Cartago City is one of the oldest population settlements in the country, perhaps we should say, it’s the town of Costa Rica with the most history and curious stories from the entire colonial time. This city is the former capital of the country, which was moved to San Jose back in 1823 after a civil war.
Cartago is in the southeast of the San Jose City; the following is a map for you to have a better idea of its location:
In the following information, you will find some characteristics of Cartago City:
The Basilica de Los Angeles
This city is well known for its high practice of the Roman Catholic Religion, as a matter of fact, the most important church of the whole country called “The Basilica de Los Angeles” that is located near the city’s downtown area. The story says that back in 1635 a pilgrim girl was washing clothes in a nearby river where the church is settled today and found a tiny statue of a black Virgin Mary sitting on a rock. She took this statue and gave it to the local priest, but surprisingly, it appeared again in the rock the next morning; this happened day after day until they determined that it was a miracle and understood that the Virgin Mary was asking to build a cathedral in her name in that particular place. Speaking of church and religion, in Cartago also stands the church of Santiago Apostol.
Agriculture
In Cartago, one of the most important means of the economy is agriculture, as a matter of fact, Cartago is commonly referred to as the city of potatoes, simply because this region is responsible for most of the potatoes that are consumed in Costa Rica and also exported out, this is due to the cold and humid climate, ideal for the cultivation of this particular crop. Also, in the district of Alvarado (also part of Cartago), there is a place called Juan Viñas, where A LOT of sugar cane is cultivated.
Tourism
Tourism is just starting as an industry in this region, being the Irazu Volcano and the Basilica de Los Angeles Cathedral the only famous attractions of this whole territory. Some hotels have been built in the countryside of the Province of Cartago, but these accommodations try mainly to bring out the cultural aspects of the area, its farmers, and their lifestyle.
Some of the main touristic points of interest that can be accessed from Cartago are:
The Tapanti National Park
This is one of the most dense-unexplored jungles of the country, where ALL kinds of wildlife from Costa Rica can be found. The park has beautiful nature trails that provide gorgeous views of the local rivers.
Irazu Volcano
In Cartago City, it is home one of the most important volcanos in the whole country, the Irazu Volcano. It is completely dormant, it is available to be visited on any given day. This is the tallest volcano in all Costa Rica; there is access by vehicle all the way up to its crater. The views of the mountains and farms on the way to the Volcano are simply spectacular.
Turrialba Volcano
The Turrialba Volcano is the other important Volcano in the area and is currently the most active in Costa Rica. Because of this, it is completely restricted from any kind of access, the last time that this volcano had activity was back in early 2016, these eruptions had caused for the local population to be evacuated several times in the past years.
So far, the Turrialba Volcano area is the place that has more touristic development of this whole region, with a few hotels and activities, such as white-water rafting, nature walks, mountain biking, farm tours, waterfall rappelling, horseback riding, among others.
Guayabo National Monument
This is one of the most interesting historic sites of Costa Rica; it is located just outside of the Turrialba area. The Guayabo National Monument owns the designation of the Civil Engineering World Heritage. It was awarded by the American Society of Civil Engineers, a very recognized institution. It is given because of the accomplishments and engineering techniques made by old people who lived there.
Orosi Valley
This place is just a few minutes out of Cartago, a gorgeous Valley with many rivers and plantations, mainly coffee and a squash called “chayote”. The Orosi Valley is an amazing place where the lush forest and the view of beautiful pine trees make visitors experience a relaxing time there.
Los Santos
The region of Los Santos is starting to develop some activities for the tourists, such as coffee tours, nature walks, and observation of the amazing resplendent quetzal, one of the rarest and beautiful birds of Costa Rica.
If you plan to visit Cartago, you can be sure that you will find an authentic Costa Rican town, filled with culture and untouched nature!
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