Jonathan Gregson

Central Valley & Highlands

It is on the nontouristy, coffee-cultivated hillsides of the Central Valley that you'll find Costa Rica’s heart and soul. This is not only the geographical center of the country but also its cultural and spiritual core. It is here that the Spanish colonizers first arrived, here that coffee built a prosperous nation, and here that picturesque highland villages still gather for centuries-old fiestas. It is also here that you’ll get to fully appreciate Costa Rica’s country cooking: artisanal cheeses, steamy corn cakes and freshly caught river trout.

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Attractions

Must-see attractions

La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Central Valley & Highlands
This polished storybook garden complex just east of Volcán Poás offers the most easily digestible cultural experience in the Central Valley and is the…
Catarata del Toro & the Blue Falls
Central Valley & Highlands
Find a beautiful 90m-tall waterfall that cascades into a volcanic crater (free for overnight guests) and two trail options through virgin forest (one 4…
Parque Francisco Alvarado
Central Valley & Highlands
In front of the Church of San Rafael, this park was a normal plaza until the 1960s, when a gardener named Evangelisto Blanco became inspired to shave the…
Zoo Ave
Central Valley & Highlands
About 10km west of Alajuela is this well-designed animal park with more than 115 species of bird on colorful, squawking display. The tranquil 14-hectare…
Parque Nacional Tapantí-Macizo Cerro de la Muerte
Central Valley & Highlands
This 580-sq-km national park preserves the verdant northern slopes of the Cordillera de Talamanca and is the wettest reserve in the country, getting…
Las Cataratas de Los Chorros
Central Valley & Highlands
About 7km southeast of Grecia, north of Tacares and Flores, are two gorgeous waterfalls and a swimming hole surrounded by shaded areas and picnic tables…
Toucan Rescue Ranch
Central Valley & Highlands
More than a decade ago, Leslie Howle and her husband, Jorge Murillo, started taking in sick and injured toucans. The couple eventually ended up with a…
Parque Nacional Volcán Poás
Central Valley & Highlands
Here's your chance to get frighteningly close to this extremely active volcano, which last erupted in 2017. At an elevation of 2708m, the mighty Poás is…