Nature, animals, forest, trails and history, all this at the Santa Ana Conservation Center. Located in the city, a few minutes away from San Jose Downtown, we have this beautiful place, come on! let’s get to know a little about it…
| How to get there by bus? If you leave from San José, you will have to go to the bus station of the TAPACHULA Company, bound for Santa Ana, located by the Coca-Cola market (C. 16, Av. 1 and 3). The buses that you can board have a sign that says “Santa Ana Pista” or “Santa Ana Calle Vieja”, the Conservation Center is properly labeled for identification. |
| Waze direction: Click here to go to Waze. |
| Tickets cost: Children from 3 to 12 years old: ₡ 2,100 • Over 12 years old: ₡ 2,800 • Senior adults: ₡ 2,100. Cash only. |
| Schedule: From Monday to Friday from 08:00 AM to 03:30 PM. Saturdays and Sundays from 09:00 AM to 04:30 PM. |
| Difficulty: None. |
| Accessibility: Suitable for everyone. |
| Clothing: Comfortable clothes and shoes, repellent and sunscreen. |
| Parking: ₡ 300 – In established area. |
| Is there a camping area? No, you cannot camp. |
| Are pets allowed? No, pets cannot be brought. |
| Mobile phone reception: Kölbi ICE: ○○○○○ | Claro: ○○○○○ | Movistar: ○○○○○ |
| Contact: Phone +506 2282-8434 • Click here to go to the place’s Facebook. |
In 52 hectares you can find large green areas, farm, a bird sanctuary, garden centre, cactus and succulent plants garden, trails within the wooded area, soccer field, picnic area and a museum.
The road to this place is the one that connects San José with Escazú and it is in perfect conditions, from downtown it will take approximately 30 minutes to arrive. Is impressive the fact that many times we pass by the highway without knowing that crossing the street there is a forest paradise, this happened also with Rio Loro (you can see the article of this place here).
Each path is properly labeled, you can build your own route and also know a little more about each species of fauna you find, as there are signs with very interesting information. Take into account the the animals that live here are species that have not been able to adapt to their environment and have suffered human abuse, some of them manage to recover and are released into their habitat. This place is not a zoo, but a conservation center.
To make the tours, it is essential to use comfortable shoes because the trails are made of soil and in winter they get very slippery. They are not suitable for people who use wheelchairs; however, the picnic area has adequate accessibility for all visitors.
During the tours you can also see the large number of spiders that have woven their nets between the trees. Be very attentive, if you get tangled in their cobweb, we advise you to back off in order to be free.
This is a place that is also full of history, its Historical Agricultural Museum is an old steam-powered trapiche, with agricultural machinery and several buildings made of soil and wood. The most valuable infrastructure is La Casona, an adobe and mud hut building with more than 250 years, it was declared a National Historical Heritage, its resistance is amazing, right? Near this area are the ruins of a small coffee processor (process prior to its preparation).
The picnic area is very spacious, it has little ranches equipped with grill, tables and water, next to these there is a playground with swings and sledges for the little ones. Around here you will also have the garden centre, with native trees that are in danger of extinction, you will also see the cactus and succulent plants and some medicinal plants for butterflies and bees. (See this area at 00:01:54 minute of our video).
In short, one more excuse to give a turn to our weekend and just a few kilometers away from downtown San Jose, there are simply no pretexts. It is perfect, whether to go hiking, learn more about our cultural history or to enjoy a delicious picnic with friends.
The beauty of the natural world lies in the details.NATALIE ANGIER
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