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.

Curvy mountain roads force travelers to slow their pace. Quaint and quirky agricultural towns invite leisurely detours to farmers markets and church processions, a refreshing break from the tourist-industrial complex on the coasts. But it's not all cows and coffee – world-class rapids, resplendent quetzals and close encounters with active volcanoes all show off the rich landscape in which Costa Rica's character is rooted.

Explore Central Valley & Highlands

  • C
    Catarata del Toro & the Blue Falls

    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…

  • T
    Toucan Rescue Ranch

    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…

  • P
    Parque Nacional Volcán Poás

    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…

  • A
    Atenas Railway Museum

    Trains first pulled in at this atmospheric, now-abandoned station more than a century ago and continued until the 1990s, when the remaining freight…

  • P
    Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco

    This little-visited national park is where five of Costa Rica's major rivers originate. The 143-sq-km reserve has a sizable but little maintained trail…

  • C
    Casa de la Cultura

    Occupying a privileged position on the corner of the plaza just north of the church, this low-lying Spanish structure dates back to the late 18th century…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Central Valley & Highlands.

  • See

    Catarata del Toro & the Blue Falls

    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…

  • See

    Toucan Rescue Ranch

    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…

  • See

    Parque Nacional Volcán Poás

    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…

  • See

    Monumento Nacional Arqueológico Guayabo

    This is the largest and most important archaeological site in the country. Although Guayabo isn't nearly as breathtaking as Mayan and Aztec archaeological…

  • See

    Atenas Railway Museum

    Trains first pulled in at this atmospheric, now-abandoned station more than a century ago and continued until the 1990s, when the remaining freight…

  • See

    Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco

    This little-visited national park is where five of Costa Rica's major rivers originate. The 143-sq-km reserve has a sizable but little maintained trail…

  • See

    Casa de la Cultura

    Occupying a privileged position on the corner of the plaza just north of the church, this low-lying Spanish structure dates back to the late 18th century…

Guidebooks

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