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The Central Valley

The Central Valley of Costa Rica is home to the majority of the country's population. Bordered by several volcanic mountains, some of which are still active, this verdant region of coffee terraces, plantations and waterfalls enjoys a mild spring-like climate. Four of the country's principal cities are in the Central Valley; Heredia, Cartago, Alajuela and San Jose.

San Jose

Awash with street vendors, stores, offices and a whole lot of traffic, San Jose may not be your idea of a holiday. However it does have some very fine museums, theaters, world-class dining and a buzzing nightlife. As the center of Costa Rica's transportation a visit to San Jose is hard to avoid.

Alajuela

Alajuela is Costa Rica's second city and contains the Juan Santamaria Cultural-Historical Museum dedicated to the young drummer-boy Juan Santamaria who martyred himself by giving his life during a battle in 1856 against the American William Walker.

Parque Nacional Volcan Poas

Poas is a spectacular active volcano. Located just and an hour and a half away from San Jose by car, it makes an ideal day trip from the capital. Poas kicked off again in the 1950's, after a 60 year nap and now puffs and gurgles incessantly, throwing out malodorous fumes of sulfur and chlorine. The volcano features several craters, the largest measuring 2 km in diameter and 1000 meters deep, next to which lies a turquoise crater lake. The park itself contains a wide variety of birds and mammals and is primarily made up of ferns and a rare dwarf cloudforest. It is worth going there early in the morning as the clouds often roll in as early as 10am obscuring the view.

Cartago

Cartago was the capital city of Costa Rica for three hundred years until 1823 when an earthquake almost leveled it. Most of its fine colonial architecture was destroyed including the Iglesia de la Parroquia. The remnants of this church, otherwise known as The Ruins, are one of the few attractions of the town, as well as the cathedral - La Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles.

Orosi

Nestled within what is often described as the lushest valley of Costa Rica, Orosi houses the oldest, functioning church in the country - La Iglesia de San Jose Orosi built in 1734. The museum, containing gold work and religious artifacts and the two thermal baths are also worth a visit. This quiet town was named after a Huetar Indian chief who lived before the Spanish colonization. It is a great point of departure for white water rafting on the Reventazon or fishing on Lake Cachi. Lined with dense vegetation The Rio Pacuare, near the town of Turrialba, is another superb river for white water rafting.

Volcan Irazu

Irazu is Costa Rica's largest volcano standing at a majestic 3,412 meters and with a base that covers 500 square meters, at its heart lies a 300 meter wide lake. The eruption of this volcano in 1963 wiped out the entire coffee crop of 1964 but the clouds of ash have fertilized the surrounding land. The volcano is only 50 km east of San Jose and the route picturesque.

Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo and Volcan Barva

This immense National Park is situated 20km northeast of San Jose. The 325 square kilometre park made up of virgin tropical rainforest and cloudforest provides a habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife and plant life. It also features the dormant Volcan Barva and the raftable Sarapoqui River.

Sarchi

The decorative ox-carts that have made the town of Sarchi famous were brought to Costa Rica by immigrants from the Granada region of Andalucia, Spain. The ox-cart has now come to symbolize Costa Rica and was used to transport coffee beans. The bright kaleidoscope, Moorish, design is also applied to many other souvenirs sold in this artisan town. Located northwest of San Jose, Sarchi is also known for its church. The blue and pink building was constructed in the 1950's and sits atop a hill.