Central Valley Region

The Central Valley is located on a plateau covering over 1/5 of Costa Rica's land area. It is so large, it touches 4 of the 7 Provinces.  San Jose is the heart of the Central Valley's economy, and provides the services and conveniences of a big city. 

The surrounding valley provides an escape from urban life with National Parks, volcanoes, jungle, and endless rivers close by. The Central Valley has an average elevation of 3,800 feet, which combined with trade winds, produce a temperate climate year round. 

Things To Do - San Jose is the place to visit museums, take in a show, and shop until you drop. Make time to take in the architectural and historical sites, art galleries, and fine restaurants. If adventure tours are your thing, you are in luck. Tour companies offer river rafting, canopy tours, and other adrenalin filled activities

Birdwatchers and photographers can quietly stalk their prey in one of the many National Parks located in the Central Valley or experience the amazing culture of Costa Rica and learn about an important export at one of the Coffee Farms. 

You can bike, hike, play golf, ride horses, learn Spanish and even go spelunking. The options really are endless.

 

Where to Stay - There are accommodations to suit every visitor, from luxurious hotels to budget hostels.  Let Mydestination.com help guide you to the perfect place. 

Getting Around - Taxis and buses are affordable and readily available in most areas of The Central Valley. Find Useful Information on our Taxi and Bus pages.

 

Where to Go from here - The Central Valley is centrally located and a major transportation hub. You can go anywhere in Costa Rica from here in a day's drive or fly to your destination in minutes. Some places on the Osa peninsula such as Drakes Bay and Corcovado National Park may be too far via bus or car to reach comfortably in one day. We advise breaking the trip up, and visit San Isidro, Dominical or Uvita.

 

Main Attractions / Towns

Braulio Carrillo National Park Guayabo Monument Irazu Volcano National Park
Jade Museum National Theater Orosi Valley
Pacuare River Poas Volcano National Park Puriscal
San Jose Turrialba Volcano National Park Turrialba

 

You will probably venture into the Central Valley Region at some point during your visit to Costa Rica. Whether you arrive via Juan Santamaria Airport or pass through on an adventure to some other region of Costa Rica you might as well enjoy it and find a fun activity to make you smile, and a nice place to rest for the night. Our list of Accommodations and Things To Do should be very useful. 

Photo contributed by: asrusch under Creative Commons License, THE POAS VOLCANO IN COSTA RICA. ©  | Dreamstime.com, Oxcart near house Photo Courtesy of CostaRicaPhotos.com