Costa Rica · Americas

Cartago

  • Code:C
  • Type:province

Introduction

Cartago is the province immediately east of the capital, and it is the oldest ground in Costa Rica — the colonial capital for nearly three centuries, the site of the country's most important pilgrimage church, and home to its most significant pre-Columbian settlement. It also holds the highest volcano you can drive up and the river that carries Central America's best whitewater.

Overview

Every other part of Costa Rica points you at landscape. This province points you at time. Cartago was the country's capital from the sixteenth century until 1823, and the reason nobody thinks of Costa Rica as having colonial cities is that this one was destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt, twice — the second time so thoroughly that the parish church under construction was simply abandoned mid-build and is now kept as a walled garden open to the sky, which is a far better monument than the finished building would have been. A few streets away stands the basilica that is the spiritual centre of the country, holding a small dark stone figure found here in the seventeenth century, and once a year an enormous number of Costa Ricans walk to it from the capital and beyond. Above the town rises the country's highest volcano reachable by road, where you can stand at the rim of a crater lake in thin cold air and, on the rare genuinely clear morning, see both oceans. East of that the land drops towards the Caribbean through steep coffee and sugar country to a valley holding the ruins of a pre-Columbian city — paved causeways, aqueducts still running, stone foundations under forest — and the river that has made this province a destination for whitewater paddlers from all over the world. South of the old capital, a green valley of coffee, colonial church, orchid gardens and hot springs is one of the prettiest short drives in the country.

Discover Cartago

Cartago was founded in the 1560s and served as the capital until the seat of government moved to the neighbouring valley in 1823, and its story since is essentially seismic. Major earthquakes destroyed the town in the nineteenth century and again in the early twentieth, and the second one ended construction of the main parish church for good. Rather than clear the site, the town kept the roofless stone shell and planted it: the walls, arches and empty window openings now enclose a formal garden with ponds and paths, and it is the most atmospheric place in the province, precisely because it was never finished. This is also the answer to something visitors notice everywhere else in the country — Costa Rica has almost no grand colonial architecture, and the reason is that its colonial capital kept falling down. A short walk away is the basilica, a large and elaborate church in a Byzantine-influenced style, which holds a small dark stone image of the Virgin found near this spot in the seventeenth century and venerated ever since. It is the most important religious site in the country by a wide margin. Once a year enormous numbers of people walk here from the capital and much further, filling the roads through the night; the date is fixed and worth checking before you travel, because the town is transformed and the approach roads are closed. On any ordinary day it is quiet, open and free to enter, with a spring beneath it where visitors collect water.

Ways to Experience This Destination

Colonial History & Pilgrimage

The old capital, a roofless earthquake-ruined church kept as a garden, and the country's principal pilgrimage basilica.

Drive-Up Volcano Craters

Costa Rica's highest volcano reachable by road, with a mineral crater lake and, on clear mornings, both oceans at once.

Pre-Columbian Archaeology

Stone foundations, paved causeways and a working aqueduct system at the country's most important archaeological site.

World-Class Whitewater

A river running through a roadless forested gorge, rated among the best whitewater runs anywhere, with a two-day option.

Frequently asked questions

Because its colonial capital was in this province and kept being destroyed. Cartago was the seat of government from the 1560s until 1823, and major earthquakes flattened it in the nineteenth century and again in the early twentieth. The second ended construction of the main parish church permanently — the roofless stone shell was kept and planted as a walled garden, which is now the most atmospheric place in the province and a better monument than the finished building would have been.

Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.