43 Best Sights in Central Valley, Costa Rica

Three blocks southeast of the Parque Central is Heredia's covered New Market—that's how everybody refers to it here—officially the Mercado Central, which holds dozens of sodas (simple restaurants) along with the usual food stands and vendors supplying the day-to-day needs of the average Costa Rican. Although generally safe, the crowded conditions here do invite the occasional pickpocket. Watch your possessions.

At the edge of a middle-class neighborhood between Heredia and Barva, this museum is housed in a farmhouse with a large veranda built in 1885 using an adobe-like technique called bahareque. Run by the National University, the museum is furnished with antiques and surrounded by a garden and a small coffee farm. Just walking around the museum is instructive, but calling ahead to reserve a hands-on cultural tour (such as one on tortilla making) really makes it worth the trip. An open-air restaurant serves bread baked in a clay oven, and fresh tortillas and tamales.

Royal palms and massive mango trees fill Alajuela's central park, which also has a lovely fountain imported from Glasgow and concrete benches where locals gather to chat. Everyone agrees the futuristic gazebo at the center of the park is a bit of an eyesore. Surrounding the plaza is an odd mix of charming old buildings and sterile concrete boxes.

Stretching all the way to the Talamanca Mountains, this reserve encompasses 47 square km (18 square miles) of largely pristine, remote cloud forest, a refuge for more than 400 bird species, including the emerald toucanet, violaceous trogon, and many of the country's hummingbirds. The rangers' office and visitor center are on the right just after the park entrance. You can leave your vehicle at a parking area 1½ km (1 mile) up the road. From here loop trails head off into the woods on both sides. Advance reservations ( www.sinac.go.cr) are required as visitor numbers are limited. Opt for an early entry time if you're able. The park clouds over markedly by afternoon and, with between 250 and 300 inches of rain annually, it's renowned as the country's wettest national park. (Fittingly, Tapantí means "torrent from heaven.") Be prepared with a poncho or sturdy umbrella.

Costa Rica's highest volcano, at 11,260 feet, is one of the most popular with visitors, since you can walk right down into the crater. Its presence is a mixed blessing: the ash fertilizes the Central Valley soil, but the volcano has caused considerable destruction through the centuries.

Do not leave anything of value in your car while you visit the volcano. There have been a lot of thefts in the parking lot here, even though it is supposed to be guarded.

Most San José and area tour operators include the volcano among their excursions, and this is the easiest way to visit. Entrance to the park is by timed ticket only and must be purchased in advance.  For more information, see the feature at the beginning of this chapter.

Although you've never been able to drive up to its summit as you can at Poás and Irazú, Volcán Turrialba is an impressive sight from a distance. The park reopened in 2022 after being closed for 10 years, a combination of increased volcanic activity and COVID precautions. The volcano became increasingly active in 2010. A series of explosions from 2015 well into 2020 spewed out steam and ash to far reaches of the country and periodically closed Juan Santamaría International Airport. (Volcanic ash can corrode airplane engines.) Sulfur dioxide fumes emanate from the volcano, a phenomenon that has taken its toll on plant and animal life in the immediate vicinity.

Although the park is open again, entry comes with major restrictions. Advance reservations and the services of a park guide are required. Tours depart hourly from 6 am to 10 am and take you on a trail 4 km (2½ miles) in length, billed as a "moderate to difficult" hike. Although you can still not go directly to the crater, observation platforms allow for viewing from a safe distance. Park authorities constantly monitor Turrialba's rumblings and close the park at the slightest hint of abnormal activity.  If you suffer from a heart or respiratory condition or are pregnant, stay away.

This former "herpetology refuge" between Santa Ana and Escazú has opened its doors to more than just snakes: macaws, monkeys, and crocodiles reside here, too. As with all such facilities around Costa Rica, the ultimate goal is to release animals back into the wild. But for many, their fragile condition means they will live out their days here.

Costa Rica does itself proud with its commitment to renewable energy. Numerous rivers and abundant rainfall mean the country can generate a remarkable 65% of its electricity from hydroelectric power. (Geothermal, solar, wind, and biomass make up the rest to tally nearly 100% use of renewable sources.) The Cachí Dam was constructed in 1966 and was one of the first 18 such hydroelectric plants in the country. The arched structure dams this sector of the Reventazón River and generates 102.0 megawatts of power. It stands an impressive 79 meters (260 feet) tall and 186 meters (610 feet) wide. While the dam is not specifically set up for tourist visits, a stop on the loop road around the Orosi Valley gives you a look at the structure.

Spread over lush grounds, this wildlife center has a collection of large cages holding toucans, hawks, parrots, and free-ranging macaws as part of a breeding project for rare and endangered birds, all of which are destined for eventual release. It has 115 bird species, including such rare ones as the quetzal, fiery-billed aracari, several types of eagles, and even ostriches. An impressive mural at the back of the facility shows Costa Rica's 850 bird species painted to scale. Wingless animals include crocodiles, caimans, a boa constrictor, turtles, monkeys, wildcats, and other interesting critters. A botanical garden rounds out the offerings here. The facility was formerly known as ZooAve, and many locals still refer to it that way.

This quiet, tidy coffee town 2 km (1 mile) northeast of Heredia has a large church notable for its stained-glass windows and bright interior. The road north from the church winds its way up Barva Volcano, ending atop the Monte de la Cruz lookout point with a commanding vista of San José and the Central Valley.

These ruins of a former sanatorium were featured on the Syfy TV series Ghost Hunters International and have acquired cult status among visitors interested in paranormal phenomena. The complex sits just off the highway on the way to the Irazú Volcano and functioned as Costa Rica’s hospital for tuberculosis patients from 1918 to 1973. The institution bears the name of its physician-founder, who also served as the country’s president in the late 19th century. The attendant who takes your admission can provide some information, but you’re essentially on a self-guided visit here. Most of the alleged spectral sightings are of the nuns who cared for the patients, with a few visitors claiming to see images in their photos they didn’t notice when they were snapping pictures. Others don't see anything but claim to hear what they assume are the nuns' voices. We can’t promise you'll spot any ghosts, but don’t let that spoil the intrigue. Your greatest risk here is likely natural, rather than supernatural: the outdoor walkways get slippery on rainy days. Tread carefully.

This brick-red Gothic-style church is made of prefabricated iron. It's one of two buildings in the country made from steel frames and iron sheets imported from Belgium in the late 19th century (the other is the metal schoolhouse next to San José's Parque Morazán), when some prominent Costa Ricans decided that metal structures would better withstand the periodic earthquakes that had taken their toll on so much of the country's architecture. The frames were shipped from Antwerp to Limón, then transported by train to Alajuela—from which the metal walls of the church were carried by oxcarts. Locals refer to the building as simply the “Iglesia Metálica” (Metal Church). The splendid 1886 German pipe organ, regarded as Costa Rica's finest, is worth a look inside.

The central park of this small, tidy town 15 km (9 miles) north of Sarchí on the road to Ciudad Quesada looks as if it were designed by Dr. Seuss. The late Evangelista Blanco, a local landscape artist, modeled cypress topiaries in fanciful animal shapes—motorcycle-riding monkeys, a lightbulb-eyed elephant—that enliven the park in front of the town church. (An NPR feature on Zarcero once dubbed Blanco "Señor Scissorhands.") Soft lighting illuminates the park in the evening. The church interior is covered with elaborate pastel stencil work and detailed religious paintings by the late Misael Solís, a well-known local artist. Sample some cheese if you're in town, too; Zarcero-made cheese is one of Costa Rica's favorites, and it's available in a few shops on the west side of the central park. The town is frequently included as a short stop on many organized tours heading to the northern region of the country.