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Turrialba & Orosi Honorable Mention

Moderate Hikes five star - moderate hiking trails Easy Access four & a half stars - easy access Authentic Costa Rica four & a half stars - authentic Costa Rica
Whitewater Rafting five stars - white water rafting Boutique Lodges five stars - boutique lodges Birdwatching four and a half stars- best birdwatching

The region around volcán Turrialba and Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Parks and the Orosi River valley was the hardest one to leave off of the list of the top ten best destinations in Costa Rica.

Volcán Turrialba

The elfin cloud forest climbs the slope above the rainforest a few thousand feet down in the background to the top and right. To the left is the treeless crater of Volcán Turrialba
The elfin cloud forest climbs the slope above the rainforest a few thousand feet down in the background to the top and right. To the left is the treeless crater of Volcán Turrialba

Peeking above the clouds Turrialba is visible from the central valley around San José but best visited from the valley on the south side.  It rises to nearly 11,000 feet where tropical cloud forest vegetation replaces the rainforest.  A network of trails that are open when the volcano is quiet skirts the rim and leads down into two of the craters but recently high levels of activity have kept visitors up at the mirador most of the time.

Main crater trail, Volcán Turrialba National Park - currently closed
Main crater trail, Volcán Turrialba National Park – currently closed

The lost hikes at Turrialba are amazing but there’s so much to see and do there’s no reason not to visit just because the trails are closed.  Head down the road to Tapanti or down the Pacuare River – one of our “Best Trips Ever”

White Water Rafting the Pacuare & Beyond

One of the premier rivers in the world, the Pacuare, drains this region and a couple of tour companies offer two day rafting trips with overnights in remote jungle camps in road-less pristine rainforest that can only be reached by the river. The Pacuare isn’t the only great river in the region either.  The Ríos Reventazón, Pejibaye and Grande de Orosi have some sections of excellent class II through IV white water rapids to explore on one day rafting trips.

Orosi and Tapantí National Park

Río Grande de Orosí, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park
Río Grande de Orosí, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park

Orosi is a quiet little coffee farming town that’s recently been “discovered” by tourism and hotels, lodges, restaurants and tour offices are being added all the time.  The two main attractions in the area (other than quaint little Orosi itself) are rafting on the lower sections of the Río Grande de Orosi or walking and hiking along the same river near its source in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park above the town.

Other Attractions in the Turrialba & Orosi Region

On the way from San Jose to Orosi, Lankester Botanical Gardens has one of the best orchid collections in the world and just outside Turrialba C.A.T.I.E (Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Center-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) is a fascinating place to explore tropical agriculture.  A sugar cane processing plant on the other side of Turrialba offers tours where you can see tropical agriculture in action.

The largest archaeological site open to the public in Costa Rica is Guayabo National Monument half an hour or so from downtown Turrialba.  There are no huge Mayan pyramids but they have excavated and interesting system of canals and aqueducts as well as the foundations of an ancient village.  There’s a small interpretive center, campground and nature trail at Guayabo.

What NOT to Expect in the Turrialba Volcano & the Orosi Valley

Public Bus Access to the Parks

The national parks are a little more difficult to visit than some of the others in Costa Rica.  A few lodges offer tours, but there is no public bus access near the park entrances and most visitors arrive by private vehicle.  A car will do to visit Tapanti because the entrance road is paved, but a good 4WD is required to drive the rugged road to Turrialba National Park.

Turrialba Volcano National Park is Currently Closed

Due to High levels of volcanic activity the park was closed to visitors late in 2014 and is not expected to reopen until at least 2020.

Ray & Sue

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Top 10

Top 10
  • Top Ten
  • Best Kept Secrets
  • Beaches of Guanacaste
  • Arenal Volcano
  • Monteverde
  • Osa & Corcovado
  • Manuel Antonio
  • Tortuguero
  • Tenorio, Celeste & Miravalles
  • The San Gerardos
  • Nicoya Peninsula
  • Southern Caribbean
  • Rincon de la Vieja
  • Turrialba & Orosi Honorable Mention
  • San José Honorable Mention
  • Jacó & Hermosa Honorable Mentions
  • Dominical, Uvita Honorable Mention
  • Not at the San Gerardos
  • Not in Tortuguero
  • Not at Tenorio & Miravalles



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