Parroquia Santo Cristo de Esquipulas (Santa Cruz)
Landmark · Guanacaste
Santa Cruz's parish church holds the Cristo Negro de Esquipulas, a dark crucifix that draws pilgrims every January; the old pink bell tower stands beside the modern church.
- Cost
- Free
- Time there
- 20 min
- Best time
- afternoon
- Kids
- 5 / 10
- View
- 4 / 10
- Crowds
- 3 / 10
- Swimming
- 0 / 10
- Effort
- 0 / 10
- Location
- 10.25917, -85.58532 — Google Maps
Tip
Dress modestly and keep quiet during services; January festival days are very busy.
Be careful
Keep an eye on your belongings in busy town centres, and dress respectfully if you go inside a church.
Places nearby
- El Cafecito Santa CruzFood & CoffeeCozy café in an old house in the middle of Santa Cruz, the cowboy town of Guanacaste, with casados, milkshakes and vegan options.
- CoopetortillasSodas & Local FoodA women's cooperative about 500 m from Santa Cruz's main park that has cooked traditional Guanacaste food over a nearly 5-meter wood stove for decades - hand-patted corn tortillas, rice-and-corn soup and tripe soup at very low prices.
- La Casona de Santa Bárbara (Finca La Zanja Negra)Tours & AdventureA 150-year-old country house about 30 minutes from Santa Cruz where local cooks Marta Vallejos and Geiny Ruiz host village history walks, traditional food tastings, clay workshops and hands-on tortilla and clay-oven cooking, with music and Guanacaste cheers.
- Restaurante La Fulana CosaFood & CoffeeRestaurant tucked into the woods outside Nicoya, praised for its mixed ceviche, Italian dishes, friendly staff and relaxed garden setting.
- Palo Verde Boat ToursParks & WildlifeFamily-run boat safari on the Tempisque river next to Palo Verde National Park, known for crocodiles, monkeys and wading birds.
- Apami Wildlife Rescue CenterParks & WildlifeWildlife rescue center run by the Monkey Park Foundation in a forest near Santa Cruz, where guides explain the stories of each rescued animal.
Sources: OpenStreetMap way/466824865 · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cristo_Negro_de_Esquipulas,_Santa_Cruz,_Costa_Rica.jpg