Mountains
Altitude, cold air and a long view. Not everyone who comes to Costa Rica wants a beach: there are mountain towns where you sleep under a blanket in the middle of the tropics.
Also searched as
- mountain hotels Costa Rica
- mountain towns
- mountain cabins
- cool climate
- fireplace
Where to find it · 4 areas
Aserrí
Mountain town on the edge of San José, known for its chorreadas and valley views from the hilltop.
2 places PuntarenasMonteverde
Cloud forest at around 1,400 metres above sea level, where mist drifts through the trees for much of the day. You walk it on trails and hanging bridges, and it's one of the places people come looking for the quetzal. It really is cool up there — bring a jacket.
2 days AlajuelaRío Celeste
The sky-blue river inside Tenorio Volcano National Park: the colour comes from suspended mineral particles that scatter the light, right where two streams meet. You reach it through Bijagua, a dairy-and-mountain town in northern Alajuela. The trail is muddy and climbs — not a flip-flops walk.
1 day San JoséSan Gerardo de Dota
A narrow valley on the Savegre river, above 2,000 metres, reached by a steep descent off the Interamerican highway. It's one of the places people come to see the quetzal, mostly between February and May. At night it gets genuinely cold — jacket cold.
2 days