Top Things to Do Near San José, Costa Rica

[Danny Solano Alvarez]

Following the last topic about San Jose, regarding things to do in the area, the following list gives a detail description on different activities within the Central Valley:


• Lankester Gardens: This place has a world class orquids collection of nearly a thousand varieties. You can enjoy all the varieties of orchids, bromeliads, cacti and palms that are grown here. The entrance fee is around $3.00 USD, and is located 14 miles east San Jose downtown.
• Inbio: is the National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica, a non-profit organization founded in 1989 dedicated to scientific research and promoting the importance of conserving the country’s rich biological diversity. The tour let visitors going through series of trails with representations of different types of Costa Rican forest: Rainforest, Pre-Mountainous Forest, Wetlands and Dry Forest. Some of the species include the dart frogs, butterflies, iguanas, sloths, caimans, birds, turtles and snakes, among many others. Other interesting and popular stops along the tour are the stations with orchids, heliconias, bromeliads, a small working farm and the medicinal and herbal gardens. The entrance fee including a guided tour is $23.00 USD, the distance from San Jose is around 5 miles.
• Poas Volcano National Park: this is one of the most visited protected areas in the country. The ride there is scenic and pleasant, and it’s only 47 kilometers away from San Jose. The park measures 5600 hectares, and this basaltic volcano stands at an altitude of 2708 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level. Apart from its volcanic activity, this national park offers four different habitats; this, in a relatively small area, is evidence of Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity. The entrance fee is around $7.00 USD, and is located around 20 miles from San Jose.
• La Paz Waterfall: La Paz (Spanish for "the peace") is a beautiful waterfall in Costa Rica. In Spanish, it is known as Catarata de La Paz. It is located 31 kilometers (19 mi) north of Alajuela, between Vara Blanca and Cinchona. The waterfall is located immediately alongside the road from Alajuela that leads to the northern plains of the country. The River La Paz forms the waterfall after traversing 8 kilometers (5 mi) of volcanic terrain, and then continues through the rainforest of the eastern side of Poás Volcano. A short path leads behind the waterfall, where a small shrine had been located. Upstream from the waterfall is La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a hotel and park, where visitors can observe many different species of local wildlife. The entrance to the park is $35.00 USD.

As you can see, there are plenty of things to do around this area, these are just a few examples, probing one more time that San Jose, has different attractives and places to enjoy as well as entire Costa Rica. Anytime you decide to visit this area, you will have many accommodations options, one of them is Ritzli, a clean, safe and centrally located hotel in the heart of San Jose, which can help you to arrange these and many other tours along the country.

By Maricel/Ritzli