Turrialba

Turrialba is in the Central Valley region of Costa Rica

Understand
Turrialba owes much of its development to the construction of a railroad, the Jungle Train, that was built in the 1880s to connect San Jose to the Caribbean. The particular route through Turrialba was chosen because the gorge cut by the nearby Rio Reventazon made it the ideal place to pass the Cordillera mountain range. With the track completed, it was possible for coffee producers in the area to export beans and the village became prosperous. The town continued to thrive, when the first highway to connect the capital to the coast was built through it and Turrialba became a transport hub.

Today, due to an earthquake in the 1990s that closed the railway line and the completion of a newer, straighter highway (Route 32) to the north, Turrialba is now a quiet mountain village. The local economy is doing okay however with the arrival of the area's second boom, adventure tourism. Turrialba is a base for adventure tourism and is home to some of the best whitewater rafting in Central America. If that's not enough, there is also great canyoning, climbing, mountain biking and horse-riding on offer.

For foodies, Turrialba still remains an important agricultural region producing export quality coffee, Turrialba queso (cheese) and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Travellers may also be interested in two other sites to the north, Volcán Turrialba, an active volcano (closed to visitors due to gas fumes), and Guayabo, one of Costa Rica's most important archaeological sites.

By car
From San José, head east along the Inter American Highway (Route 2) until you reach the turn off for Turrialba and Puerto Limon (Highway 10) at the town of Paraiso. Turrialba is about 35 km (or 1 hour of driving) beyond the turnoff. If you have more time, you may wish to take Highway 230 further to the north which offers more scenery and less traffic.

By bus
Transtusa buses leave for Turrialba from Turrialba Bus Station (La Cottage) in San José (at Calle 13 and Avenida 6) every hour on the hour until 20:00 (19:00 weekends). 1 hr 35 min, US$4 per person one way (2017).

By train
There are no longer any train services to Turrialba. The 'Jungle Train' that ran from San José to Puerto Limón via Turrialba closed in the early 1990s due to an earthquake.

Get around
The town is fairly compact and can be navigated on foot. Official (licensed, metered) red taxis, informal taxis, and Uber are available. The main attractions nearby however are some way away and will require you do either drive or to take a local bus. Local buses dispersing into the hills all depart from one location near the city centre.

Nature
Turrialba is surrounded by beautiful nature.

Adventure sports
The area is a base for extreme sports. The most famous is of course river rafting on either the Pacuare or Pejibaye Rivers. Climbing and canyoning is also popular in Turrialba as is mountain biking and horse riding. There are a number of tour operators offering all or some of these activities.

Specialities
To some, the agriculture products that are produced here are more of a reason to come then the extreme sports.
 * Coffee - the fertile lands of Turrialba make for growing excellent coffee and the beans are exported around the world. A great way to buy beans is to visit the plantations (either on your own or part of a tour) and buy them from the farmers directly.
 * Turrialba Cheese - it is possible to buy the fresh queso in the markets or bakeries in town or go for a drive and buy some from the farmers directly.
 * Fruits and vegetables - there is a farmers' market in town (only open Friday and Saturdays) that sells an excellent variety of produce. It is possible to buy and try many vegetables that you likely have never seen before.

Essentials
For everyday items, there are a few supermarkets in town. The cheapest is Maxi Pali, located on the eastern edge of the town.

Go next

 * Head east to Limón Province and explore the beaches along the Caribbean coast
 * Go west and explore the other areas in Catago.
 * Skip Catago and go directly to the capital, San José via scenic route 230.