CENTRAL VALLEY / SAN JOSÉ AREA

The heart of Costa Rica, the Central Valley, boasts a nearly perfect climate, excellent museums, drive-up volcanoes and fertile hillsides dotted with coffee plantations. Within this fertile temperate valley live most of the country's people.

The Capital city of San Jose, is located at an altitude of 2,900' feet above sea level, giving it an idyllic climate with temperatures that vary from the mid-70's F during the day to about 60 degrees F at night.

San Jose offers visitors a wide variety of activities and a thriving nightlife with its many discos, bars, casinos, fine restaurants, shops, and some very impressive museums sprinkled throughout the city. And if you are looking for adventures, just take a look of our Adventure Tours and Activities; National Parks, Coffee Plantations, Volcanoes, Canopy tours, white water rafting and much more.

In the Plaza de la Cultura (Culture Square) a fantastic collection of pre-Colombian gold artifacts gleam inside the enormous vault of the Gold Museum. To one side of the Plaza is the beautiful National Theater, a national pride and architectural jewel that last year celebrated its 100th anniversary. 

Attending a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra, one of Latin America's best, is a highlight to any tour. A few blocks away, on the 11th floor of the National Insurance Building (INS), is the Jade Museum, with the largest collection of pre-Columbian jade in the Americas.

Topping the list, literally, of things to do around San Jose are the drive-up volcanoes: Poás and Irazú, towering 8,870 and 11,260 feet, respectively, above sea level.

Among the lovely towns of the Central Valley, one of the most popular is Sarchí. Long at the center of Costa Rica's oxcart production and more recently, home to a thriving crafts industry, Sarchí attracts visitors looking for local handcrafts and souvenirs.