- Pacuare RiverA full day on the water, and you book it before you arrive. The put-in is not in the square. Do not plan a second activity.
- Turrialba VolcanoThe cone is often limited or closed. Ask that morning, and do not assume the rim road is open. It is not the same trip as Irazú.
- GuayaboA pre-Columbian town with stone mounds and a raised road, a short drive from the city. It is a morning. Ask the hours that day.
- Town squareThe center is a park and a church, enough for a walk after you get back. It is not why you stay the night.
- Cheese and coffee farmFarms on the hills sell cheese and a cup. Go to one that expects you. An hour, then you leave. It is not the river.
- CATIEThe research gardens are a flat walk through crops and trees outside town. Morning is better. It is not a national park and not a hike.
- Reventazón RiverThe other river is a different day from the Pacuare. Do not book both. Ask which section is running before you commit.
- AquiaresCoffee hills above town, with a view back toward the valley when the cloud lifts. Drive up. There is no crater here.
- Irazú is the other conePeople mix the two volcanoes. Irazú is the paved rim above Cartago. This cone is farther, and the road is often closed. Ask before you drive up.
- Back from the riverYou return tired, and later than the brochure says. Do not book Guayabo for that same afternoon. Eat, and leave the ruins for the morning.
Turrialba, Costa Rica
Turrialba is the town east of Cartago for a river day and a cone you do not treat as Irazú. The square is small. The Pacuare takes the whole day, and the volcano is a question you ask that morning. Guayabo is the other reason to stay.
This week: Highs 24–28°C, lows 16–19°C.
About 200 mm of rain.
Climate: The climate is a warm valley. Temperatures are about 16–28°C. Wetter than Cartago, with afternoon rain through most of the year.
Attractions: The main attractions are the Pacuare River, Turrialba Volcano, Guayabo, the town square, a cheese and coffee farm, CATIE, the Reventazón on another day, and the coffee hills at Aquiares.
Province: Cartago
Towns near Turrialba
Heredia, Costa Rica
Coffee towns and forest on the roads above the city, cooler than the valley floor.
Escazú, Costa Rica
Hills on the west side of San José, with restaurants and a quieter night than downtown.
Atenas, Costa Rica
A valley town with a mild climate, coffee farms, and green hills around it.
Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
The cone is the view. The hot springs are why people stay.
Alajuela, Costa Rica
Restaurants and rooms a few minutes from the Juan Santamaría airport.
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
The town at the base of Arenal, for the volcano and the hot springs.
San José, Costa Rica
The capital. The useful part is the center: theater, museums, market.
Poás Volcano, Costa Rica
An active crater in the park above Alajuela, worth the drive on a clear morning.
Santa Ana, Costa Rica
A valley town west of Escazú, a little lower and warmer.
Cartago, Costa Rica
The old capital, east of San José, and the way up to Irazú.
Orosi, Costa Rica
A coffee valley south of Cartago, with a colonial church and a loop road.
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica
A high valley on the road south, for quetzals and cold air.