Valle Orosí

Nestled in a little topographical bowl between thick-forested hills and coffee plantations, OROSÍ is one of the most picturesque villages in Costa Rica. Its bucolic charms have a way of seducing visitors, and many end up staying far longer than they intended – on a clear morning, when the lush hillsides are drenched in sunlight and with Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes hovering on the horizon, Orosí can feel like the most idyllic spot on earth.

While Orosí’s laidback atmosphere is its top attraction, the village does also boast the Iglesia San José de Orosí (built in 1735), Costa Rica’s oldest church that is still in use, which sits squat against the rounded pates of the hills behind. This simple, low-slung adobe structure, single-towered and roofed with red tiles, has an interior devoid of the hubris and frothy excess of much of Latin American religious decor. The adjacent religious art museum (Tues–Sat 1–5pm, Sun 9am–5pm; ¢350) exhibits fascinating objectos de culto from the early 1700s such as icons, religious paintings and ecclesiastical furniture, along with a faithful recreation of a monk’s tiny room.

Rugged, pristine PARQUE NACIONAL TAPANTÍ-MACIZO CERRO DE LA MUERTE, 12km southeast of Orosí, is one of Costa Rica’s least-visited national parks. Altitude in this watershed area ranges from 1220m to 3490m above sea level and contains three life zones (low mountain and premontane rainforest, and paramo), a range of habitat that provides shelter for a variety of bird and animal life, as well as countless species of insects – it’s perhaps one of the easiest places in the country to spot the beautiful Blue Morpho butterfly. Flora is equally spectacular, including bromelias, heliconia and numerous ferns and mosses; it has been estimated that each hectare contains up to 160 different species of tree. The park is divided into two sectors: Tapantí, accessed from Orosí (and described here), and Macizo Cerro de la Muerte, approached from the Interamerican Highway.