Costa Rica Guide
The Valle Central and the highlands
Grecia
If you have time on the way to Sarchí, stop off to see the remarkable fin-de-siècle church in the small town of GRECIA, some 18km northwest of Alajuela. After their first church burned down, the prudent residents of Grecia decided to take no chances and built the second out of pounded sheets of metal, imported from Belgium. The white-trimmed rust-coloured result is surprisingly beautiful, with an altar that's a testament to Latin American Baroque froth, made entirely from intricate marble and rising up into the eaves of the church like a wedding cake. A couple of kilometres outside the centre of Grecia on the Alajuela road, El Mundo de las Serpientes (daily 8am–4pm; $11; 
494-3700) is a small collection of forty species of snakes from around the world housed in large glass boxes. The entrance fee includes a highly informative guided tour (in English or Spanish), during which you learn all kinds of strange snake information, such as the fact that they are completely deaf, and that they frequently die of stress. From San José there's a bus to Grecia every half hour from La Coca-Cola (5.30am–10pm; 1hr).
Four kilometres northwest of Sarchí, at LLANO DEL ROSARIO (follow a left-fork road signposted just south of Naranjo), you can try Costa Rica's original bungee jump. Tropical Bungee ($55, $65 with pick-up from San José; 248-2212, 
www.bungee.co.cr ) organizes leaps from the 70-metre-high bridge over the Río Colorado. Less than three metres away, rival company Costa Rica Bungee ($50, $65 with pick-up from San José; 393-3249 or 494-5102, www.bungeecostarica.com ) offers jumps from the same bridge. If you require some Dutch courage before taking the leap, the large open-air Bungee Bar is right beside the bridge and does great cheap bocas, home-made pizza and hosts live music on the weekends. Costa Rica Bungee also organizes rappelling adventures down the 60-metre-high waterfall at Las Cataratas de Los Chorros, a picturesque spot 5km south of Grecia.
Just 2km from Llano del Rosario and 8km southwest of Grecia in the charming village of El Rosario de Naranjo, lies Vista del Valle Plantation Inn ( 450-0800; www.vistadelvalle.com Price: $76–150), a beautiful jungle lodge poised on the edge of a canyon above the gushing Rio Grande. Ten luxury bungalows are scattered throughout the 14-square-kilometre property and come complete with outdoor hot water showers, mini bar and mosquito netting draped over the bed to keep the bugs at bay. Two cheaper rooms are also available in the main lodge. The property has its own 90-metre-high waterfall and backs onto the Zona Protectora Rio Grande. If you get bored soaking up the serenity from your private balcony or eating your way through the tropical fruit growing in the manicured gardens, there's always horse riding, hiking, pampering services and a swimming pool and Jacuzzi to occupy your time. Breakfast is included at the fine dining restaurant which has an emphasis on organic, locally-sourced produce. For $20, the friendly staff can pick you up or drop you off at the airport, a mere 20 minutes drive away.