The mountains above Escazú
Perfect area for hiking on your own!
Cerros de Escazú Nature Reserve and Santa Ana Wound Park
The nature reserve "los cerros de Escazú" is located very close to the capital San José, between the two suburbs of Escazú and Santa Ana . Green lungs, a little agricultural culture, a few small settlements, lots of forest and meadows - this is how the protected area extends to over 7,000 hectares.
The highest mountain in the nature reserve is the "Cerro Rabo de Mico" with a height of 2428 m. There are other high mountains that can be easily seen and reached from Santa Ana or Salitral.
The nature reserve is ideal for lonely hikes on unknown paths, far away from the normal tourist routes. You can start from Escazú, Santa Ana, Salitral or Ciudad Colon.
However, the route is difficult and steep. To get to the top, you have to climb hard. You can shorten it by taking the bus from Santa Ana to Salitral and starting there.
You have a brilliant view over the entire central valley from the wind farm above Santa Ana. There are also some delicious restaurants open here on weekends.
Another attraction can be found in Santa Ana. The Hacienda la Chimba. Despite the pandemic, they opened their doors to the public in early 2021. Hacienda la Chimba is a traditional coffee farm in the mountains above Santa Ana that serves as a recreational area for people from the capital. You can take an interesting coffee tour, have a canopy, a climbing park and adventure, a beautiful hiking trail that goes really high and you can also go mountain biking. Plus traditional architecture, a typical restaurant and lots of nice people.
