Destinations

• HORSEBACK RIDING: Outside the big cities, in the Central Valley’s rural zone, getting about on horseback is commonplace. Tourists can enjoy this activity in communities such as Turrialba, Santa María de Dota, Atenas, Zarcero, San Ramón, Palmares, upper Cartago, Heredia and Alajuela, as well as in the south and west parts of San José: Escazú, Santa Ana and Ciudad Colón, among other places.
• HIKING: There is no limit to the variety of hikes available for observing the region’s natural, historical, architectural, cultural, religious and commercial attractions.
• SHOPPING: In recent years, a variety of new shopping centers have been developed in Curridabat, Zapote, downtown Alajuela, Escazú and Heredia, offering interesting shopping options for international tourists.
• ART GALLERIES: Art galleries have experienced a significant increase in recent years, not only in tourist and hotel districts but also in major commercial centers. Examples of Costa Rican art may be seen in cultural houses and in all the provincial capitals. In association with the Ministry of Culture, a few municipalities have created Culture Offices to discover local artists, which has encouraged an increase in artistic endeavors.
• ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC SITES The Central Valley contains a wide variety of sites and buildings declared National Monuments or of architectural or historical interest to appeal to tourists appreciative of the country’s national heritage.
• PLANT AND WILDLIFE OBSERVATION Visitors can observe nature and wildlife in several public protected areas, such as Braulio Carrillo, Volcán Poás and Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte, as well as in the Lankester Botanical Garden, the Simón Bolívar Zoo, the Santa Ana National Zoo and the zoo in La Garita de Alajuela. Added to these, a few theme parks offer enjoyable experiences with nature.
• BIRD-WATCHING The Central Valley offers several bird-watching sites, including Copey de Dota and Macizo de la Muerte on the southern Interamerican highway, El Rodeo Protected Area, the environs of the University for Peace, the Tapantí area, Paraíso and the upper regions of Coronado. Birds in captivity may be seen in the Simón Bolívar Zoo and the Bird Zoo in La Garita, Alajuela.
• TREETOP AND TRAIL ADVENTURES Several companies and organizations have developed facilities for visitors to enjoy adventure activities on nature trails and in the forest canopy: INBIO in Santo Domingo de Heredia; the Central American Livestock Farming School in Balsa de Atenas; the TURU BA-RI Tropical Park in Turrubares, which has facilities with an ecotourism focus, gardens with exotic species, a herbarium, a garden maze and butterfly garden; and the Butterfly Garden in the outskirts of Varablanca, with trails between several waterfalls on the Río La Paz, a hummingbird garden and butterfly garden.
• BUTTERFLY AND SNAKE GARDENS Visitors to these places can observe a variety of butterfly species or learn about the natural history of snakes. There are gardens in San José, Heredia and Turrialba.
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• OSTIONAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Ostional was established as a refuge to protect the olive ridley turtles that nest on this shore. The most important nesting area stretches from a place known as La Roca to the Ostional estuary. In addition to the olive ridley, which nests in the refuge year-round, giant leatherback and green turtles nest from September to February, as well as the occasional hawksbill. Olive ridleys can lay more than 100 eggs each on the refuge’s beaches. Once a year, a phenomenon called la arribada (“the arrival”) occurs between September and November. For three to seven days, hosts of olive ridleys descend upon the refuge to lay thousands of eggs. In order to make reasonable use of this resource, the law permits eggs to be taken from Ostional for commercial purposes. This activity is coordinated with the Ostional Development Association, as are guided turtle-watching tours.
• CUISINE Typical towns are characterized by sodas (small restaurants serving local food), cafes and restaurants where visitors can sample the cuisine of Guanacaste. Cañas, Tilarán, Liberia and mainly Santa Cruz and Nicoya stand out as communities with traditions in typical food and drink.
• RECREATIONAL CYCLING The region offers a variety of picturesque roads and adventure or leisure sites that allow touring on regular or mountain bikes. Beaches and mountains are among the most interesting riding destinations.
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• ADVENTURE TOURS Well developed for tourism, the Quepos–Manual Antonio area is very attractive to tourists, offering mountains and high places as well as quadricycle or all-terrain-vehicle tours. Tourists can walk over suspension bridges, tour mangrove swamps by boat, visit butterfly gardens, go horseback riding, dolphin- or bird-watch, go sport-fishing or enjoy an ultralight flight.
• ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORICAL SITES The city of Puntarenas features a small old town with the characteristics of a historical center. There are buildings of architectural and historical interest as well as National Monuments, such as the old Port Military Headquarters facilities, Parque Mora y Cañas and the Central Church. San Lucas Island and the old San Lucas Penitentiary may also be visited. South PacificThe entrance door and distribution main center is Pérez Zeledón’s city, its limit extends through the canton’s edge, including the Fila Tinamastes attractions, such as the Cataratas of Nauyaca (waterfalls), Platanillo town and even the Barú River, where the coastal sector, that extends to Punta Burica with a total of 490 km, initiates. The main activities include beach enjoyment and marine resources, such as whales and dolphin’s observation, as well as mangrove swamp’s, landscapes, reptilian, sport fishing, surfing, hiking through the National Park’s paths, professional diving, the energetic walks to the Chirripo’s summit, botanical gardens, protected areas’ impressive waterfalls… they are all part of the main product offered by the touristic unit that can be reached through this information bureau. Ecotourism features as the main product, especially the one that is carried out among the Humedal Sierpe-Térraba; the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, the Ballena Marine National Park, the Isla del Caño Biological Preserve and the Corcovado National Park.
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• BOAT TOURS Breathtaking scenery and nature-watching can be enjoyed on several rivers, including the Frío, San Carlos, Sarapiquí and Puerto Viejo.
• NATURE-, BIRD- AND BUTTERFLY-WATCHING The region’s natural wealth can be enjoyed in numerous public protected areas such as Arenal and Juan Castro Blanco National Parks and Caño Negro and Bosque Alegre Wildlife Refuges, as well as private protected sites such as the Danaus Botanical Garden, La Selva Biological Station, Selva Verde and the Tirimbina Preserve, to name just a few.
• NATURE-TRAIL, HANGING-BRIDGE AND TREETOP ADVENTURES Tourism and recreation outfits in several communities—including Fortuna, La Virgen and Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí—have developed facilities for enjoying adventure activities on hanging bridges, nature trails and in the forest canopy.  
• ARENAL VOLVANO Located seven kilometers from Fortuna, Volcán Arenal has an area of 33 square kilometers. The volcano has experienced constant activity since July 29, 1968. Its landscape has two faces: one covered with lush vegetation sheltering a variety of wildlife, and the other rugged with lava tracts and sand from the constant eruptions. Considered the region’s main attraction, Arenal offers daytime and nighttime viewing opportunities, thanks to its constant explosions and eruptions.  
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• NATURE-TRAIL AND CANOPY ADVENTURES Several companies have developed facilities for enjoying nature-trail and canopy adventure activities, including: Puerto Viejo Botanical Garden, Samasati Biological Preserve and Yoga Center, and Terraventura Canopy (Río Carbón valley).
• INDIGENOUS RESERVATIONS Visitors to this region have numerous services and facilities at their disposal that complement the attractions on the coast and in wildlife areas. A few examples of other areas to visit are: butterfly gardens, cacao plantations and the Keköldi and Bribri Indigenous Reservations.
• PUERTO VIEJO BEACHES Puerto Viejo sits on a point or cape made up mainly of coral platforms, so several areas here are not suitable for swimming. However, there are other spots with white sand and convenient cafes that are ideal for enjoying the ocean. These places are referred to by the names of certain people or establishments residing or situated on the beach; thus, the beach in front of Manuel León’s property is called Chinese Beach, and the beach in front of Stanford’s Restaurant is named after this establishment. Though small, both these beaches are well frequented by ocean lovers. From here to the south, at a place called Punta Pirriplí, is the famous Salsa Brava wave, one of the best surf spots on the entire Caribbean coast and host to international surfing contests. Dive shops and companies offering tours to the reef can also be found in front of these beaches.  
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