San Jose and Central Valley Region

The Central Valley is the centre of most major economic activity in Costa Rica and is home to 75% of the country’s population. It is a mass metropolitan area with four significant cities: San Jose (capital), Alajuela, Cartago, and Heredia. Each city is rich with its own history, from religious miracles to the first major settlement of the Spanish Conquistadores.

When most people speak about Costa Rica they tend to lean towards rainforest canopy tours, surfing, and volcanoes. Not many are keen to tell you about the Basilica in Cartago or the story of how the people of San Jose victoriously led the country to new independence, thus becoming the capital of Costa Rica in 1923.