No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsTravel and TourismEscape Jacó’s Bustle: Explore the Tranquil Hills of Bijagual

Escape Jacó’s Bustle: Explore the Tranquil Hills of Bijagual

If you’re looking for a break from Jacó’s non-stop action, the beach town’s antithesis is just eighteen kilometers away. As close as that is, it feels worlds apart..

Bijagual is a small rural town perched atop the hills that overlook the Central Pacific Coast. Carara National Park forms a backdrop for the bucolic community, like a wild garden clinging to the sides of craggy mountains.

You won’t find any souvenir stands, fusion restaurants, or board short-wearing tourists up there. You will find traditional Costa Rican cuisine, a cantina, couple of general stores, and a smattering of modest homes with colorful gardens that remind one of what Costa Rica might have looked like 50 years ago.

 This town is worth a visit. Because of its elevation, temperatures are markedly cooler here than at the beach. “At night, sometimes the fog is so thick you can’t see across the soccer field,” said Alexander Vindas. Mr. Vindas works at Bar y Restaurante Bijagual, which serves up traditional Costa Rican fare and reasonably priced drinks. Mr. Vindas also leads tours to the area’s famous Bijagual waterfall, which tumbles some 600 feet into the valley below. His tour costs $45, leaves from the restaurant, and takes around 3-4 hours. Included in this price is entrance to the falls and a fresh fruit snack.   

How to get there

From Jacó, take Calle Ancha to the highway. Turn left, then a quick right at the sign for the Rainforest Adventure’s  entrance. Go past the park’s entrance and keep to the left at the fork. Then it’s a winding, uphill drive until you get to the top of the mountain ridge. Views here are excellent. Continue along this road until you get to town. The road is gravel the entire way, but it is well maintained and is passable in a sedan. From downtown Jacó it’s about a 25-minute drive.

Popular Articles

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano Erupts in Costa Rica

Yesterday, the Rincón de la Vieja volcano in northwestern Costa Rica erupted, sending a column of ash 2,000 meters above its crater. The eruption,...

Costa Rica Volcano Update: Poás Glows Red, Alerts Shift

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano has been putting on a fiery show, with its crater glowing red from burning sulfur and molten rocks. Scientists from...

Panama’s Gardí Sugdub Becomes a Climate Migration Case as Sea Levels Rise

The laughter of children running through the alleys of Gardí Sugdub is no longer heard. Everything changed a year ago when nearly all of...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest Articles