Parque nacional Volcán Irazú

Tip

Many SINAC parks require buying tickets online in advance; check the official site.

Be careful

Go with water and rain gear, and stay on official trails.

Places nearby

• Sueños del IrazúFood & CoffeeTraditional restaurant on the way up to Irazú volcano with views of nature and a nearby river, known for hearty homemade soups, beef soup and fried fish.
• Bocadito de CieloFood & CoffeeMountaintop restaurant on the road to Turrialba with panoramic views and old photographs of Cartago on the walls, serving Costa Rican plates with a coffee and crafts store at the back.
• La Tortillería (Cartago)Food & CoffeeCartago branch of a tortilla-based restaurant: freshly made tortillas topped or stuffed Costa Rican style, from tortilla de queso and chorreadas to the torticasado and pintortilla with gallo pinto.
• Finca Cristina (coffee farm and store)Parks & Wildlife · from $25Family coffee farm above the Orosi valley with a 90-minute plantation tour and tasting three days a week, a farm store, and a conservation area known for birds and other wildlife.
• Jardín Botánico Lankester (University of Costa Rica)Parks & WildlifeUniversity of Costa Rica botanical garden founded in 1973, famous for its orchid and epiphyte collections, plus a Japanese garden, bromeliads, heliconias and palms along shaded paths.
• Aquiares Coffee & Community ExperienceParks & Wildlife · from $38A large historic coffee estate near Turrialba that offers a two-hour coffee tour, a full-day estate program, horseback rides through the plantation and bird-watching walks.