Located southeast of San José, the highlands around Turrialba are an authentic, rural area characterized by cattle farming and Turrialba cheese production as well as coffee cultivation. Coming from San José, Cartago, the former capital of Costa Rica, as well as the Irazu volcano are on the way. Tapantí National Park closeby offers a fair chance of spotting the famous Quetzal bird, while the Turrialba volcano can be regularly seen emitting smoke. The national park of the Turrialba volcano is currently closed due to recent activity – stay tuned for any changes. The region offers many activities such as white water rafting, paragliding, canyoning, or horseback riding, visiting waterfalls or taking coffee tours. We can highly recommend a white water rafting tour on the Río Pacuare. Also, Guayabo, the most important pre-Columbian site in the country, is nearby and worth a visit. If you are closeby, we definitely encourage you to visit us on our family property Casa Paz close to Turrialba! 🙂