Things to do in Central Valley & Highlands
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Río Locos
A popular local company does rafting as well as other area tours.
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Colbert Restaurant
Two kilometers east of the Poás Volcano Lodge, you’ll find this charming French restaurant with nice views and a chef that looks like he’s straight out of Central Casting: Joël Suire is not only French, he is bequeathed with an ample moustache and wears a toque. Expect a menu loaded with traditional French items such as onion soup, house-made paté and beef tenderloin grilled with green peppercorns. There is a good wine list (bottles from ₡7800), strong on vintages from South America and France. Don’t miss the fresh bread or to-die-for lace cookies.
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Costa Rica Ríos
Offers week-long rafting trips that must be booked in advance. It’s 25m north of Parque Central.
reviewed
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Como en Casa
This Argentinean grill is a popular weekend lunch spot, serving a comprehensive round-up of grilled meats and a strong selection of pastas (including vegetarian options). There is a good wine list (from ₡6600 abottle), as well as desert crepes stuffed with local strawberries.
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Jalepeños Central
Run by an animated Colombian-American from New York City, this popular Tex-Mex spot will introduce some much-needed spice into your diet – as well as some super jumbo burritos. You’ll also find Tico specialties, spit-roasted chicken and New York–style cheesecake.
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Explornatura
This longtime outfitter runs recommended canyoning expeditions, among other tours.
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Lankester Gardens
The University of Costa Rica runs the exceptional Lankester Gardens, which was started as a private garden by British orchid enthusiast Charles Lankester in 1917, but was turned over to the university for public administration in 1973. Orchids are the big draw at this tranquil 11-hectare spot, with more than 1100 at their showiest from March to May. There is also a new Japanese garden, as well as areas full of bromeliads, palms, heliconias and other tropical plants. There is a good gift shop (this is one of the few places where foreigners can legally purchase orchids to take home) and a cafe was in the works at the time of research. Guided tours in English and Spanish can…
reviewed
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Ojo de Agua Springs
About 6km south of Alajuela are the Ojo de Agua springs, a picturesque working-class water park that’s packed on weekends with families from San José and Alajuela. Approximately 20,000L of water gush out from the spring each minute, powering a small waterfall that’s great for shoulder massages, as well as filling various pools (including an Olympic-sized lap pool complete with diving tower) and an artificial boating lake. From here, the water is piped down to the coast at Puntarenas, for which the springs are a major supplier of water. There are also snack stands and game courts. From Alajuela, buses depart every half hour from the main terminal area on the southwest end …
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Catie
About 4km east of Turrialba, Catie consists of 1000 hectares dedicated to tropical agricultural research and education. Agronomists from all over the world recognize this as one of the most important centers in the tropics. You need to make reservations for one of several available guided tours through laboratories, greenhouses, a seed bank, experimental plots and one of the most extensive libraries of tropical-agriculture literature in the world. You can also easily pick up a map (or print one off their website) and take a self-guided walk through the gardens to a pond, where waterbirds such as the purple gallinule are a specialty. You can walk to Catie or get a taxi (₡1…
reviewed
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Amigos de las Aves
Three kilometers to the southeast, in Río Segundo de Alajuela, is this important and successful green and scarlet macaw breeding program, housed on a 3-hectare finca also known as Flor de Mayo. Founded in 1992 by Richard and Margot Frisius, the organization is working to revive endangered macaw populations in collaboration with the Minae, the government ministry that oversees the national park system. They also have volunteer opportunities (from US$15 to US$18 per person per day). See the website for details. Two-hour guided tours of the breeding center and refuge can be arranged by appointment in advance. It’s tricky to find; get directions.
reviewed
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Café Britt Finca
The most famous coffee roaster in Costa Rica, Café Britt Finca is headquartered just 1km south of Barva – and offers a 90-minute bilingual tour of its area plantation that includes a video presentation and a hokey stage play about the history of coffee (small kids will likely dig it). Naturally, there’s plenty of coffee tasting and gift-shop browsing. For an extra US$10, you can combine the tour with a one-hour trip to a beneficio (processing plant). Plus the company operates a daily shuttle that can pick you up from San José for an extra fee; reserve ahead. If you are driving, you can’t miss the many signs between Heredia and Barva.
reviewed
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INBioparque
About 4km to the southeast of town, in the neighborhood of Santo Domingo, is INBioparque, a wildlife park and botanical garden run by the non-profit INBio (National Biodiversity Institute), which catalogs Costa Rica’s biodiversity and promotes its sustainable use. Visitors can admire 531 species of plant, creatures such as sloths, boas and tarantulas, and visit a livestock and a butterfly farm. On weekends there is children’s theatre, plus the park is wheelchair-accessible. Closing times are when the last guests are admitted; the park itself doesn’t shut until sunset. See the website for a list of specialty naturalist tours and directions.
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Museo Juan Santamaría
Situated in a century-old structure that has served as both a jail and an armory, north of the Parque Central, the Museo Juan Santamaría chronicles the life and history of Juan Santamaría, the legendary drummer boy who helped route American filibuster William Walker in 1856 by torching the building that he and his men were hiding out in. A basic exhibit area contains vintage maps, paintings and historical artifacts related to the conflict. They also host rotating arts and crafts exhibitions and there is a small auditorium where performances are occasionally staged.
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Parque Nacional Tapantí-Macizo Cerro de la Muerte
This 580-sq-km national park protects the lush northern slopes of the Cordillera de Talamanca, and has a rainy claim to fame: it is the wettest park in the country, getting almost 8000mm of precipitation a year. In 2000 it was expanded to include the infamous Cerro de la Muerte – otherwise known as the ‘Mountain of Death.’ This precipitous peak is the highest point on the Interamericana and the northernmost extent of páramo, a highland shrub and tussock grass habitat that’s most commonly found in the Andes and is home to a variety of rare bird species.
Known simply as Tapantí, the park also protects wild and mossy country that’s fed by, literally, hundreds of riv…
reviewed
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Ojo de Agua
About 6km south of Alajuela are the Ojo de Agua springs, a picturesque working-class resort that's packed on weekends with folks from San José and Alajuela.
Approximately 20,000L of water gush out from the spring each minute, filling swimming pools and an artificial boating lake before being piped down to Puntarenas, for which the springs are a major supply of water. There are also snack stands, game courts and a small gymnasium. From San José, drivers can take the San Antonio de Belén exit off the Interamericana; Ojo de Agua is just past San Antonio.
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Goodlight Books
Book-a-holics rejoice! You’ll find one of the best English-language bookstores in the country right in Alajuela. Goodlight Books, managed by longtime expat Larry Coulter, offers a mind-boggling selection of tomes: 9000 well-organized books (both used and new) that cover everything from literature to history to sci-fi. He also keeps a worthwhile stock of difficult-to-find books on Costa Rica and the region, and there is a small array of volumes in Dutch and German. You will also find maps, guidebooks and a tiny cafe serving very tasty iced coffee.
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La Paz Waterfall Gardens
This garden and hotel complex is host to 3.5km of hiking trails and five scenic waterfalls, the largest one of which – La Catarata de la Paz (Peace Waterfall) – is probably one of the most photographed sights in Costa Rica. Visitors can also tour a butterfly conservatory, an aviary, an orchid display, a serpentarium and a historic Tico farmhouse that dates back to 1900. It’s an ideal spot for active seniors and small children (there are even special children’s activities), since many of the trails are smooth and well-maintained.
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Zoo Ave
About 10km west of Alajuela, you’ll find Zoo Ave, a well-designed animal park boasting more than 15 species of reptile and 115 species of birds – all on colorful, squawking display in a relaxing 14-hectare park. In addition, you’ll find all four species of Costa Rican monkey, as well as many other critters. Though technically a zoo, it is also an important breeding center that aims to reintroduce native species into the wild. There is also a cafe. This is an excellent place for families.
reviewed
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Finca Cristina
Two kilometers east of Paraíso on the road to Turrialba is Finca Cristina, an organic coffee farm that is open to visitors by appointment only (call ahead for a reservation). Linda and Ernie have been farming in Costa Rica since 1977, and a 90-minute tour of their microbeneficio (miniprocessing plant) is a fantastic introduction to the processes of organic-coffee growing, harvesting and roasting. Finca Cristina also sells its product to guests at wholesale prices.
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Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción
To the east of Parque Central is Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción, built in 1797 and still in use. Opposite the church steps you can take a break and watch old men playing checkers at the park tables while weddings and funerals come and go. The church's thick-walled, squat construction is attractive in a Volkswagen Beetle sort of way. The solid shape has withstood the earthquakes that have damaged or destroyed almost all the other buildings in Costa Rica that date from this time.
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Museo de Cultura Popular
Located in Santa Lucía de Barva, about 1.5km southeast of Barva, this small museum is run by the Universidad Nacional and located in a restored 19th-century farmhouse that exhibits period pieces, such as domestic and agricultural tools. It is best to reserve a tour ahead of time, when staff can arrange a hands-on visit – which might include using the beehive-shaped clay oven to make traditional foods (though this may require a minimum number of people).
Barva is also an excellent base from which to hike the little-visited Volcán Barva.
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Las Ruinas de la Parroquia
Las Ruinas de la Parroquia was built in 1575 as a shrine to St James the Apostle (Santiago, in Spanish), destroyed by the 1841 earthquake, rebuilt a few years later and was then destroyed again in the 1910 earthquake. Today only the outer walls of the church remain, but ‘the Ruins’ are a pleasant spot for hanging out and people-watching – though legend has it that the ghost of a headless priest wanders the ground on foggy nights.
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Los Olivos
This bright corner spot facing the Parque de los Niños serves tasty café con leche (coffee with milk), along with a mix of international specialties, from burritos to steak. The best part: if you pick up fresh strawberries from the roadside vendors near the Poás volcano, the kitchen will clean them and whip them up into a delicious natural de fresa (strawberry shake without milk) – with the purchase of a main dish.
reviewed
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La Casona del Cafetal Restaurant
This charming lakeside restaurant is situated in the middle of a coffee plantation. It is popular with local families who arrive to dip into fresh river trout or grilled pork loins glazed with tamarind sauce. Don’t miss the coffee-laced deserts, such as flan and ice cream. There is a small playground for the kiddies, as well as short trails and a lagoon with paddle boats for rent (in high season). This is a popular spot on Sundays.
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World of Snakes
Grecia’s premiere attraction, World of Snakes, lies 1.5km south of the bus station. It is a well-run breeding center focused on supporting endangered snake populations. More than 150 snakes (45 species in all) are displayed in large cages. Informative tours are given in English, German or Spanish and there may be a chance to handle reptiles. Buses between Grecia and Alajuela can drop you at the entrance.
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