A fabulous mountain for hiking if you've got your own wheels and a keen sense of adventure. It's best to scale this at sunrise or sunset, and to avoid it during times of high wind (November to January).
Cerro Pelado
Northwestern Costa Rica
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
19.14 MILES
From 1968 until 2010, Volcán Arenal was an ever-active and awe-striking natural wonder, producing menacing ash columns, massive explosions and streams of…
6.13 MILES
If you're travelling between Monteverde and Arenal, there's no good excuse for skipping this stop. Viento Fresco is a series of five cascades, including…
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21.17 MILES
Two kilometers northeast of Venado (Spanish for ‘deer’) along a good dirt road, these caves are an adventurous excursion into an eight-chamber limestone…
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14.24 MILES
The exquisitely misty 310-hectare Reserva Santa Elena offers a completely different cloud forest experience from Monteverde. Cutting through the veiled…
21.91 MILES
At the head of the Golfo de Nicoya, the 198 sq km Parque Nacional Palo Verde is a wetland sanctuary in Costa Rica’s driest province. The park’s shallow,…
Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde
15.35 MILES
This beautiful cloud forest reserve came into being in 1972, when the Quaker community (which had already set aside a third of its property for…
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Parque Nacional Barra Honda Caverns
28.95 MILES
This 23 sq km national park protects a system of 42 caverns. The only cave with regular public access is the 41m-deep La Terciopelo, which features…
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9.62 MILES
This wild-animal shelter was started in the 1960s by the late Lilly Hagnauer, a Swiss environmentalist. It’s one of the largest shelters of its kind in…
Nearby Northwestern Costa Rica attractions
6.13 MILES
If you're travelling between Monteverde and Arenal, there's no good excuse for skipping this stop. Viento Fresco is a series of five cascades, including…
6.79 MILES
An unexpected architectural landmark in this otherwise innocuous town, this Catholic church was designed by famed local painter Otto Apuy. The church (and…
3. Ecomuseo de las Minas de Abangares
8.44 MILES
It’s not often you see the terms ‘eco’ and ‘mining’ so close together. Set on 38 hectares, this little museum has photographs and models depicting the old…
9.62 MILES
This wild-animal shelter was started in the 1960s by the late Lilly Hagnauer, a Swiss environmentalist. It’s one of the largest shelters of its kind in…
12.95 MILES
A local landmark in the center of Santa Elena. The adjacent roasted-chicken shack apparently has no religious affiliation.
12.97 MILES
Returning to its former glory as the Ranario, or Frog Pond (it's changed names a few times), this place also features an insect house. The frogs are still…
13.03 MILES
This sweet-smelling garden in Santa Elena has shady trails winding past more than 500 types of orchids. On your guided tour, you’ll see such rarities as…
13.08 MILES
For those who prefer their reptiles under glass (or at least behind it), a guide will show you around and introduce you to more than 50 species of…