Turrialba is a small agricultural town in Cartago, famous for the active Turrialba volcano.
In addition to the volcano, Turrialba is an excellent town in Costa Rica for visitors looking for less touristic destinations and to get off the beaten path.
Here are our favorite things to do in Turrialba.
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Turrialba Volcano National Park
Between 2016-2020, Turrialba Volcano erupted strongly several times, disrupting airports and closing the national park.
Now in 2026, Turrialba Volcano National Park has opened to the public again. All visitors must book a guided tour in order to visit.
Guided tours include a walk through the national park to view points. They also offer sunset and sunrise hikes.
CATIE Guided Tour
The CATIE, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center is a world famous botanical research center, studying everything that has to do with agriculture and sustainability.
Visitors can take a guided tour through the center to learn about the different plants they research. They also offer birding tours, biking tours and guided night walks.
If you love agriculture, fruits, trees and plants, then a visit to CATIE is a must!
Canyoning and Ziplining
We did a super fun canyoning (waterfall rappel) and zipline tour in Turrialba.
The tour had 4 waterfall rappels, 5 cables for ziplining through the rainforest and a 130 foot hanging bridge. Super fun!
The scenery is what really makes activity fun. We saw toucans flying around us and there was nobody else around except our group!
Coffee Tour
If you love coffee, Turrialba is a great place for a coffee tour. You can find a couple of local family owned, organic and artisanal coffee plantations.
The Aquiares Coffee Plantation produces some fantastic coffee and they offer various activities on their property besides a full coffee tour.
You can combine the coffee tour with horseback riding. This is a super fun way to get beautiful views, try delicious coffee and support a local business.
Guayabo National Monument
The Guayabo National Monument is the most important historical site in Costa Rica, dating back to 1000 AD.
Hike the trails, learn about the ancient civilization that lived there and see the ruins. It’s absolutely fascinating to hear the ruins, the technology of the people back then and to see the abandoned site for yourself.
The best way to visit is to book a tour with a guide, so they can explain more about the monument.
Without a guide, it is a bit difficult to understand and grasp the importance of this monument, due to a lack of signage and informational boards.
It’s close to Turrialba Volcano National Park so you can see the volcano in the morning and visit the national monument in the afternoon.
If you are in San Jose, there is a great day trip that goes to Irazu Volcano, Turrialba Volcano and Guayabo Monument.
Otherwise, you can book a guided tour with Association U-Sure, run by the local community and local certified guides.
Read more about Guayabo National Monument in this guide.
La Marta Wildlife Refuge
La Marta Wildlife Refuge is an under the radar place in Costa Rica for hiking and nature even though it’s the first private refuge in Costa Rica.
There are several hiking trails, a camping area and two rivers to enjoy.
There is a wonderful observation platform in the refuge where you can see Turrialba and the valley below.
There are also places along the river bank to swim and have a picnic if you’re camping and you can also see ruins of old systems and mills.
If you love hiking and nature, this is a must do activity in Turrialba.
Learn about Turrialba Cheese
Turrialba is a farming town.
Because they have a very interesting climate being near the Caribbean side in the Central Valley, you will see fields of lettuce, cilantro, sugar cane, coffee and others.
But one of the most famous products from Turrialba is their cheese. Turrialba cheese is famous in Costa Rica and you can buy it from most supermarkets.
The Turrialba cheese recipe has been passed down for generations and the local Turrialbenos continue the cheese tradition by making it exactly the same way.
We visited a small local farm called Finca La Florita, run by a mother and daughter whose great-great grandfather was one of the very first to make Turrialba Cheese.
They taught us how they take care of their cows, how to milk them and how to make the famous cheese.
Even though I actually don’t eat cheese, I enjoyed learning about the process but I especially loved experiencing the local farm life in Turrialba, even if it was just a hint.
Horseback Riding
Go horseback riding around the hills of Turrialba for beautiful views and fresh air.
We went on a 2 hour horseback riding tour in Turrialba with Casa Turire which was very nice.
We wandered past some sugar cane fields and coffee plantations and up to a beautiful lookout spot where you get a panoramic view of the lake, Turrialba volcano and the surrounding hills.
Pacuare White Water Rafting
Turrialba is close to the Pacuare River, which is one of the top five rivers for white water rafting in the world.
Raft down this pristine river, paddle through Class III and IV rapids and enjoy breathtaking views of the rainforest on this exhilarating rafting trip from Turrialba.
You can also do the Pacuare River white water rafting from San Jose, La Fortuna and Puerto Viejo de Limon and use it as a tour interconnection.
This is one of our absolute favorite outdoor adventures in Costa Rica!
Where to stay in Turrialba
There aren’t a ton of hotels in Turrialba. You will find a handful of boutique lodges and inns.
We stayed at Guayabo Lodge and an Airbnb in the city.
Guayabo Lodge has a great view of 3 volcanoes and is located up in the hills, not far from Turrialba Volcano.
Casa Turire is another favorite, with cozy rooms and beautiful views.
Read about other things to do in Costa Rica!
10 Things to do in Uvita and Dominical
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Emily says
I’m coming to turrialba at the Christmas period from the uk from the 23rd of December for 2 weeks. Is their restaurants near by or take out places? I’m staying at the turrialba mountain lodge. I’m very active also so I’d love to see the volcano, hire bikes, im a professional horse rider also, I do canoeing alsorts really. Im also an astronomer, is the sky line in Costa rica amazing ?
Sammi says
Yes there are many restaurants in Turrialba, but I am not familiar with Turrialba Mountain Lodge, if it is up in the mountains like the name suggests, then there probably isn’t much around as all the restaurants are centered around Turrialba downtown and around town. Check with your hotel if they have a restaurant, these hotels usually do. You can check with your hotels for tours.
Edna says
Is the Costa Rica kayak school close to town? Just wondering where to stay as I won’t have a car.
Sammi says
Hi Edna, you can google “Costa Rica Kayak School Turrialba” to see the exact location. It’s just a bit outside town
Anthony Varboncoeur says
How do we schedule the bike tour at CATIE?
Sammi says
We did it through a company called Explornatura
Kyle says
Hi,
Great article, is there a contact point or address for farm Finca La Florita? Really interested and couldn’t find it on google.
Best,
Kyle
Sammi says
Our visit was arranged by a company in Turrialba called Explornature, I recommend to reach out to them to help you arrange your visit
Tina Levasseur says
We live in Turrialba. Just wanted to let you know that the Aquieres waterfall is no longer there. The flood this past year did a large amount of damage. The small still remains.
Sammi says
Ah that’s sad 🙁 Thanks for the feedback!
Ed says
Like your site and the information seems to be correct and helpful. I will also be moving there in about a year from Washington State. I will be in Turrialba in about a week and will be continuing my whitewater kayaking training with Mario with Costa Rica Kayak School. Thanks and please continue with the information.
Wally Russell says
Hey Guys,
I love your site!
We are in Turrialba March 1-15, 2021.
Is there a dead volcano to go to or hot springs?
Thanks
Wally and Michelle
Sammi says
You can visit Turrialba Volcano National Park now, it’s open. For hot springs, we highly recommend Hacienda Orosi
Barbara Marie Semple says
your website is awesome.