Attractions
San José: Some of the best and most modern museums in Central America are here, with a wealth of fascinating pre-Columbian artifacts. Standouts include the remodeled Museo de Jade Marco Fidel Tristán (Jade Museum) and the centrally located Centro Nacional de Arte y Cultura (National Center of Arts and Culture), featuring several performing-arts spaces.
Butterfly Farm: At any given time, you might see around 30 of the 80 different species of butterflies raised at this butterfly farm south of Alajuela. The butterflies live in a large enclosed garden similar to an aviary and flutter about the heads of visitors during tours of the gardens. You should be certain to spot glittering blue morphos and a large butterfly that mimics the eyes of an owl.
Centro Nacional de Arte y Cultura (National Center of Art and Culture): Occupying a full city block, this was once the National Liquor Factory (FANAL). Now it houses the offices of the Cultural Ministry, several performing-arts centers, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design. The latter has done an excellent job of promoting cutting-edge Costa Rican and Central American artists, while also featuring impressive traveling international exhibits, including large retrospectives by Mexican painter José Cuevas and Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín. If you're looking for modern dance, experimental theater, or a lecture on Costa Rican video, this a good place to check out. Allow around 2 hours to take in all the exhibits here.
Museo de Oro Banco Central (Gold Museum): Located directly beneath the Plaza de la Cultura, this unusual underground museum houses one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian gold in the Americas. On display are more than 20,000 troy ounces of gold in more than 2,000 objects. The sheer number of small pieces can be overwhelming and seem redundant, but the unusual display cases and complex lighting systems show off every piece to its utmost. This museum complex also includes a gallery for temporary art exhibits, separate numismatic and philatelic museums (coins and stamps, for us regular folks), a modest gift shop, and a branch of the Costa Rican Tourist Institute's information center. Plan to spend between one and two hours here.
Spyrogyra Butterfly Garden: This butterfly garden is smaller and less elaborate than the Butterfly Farm, but it provides a good introduction to the life cycle of butterflies. Moreover, it's a calm and quiet oasis in a noisy and crowded city, quite close to downtown. Visitors spend anywhere from a half-hour to several hours here, depending on whether they have lunch or refreshments at the small coffee shop and gallery. You'll be given a self-guided-tour booklet when you arrive, and there's an 18-minute video shown continuously throughout the day. You'll find Spirogyra near El Pueblo, a short taxi ride from the center of San José
Other Costa Rica attractions:
Poás Volcano National Park: Poás is the other active volcano close to San José. The main crater is more than 1.6km (1 mile) wide, and it is constantly active with fumaroles and hot geysers. I slightly prefer Poás to Irazú because it is surrounded by dense cloud forests, and there are some nice gentle trails to hike here. Although the area around the volcano is lush, much of the growth is stunted due to the gasses and acid rain. The park sometimes closes when the gases get too feisty. There are nature trails, picnic tables, restrooms, and an information center.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park: This is a large tract of parkland that experiences high volcanic activity. There are numerous fumaroles and geysers, as well as hot springs, cold pools, and mud pots. There are also excellent hikes to the upper craters, as well as to several waterfalls. You should hire a guide for any hot-spring or mud-bath expeditions because inexperienced visitors have been burned. Camping is permitted at two separate sites, each of which has an information center, a picnic area, and restrooms.
