Atenas is still an important coffee-producing center – El Toledo organic coffee farm offers tours, and the local social initiative COOPEATENAS co-operative has tours of the processing mill. The town’s palm-shaded central park is a peaceful and popular spot to relax and watch the world go by.

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Bosque de Paz Rain/Cloud Forest Biological Reserve

9 miles (14 km) E of Zarcero @ To Zarcero, then by taxi # 6am–5pm daily, by prior arrangement only bosquedepaz.com

Set deep in the valley of the Río Toro on the northern slopes of Volcán Platanar, this 4-sq-mile (10-sq-km) reserve connects Parque Nacional Volcán Poás with remote Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco. Some 14 miles (22 km) of trails lead through primary and secondary forest, from rain-sodden montane growth to cloud forest at higher levels. The prodigious rainfall feeds the reserve’s many waterfalls, as well as the streams that rush past a hummingbird and butterfly garden.

On clear days, miradores (viewpoints) offer fabulous vistas, as well as a chance to catch sight of sloths, wild cats, and howler, capuchin, and spider monkeys. A favorite of bird-watchers, the reserve has more than 330 species of birds, including resplendent quetzals and the noisy three-wattled bellbirds.

Meals and accommodation are offered in a rustic log-and-riverstone lodge.

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La Guácima

7 miles (12 km) SE of Alajuela @

The sprawling community of La Guácima is renowned for the murals of butterflies that adorn its walls. Horse-lovers will find a visit to Rancho San Miguel, on the outskirts of La Guácima, particularly interesting. This stable and stud farm raises Andalusian horses and offers riding lessons, as well as a dressage and horsemanship show in the manner of the Lipizzaners of the Spanish Riding School at Vienna. It offers tours of its sustainable agriculture facility, including a bee farm.

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Rancho San Miguel

3 miles (4.5 km) N of La Guácima § 2439-0003 # 9am–5pm daily, with prior reservation only

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Zarcero

15.5 miles (25 km) NW of Sarchí @

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t The surreal topiary in the Parque Francisco Alvardo

This quiet mountain town, at an elevation of 5,600 ft (1,700 m), has a spectacular setting, with lush pastures and forest all around. It is renowned for its cheese, called palmito.

At the heart of the town, the main attraction is the Parque Francisco Alvardo, a spacious park with well-tended gardens and topiary features. Since 1960, gardener Don Evangelisto Blanco has been transforming the park’s cypress bushes into various fanciful forms: an ox and cart, an elephant with lightbulbs for eyes, a helicopter and airplane, a bullfight with matador and charging bull, and even a monkey riding a motorcycle. An Art Nouveau-style topiary archway frames the central pathway, which leads to the 19th-century pink-and-blue Iglesia de San Rafael with its prettily painted interior.

Experience Central Highlands

EAT

Jaulares

Traditional fare, from bean soup to casados, cooked on an open wood-burning stove.

Fraijanes de Poãs § 2482-2155

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Fiesta del Maíz

Popular local eatery serving all things maíz (corn), from fritters to tamales.

La Garita § 2487-5757

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La Lluna de Valencia

Fun-filled place known for its superb paella and its ebullient Catalan owner, Vicente Aguilar.

San Pedro de Barva lallunadevalencia.com

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La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Montaña Azul, 20 miles (32 km) N of Alajuela @ From San José # 8am–5pm daily waterfallgardens.com

This multifaceted attraction’s main draw is five thunderous waterfalls plummeting down into deeply forested ravines on the northeast slopes of Volcán Poás. Paved pathways lead downhill through pristine forest to the cascades, where spray blasts visitors standing on viewing platforms. Access to the falls involves negotiating metal staircases, but there’s a shuttle that runs visitors back uphill.

The landscaped grounds feature the Hummingbird Garden, which draws about 40 percent of the nation’s 57 species. As many as 4,000 butterflies flit about the Butterfly Garden, including the owl butterfly. Scores of macaws, toucans, and other birds can be seen in a walk-through aviary enclosed by a massive netted dome, while grand jaguars are a highlight of a wild cat exhibition. Other attractions include a walk-in ranarium displaying poison-dart and other frog species; a serpentarium, with dozens of snake species; and a traditional farmstead with staff dressed in period costume. Renowned ornithologists lead birding tours.

The park’s restaurant has a veranda with marvelous views. Deluxe accommodation is available at the Peace Lodge.

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t Reaching out to feel the spray from a voluminous La Paz waterfall

Did You Know?

The largest butterfly species in Costa Rica is the owl butterfly, with a wingspan of up to 8 in (20 cm).

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El Silencio de Los Angeles Cloud Forest Reserve

20 miles (32 km) NW of Sarchí @ To San Ramón, then by taxi # 6am–5pm daily villablanca-costarica.com

Providing easy access to a cloud forest environment, this 3-sq-mile (9-sq-km) reserve reverberates with the raucous calls of aricaris, bellbirds, and three species of monkeys. Wild cats prowl the mist-shrouded forests, which reach as high as 5,900 ft (1,800 m) in elevation. Clouds swirl around the handsome colonial farmhouse here, which sits above the Continental Divide and houses the Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel & Spa. From here, knowledgeable guides lead tours of the reserve along a network of trails; if you’re not staying at the hotel, it’s advisable to book your place in advance. There are also self-guided walks and, if you arrive early enough, you can even help milk the hotel’s cows.

The hotel’s tiny La Mariana chapel has a high ceiling covered with hand-painted tiles, each devoted to a different female saint. Outside, an effigy of the black saint San Martín de Porres welcomes visitors.

Nearby Nectandra Cloud Forest Garden has well-kept trails and landscaped gardens exhibiting the rich flora and fauna of Costa Rica.

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Nectandra Cloud Forest Garden

9 miles (15 km) NW of San Ramón # 8am–3pm daily, by appointment only nectandra.org

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Doka Estate

Sabanilla de Alajuela, 7 miles (11 km) N of Alajuela # 8am–3pm daily @ From Alajuela dokaestate.com

Located on the lower slopes of Volcán Poás, this coffee finca was founded in 1929 by merchant Don Clorindo Vargas. The family-owned estate has some 6 sq miles (15 sq km) planted with coffee bushes.

The Doka Estate still follows the time-honored tradition of drying coffee beans by laying them out in the sun, and welcomes visitors eager to learn about coffee production, from cultivating arabica seedlings to processing the beans. The guided tour (obligatory) of the historic site, which has National Historic Landmark status, starts on a delicious note with a fresh-roasted coffee-tasting. The tour demonstrates the various stages involved in coffee production and ends in the roasting room. Tours begin at regular intervals during the morning and early afternoon. The estate offers splendid views down the slopes and across the valley. There is also a small B&B nearby.

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Parque Nacional Volcán Poás

18 miles (30 km) N of Alajuela @ From Alajuela and San José # 7am–1pm daily ¢ During phases of volcanic activity www.sinac.go.cr/ES/ac/accvc/pnvp/Paginas/default.aspx

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t The volatile landscape at the summit of Volcán Poás, where an acidic lake steams

The nation’s most visited national park was inaugurated on January 25, 1971. Covering 25 sq miles (65 sq km), the reserve encircles Volcán Poás (8,850 ft/2,700 m), a restless giant that formed more than one million years ago and is still volatile. Following strong eruptions in 2017, which closed the park completely for some time, it has now reopened with strictly controlled access and safety conditions. Tickets must be purchased online in advance; your entry time is specified and visits are limited to 40 minutes only. Visits are not advised for young children or adults with limited mobility or heart or respiratory problems, in case an evacuation is necessary.

The gateway to the park is the mountain hamlet of Poasito. The summit of the volcano is reached by a scenic drive, with spectacular views back down the valley. From the parking lot, a short walk along a paved path leads to a viewing terrace that grants visitors an awe-inspiring vista down into the heart of the hissing and steaming crater, which is 895 ft (300 m) deep and a mile (1.6 km) wide. It contains an acidic turquoise lake, sulfurous fumaroles, and a 245-ft- (75-m-) tall cone that began to form in the 1950s. On clear days, it is possible to view the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Clouds typically form by mid-morning, so it is best to book an early time-slot. Bring warm clothing: the average temperature at the summit is 12° C (54° F), but cloudy days can be bitterly cold.

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Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo

Guápiles Hwy, 23 miles (37 km) N of San José @ San José–Guápiles

Named for Costa Rica’s third chief of state, this sprawling 185-sq-mile (480-sq-km) park climbs from 120 ft (36 m) at La Selva in the northern lowlands to 9,500 ft (2,900 m) at the top of Volcán Barva. It is bisected by the Guápiles Highway, which links San José with Puerto Limón. The park remains one of the nation’s most rugged, with craggy mountains, dense rainforest cover, and numerous waterfalls, and is subject to torrential rains. It protects five ecozones and a diversity of wildlife, with 135 mammal species and 500 species of birds living within the park.

The main entrance is Puesto Quebrada González ranger station, 8 miles (13 km) north of the Zurqui ranger station (closed to visitors), near the Rainforest Aerial Tram. The best hiking is around the summit of Volcán Barva, on the west side of the park and accessed by 4WD via the Puesto Barva ranger station above Sacramento. From here, a trail leads through the cloud forest to the crater. Dormant Barva has at least 13 eruptive cones. Hikers must report to the ranger stations when on the way in and out. Tour operators in San José offer half-day or full-day tours.

On the southern slopes, Sibú Chocolate offers its irresistible products for sale, a lovely garden café, and a fascinating tasting tour that shows how the chocolate is made.

Puesto Quebrada González

Hwy 32 § 2206-5000 # 8am–3:30pm daily

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Sibú Chocolate

200 yd (180 m) W of Hwy 32, 5 miles (8 km) S of Zurquí tunnel # 11am–6pm Tue–Sat sibuchocolate.com

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Café Britt

Santa Lucía, 3 miles (5 km) W of Heredia @ Tour buses from San José # 8am–5pm daily coffeetour.com

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t The coffee bar, Café Britt

A mecca for coffee lovers, this beneficio (processing mill) roasts and packs gourmet coffees. Entertaining guided tours are led by campesinos, played by professional actors in period costume. Their homespun repartee unfolds a spellbinding love story along with a fascinating educational narrative on the history and production cycle of coffee, from the plantation to the cup, as well as highlighting the role of the grano de oro (golden bean) in cultivating Costa Rican democracy and investigating its importance in molding a national identity. Visitors are led through the coffee estates before taking a hard-hat tour of the packing facility, where they breathe in the aroma of roasting beans. The tour ends in the coffee bar where a delicious brew awaits. The factory store sells coffees, chocolates, souvenirs, and local crafts, and you can buy sandwiches in the canteen.

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t Professional actors dressed as campesinos leading Café Britt’s tours

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Barva

2 miles (3 km) N of Heredia @ From Heredia

One of the country’s oldest settlements, this quaint town was founded in 1613. Located at the base of Volcán Barva, the green town contains many simple 18th-century adobe houses with red-tiled roofs.

The flower-filled and palm-shaded town square, laid out in 1913, is graced by the pretty Iglesia de San Bartolomé de Barva, erected in 1867 on the site of an Indian burial ground.

The Museo de Cultura Popular, on the outskirts of Barva, provides a portrait of late 19th-century life, with period pieces laid out in the fashion of the times. The building is a former home of ex-president Alfredo González Flores. The kitchen serves traditional meals.

Museo de Cultura Popular

Santa Lucía de Barva, just S of Barva § 2260-1619 # 8am–4pm Mon–Fri (groups only), 10am–5pm Sun

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t Barva’s pretty 1867 church, built on the site of two earlier churches felled by earthquakes

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Heredia

7 miles (11 km) NW of San José @

A peaceful and orderly town founded in 1706, Heredia has a smattering of important colonial buildings at its heart and a bustling student life, owing to the presence of a branch of the University of Costa Rica. It is centered on Parque Nicolás Ulloa, popularly called Parque Central. Shaded by large mango trees, the park contains numerous busts and monuments. Dominating the park is the squat, weathered cathedral, La Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción. Built in 1797, it has lovely stained-glass windows, and a two-tone checkerboard floor of marble.

On the north side of Parque Central, the forecourt of the municipality office features the Monumento Nacional a la Madre, an endearing bronze sculpture of a mother and child by Miguela Brenes. Next door, the colonial-era Casa de la Cultura occupies the home of former president Alfredo González Flores (1877–1962). It is now an art gallery and a tiny museum. Nearby is an interesting circular fortress tower, El Fortín, built in 1876.

A popular attraction in the lively town of Santa Barbara de Heredia, northwest of Heredia, is the Ark Herb Farm with its extensive orchards and gardens. The farm is also an exporter of medicinal herbs.

Casa de la Cultura

Calle and Ave Central § 2261-4485 # 8am–5:30pm Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Sat

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Ark Herb Farm

Santa Barbara de Heredia, 3 miles (5 km) NW of Heredia # 7am–4pm Mon–Sat, 9am–3pm Sun arkherbfarm.com

Experience Central Highlands

STAY

Finca Rosa Blanca

Comfort and high sustainability, overlooking coffee estates.

Santa Bárbara de Heredia fincarosablanca.com

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Hotel Chalet Tirol

Chalet-style villas amid centuries-old cypresses and beautiful gardens.

San Rafael de Heredia hotelchaleteltirol.com

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Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge

Cute, eco-friendly bungalows, perfectly located for birders.

San Gerardo de Dota dantica.com

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Parque Nacional Tapantí-Macizo la Muerte

5.5 miles (9 km) S of Orosí § 2771-3155 @ To Orosí, then by jeep-taxi # 8am–4pm daily

South of the Orosí Valley, the vibrantly green Tapantí-Macizo National Park protects 225 sq miles (583 sq km) of the Talamanca Mountains. Ranging in elevation from 3,950 ft to 8,350 ft (1,200–2,550 m), it features diverse flora, from lower montane rainforest to montane dwarf forest on the upper slopes. The park is deluged with rains for most of the year, which feed the fast-flowing rivers rushing through it; February to April are the least rainy months.

Spectacularly rich in wildlife, the park has animals such as anteaters, jaguars, monkeys, tapirs, and even otters. More than 260 bird species inhabit its thick forests. Resplendent quetzals frequent the thickets near the ranger station, which has a small nature display.

Well-marked trails lace the rugged terrain. A particularly pleasant and easy hike is Sendero La Catarata, which leads to a waterfall. Fishing in the park is permitted from April to October.

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t Cooling off at a Tapantí-Macizo National Park wild swimming spot

Experience Central Highlands

White-water Rafting

Costa Rica boasts perfect white-water-rafting rivers. The best of the runnable rivers churn between the mountainous Central Highlands to the Caribbean, interspersed by stretches of calm water.

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t Adrenaline junkies paddling the rapids on an organized rafting trip

Across the country professional operators guide groups downstream in large rubber dinghies on trips lasting half a day to a week. Whether expert or novice, trips make lots of stops to refuel, explore, or break overnight.

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t Rafting past forested banks on both sides in a calmer section of the river

Two of the finest rafting destinations are the Río Reventazón and Río Pacuare. Flowing through the Orosí and Turrialba Valleys, the Río Reventazón has separate sections ranging from Class II (easy) to V (very difficult). In the east, torrential Río Pacuare takes thrillseekers on adrenaline-packed rides along wildlife-rich gorges and pounding rapids.

Experience Central Highlands

Top5Things-icon

WHITE-WATER RIVERS FOR BEGINNERS

Río Sarapiquí

Ideal for all levels, these rapids go through lush tropical rain forest.

Río Corobicí

Easy rapids and lengthy still sections make it perfect for bringing the kids.

Río Reventazón

Something for everyone, with calm stretches and long, roiling rapids runs.

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Turrialba

27 miles (44 km) E of Cartago @

This pleasant regional center squats in a broad valley on the banks of the Río Turrialba at 2,130 ft (650 m) above sea level, against the base of Volcán Turrialba. It was once an important transportation hub midway between San José and the Caribbean; rusting railroad tracks serve as reminders of the days when the Atlantic Railroad thrived. There is little of special interest in the town, but it serves as an agreeable base for exploring the surrounding area, and for kayaking and rafting trips on the Río Reventazón and Río Pacuare. The valley bottom southeast of Turrialba is filled by the 1-sq-mile (2.5-sq-km) Lake Angostura, created by the building of a hydroelectric dam. It lures varied waterfowl and is a water sports center, although it is gradually being choked by water hyacinths. Below the dam, Class III–IV rapids run the Río Reventazón (Exploding River). It is fabulously scenic, as is the nearby Río Pacuare, which is also favored by rafters. East of the town, there are good hiking trails through forest.

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t Rappelling down one of the many waterfalls around Turrialba

Did You Know?

Visitors can swim under the 130-ft- (40-m-) high Aquiares waterfall in Turrialba.

Experience Central Highlands

SHOP

Señor y Señora Ese

A huge artisan store where most of the handcrafted items, including jewelry, are made on site.

Villa Bonita de Alajuela


Molas y Café

This well-stocked souvenir shop sells its own Trilogy brand of coffee.

Hwy 3 near Farmer and Oxcart, Atenas § 8348-2121


Dantica Galerí de Arte

Located in the lodge of the same name (Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge), this well-lit gallery sells high-quality indigenous crafts from across Central America.

San Gerardo de Dota dantica.com

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Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú

19 miles (30 km) N of Cartago @ From Ave 2, Calles 1/3, San José (8am daily) # 8am–3:30pm daily sinac.go.cr

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t Views of Irazú’s crater lake

Encircling the upper slopes of Volcán Irazú, this 7-sq-mile (18-sq-km) park was established in 1955. The name Irazú is derived from the indigenous word istarú, which means “mountain of thunder” – an appropriate moniker for Costa Rica’s historically most active volcano. The first written reference to an eruption was in 1723. Several devastating explosions occurred between 1917 and 1921, and the volcano famously erupted on March 13, 1963, when US President John F Kennedy was in the country to attend the Summit of Central American Presidents.

At 11,260 ft (3,430 m), the cloud-covered Irazú is also Costa Rica’s highest volcano. The road to the summit winds uphill past vegetable fields. A viewing platform lets visitors gaze into a 985-ft (300-m) deep, 0.5-mile (1-km) wide crater, containing a pea-green lake. Four other craters can be accessed, but there are active fumaroles, and the marked trails should be followed.

The lunar landscape of the summit includes a great ash plain called Playa Hermosa. Hardy vegetation, such as myrtle and the large-leaved “poor man’s umbrella,” maintains a foothold against acidic emissions in the bitter cold. Wildlife is scarce, although it is possible to spot birds such as the sooty robin and endemic volcano junco. The Museo Vulcanológico, below the park, has displays that explain the action of volcanoes and profile the activity and ecology of Irazú.

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Museo Vulcanológico

1 mile (1.6 km) below the park entrance # 9am–3:30pm daily nochebuenacr.com

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t reached by rail-lined paths

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GREAT VIEW

Peak Viewing

Although Volcán Irazú is often blanketed by fog, the cloud line tends to hover below the summit, which basks in brilliant sunshine. Arriving early increases the likelihood of clear weather and good views.

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San Gerardo de Dota

5.5 miles (9 km) W of Pan-Am Hwy at Km 80 @ to Km 80, then hike or arrange a transfer (call 8367-8141)

One of the best sites in Costa Rica for quetzal-watching, this small community is tucked into the bottom of a steep valley furrowed by Río Savegre. Go down a switchback from the Pan-Am Highway to reach the hamlet, which was first settled in 1954 by Don Efraín Chacón and his family. Today, the Chacóns’ Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve protects around 1.5 sq miles (4 sq km) of cloud forest and houses the Quetzal Education Research Center (QERC). This study center for quetzal ecology is the tropical campus of the Southern Nazarene University of Oklahoma. Quetzals are most abundant in April to May, their nesting season. More than 170 other bird species are present seasonally.

Dramatic scenery, crisp air, and blissful solitude reward the few travelers who take the time to make the sharp descent into San Gerardo de Dota. Various fruits grow in profusion in orchards, interspersed by meadows and centenary oaks.

About 22 miles (35 km) of graded trails crisscross the forest, with options from very easy to technically challenging. Activities include guided treks from the frigid heights of Cerro Frío (Cold Mountain) at 11,400 ft (3,450 m) to San Gerardo de Dota at 7,200 ft (2,200 m). Other trails lead along the banks of the gurgling river, stocked with rainbow trout.

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Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve

7 miles (12 km) S of Pan American Hwy savegre.com

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Parque Nacional Volcán Turrialba

21 miles (34 km) NW of Turrialba @ To Santa Cruz, then by taxi

Established in 1955, the Turrialba Volcano National Park protects 5 sq miles (13 sq km) of cloud-forest-covered land. The easternmost volcano in Costa Rica, the 10,950-ft- (3,340-m-) high Turrialba was dormant for more than a century following a period of violent activity in the 1860s. In January 2010, it became active again. The park has remained closed to visitors since 2014 due to ongoing eruptions. The exclusion zone can vary in radius depending on the level of activity.

The volcano’s name comes from the Huetar Indian words turiri and abá, which together mean “river of fire.” Local legend says that a girl named Cira, lost while exploring, was found by a young man from a rival tribe, and they fell in love. When the girl’s enraged father eventually discovered the two lovers and prepared to kill the young suitor, a tall column of smoke plumed from Turrialba, signifying divine assent.

Dirt roads go to within a few miles of the summit, which is then accessible by trails. Stamina is required for the switchback hike to the top. From there, in clear weather, it is possible to see the Cordillera Central and the Caribbean coast. A trail also descends to the floor of the largest crater. Access is granted only during inactive phases.

There are no public facilities or transportation in the park, but the privately run Volcán Turrialba Lodge, on the western flank of the volcano at 9,200 ft (2,800 m), provides a base from which to explore the area when accessible.

Volcán Turrialba Lodge

facebook.com/turrialbalodge

Experience Central Highlands

Volcanic Activity at Turrialba

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The Turrialba volcano has a long history of intermittent activity. In 2010 it broke a century-long slumber and has been active ever since. Emissions of ash and lava occur daily, and have forced periodic evacuations of nearby settlements and long-term closure of the Parque Nacional Volcán Turrialba. Even Juan Santamaría Airport, 40 miles (65 km) away, has had to close periodically due to massive ash clouds.

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