11
The Valley
The Church That Has Been Standing Since 1743
Costa Rica does not have much colonial architecture left. What it has, largely, is here.
The Orosi Valley
A valley an hour from San José that most people drive past on their way to a volcano. These are notes from going back to it repeatedly.
August 2026
8
The Valley
Ujarrás and What Is Left of It
A roofless church in a mown lawn, and the flood that emptied the town around it.
4
Outdoors
Tapantí in the Rain
One of the wettest places in Costa Rica, which is the entire reason to go.
July 2026
30
The Valley
The Mirador Above Orosi
The view that sells the valley, and the reason most people stop here at all.
25
Outdoors
Hot Springs Without the Queue
Orosi has thermal water and almost none of the crowd that the Arenal springs pull in.
21
Staying
The Year We Rented the Whole House
Ten years of booking rooms in the valley, and the trip that finally broke the habit.
16
Coffee
Coffee in Cartago Province
The valley floor is coffee almost end to end, and the altitude here does something specific to it.
10
The Valley
Driving the Loop from Paraiso
The valley works as a circuit. Done properly it is a full day, not the hour the map suggests.
4
Outdoors
Lake Cachí and the Dam Road
A reservoir on the Reventazón, and the quietest half of the valley circuit.
June 2026
28
Staying
Where to Base Yourself in the Valley
Orosi town, up at Paraiso, or out on the lake. They give you three different weeks.