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San Rafael de Guatuso

Also known as: Guatuso

Guatuso's main town, on the banks of the Frío River, with its central park and parish church. It is the base for trips to Caño Negro, Maleku territory or Río Celeste.

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The church of San Rafael de Guatuso at the end of a path lined with red flower beds and palm trees.
Photo: Rodtico21, 2015 · CC BY-SA 4.0

What you can do for free

  • Walk and wanderWalk around downtown and the central park.
  • Relax and watch local lifeWatch village life and the Frío River.

San Rafael is the main town of Guatuso canton and sits on the banks of the Frío River, with commercial and tourist services (ICT). Visit Costa Rica presents it as a starting point for trips to Caño Negro and the indigenous territories.

Downtown are the central park and the parish church of San Rafael Arcángel. According to the Guatuso municipality, the current church was built in 1993.

It is about 40 minutes from La Fortuna by car, so it makes an easy stop on Route 4 if you are heading to Upala, Caño Negro or the Río Celeste area (the attractions of Tenorio Volcano National Park and the Caño Negro refuge are paid).

How to get there

Along Route 4 (San Carlos–Guatuso–Upala).

Permitted access

A town with public streets; the central park and the parish church are downtown.

Precautions

What we don't know yet

  • Whether there is public access to the Frío River's bank in town.

Know something that would help verify it? Tell us

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these sources. The date is when we checked them.

  1. ICT — Guía turística Llanuras del Norte (flipbook, p. 68) Official

    Community on the Frío River with services.

    ict.go.cr · checked on

  2. Visit Costa Rica (ICT) – Atractivos de las Llanuras del Norte Official

    Starting point for Caño Negro and the indigenous territories.

    visitcostarica.com · checked on

  3. Visit Costa Rica (ICT) – Mini guía de Bijagua y alrededores (PDF) Official

    Route 4 runs through Guatuso.

    visitcostarica.com · checked on

  4. Municipalidad de Guatuso – Historia del cantón Official

    The current church was built in 1993.

    muniguatuso.go.cr · checked on

  5. Municipalidad de Guatuso – SATRI, alerta temprana de ríos Frío y Venado Official

    Alert system for the Frío and Venado rivers.

    munigt.seprogo.com · checked on

  6. OpenStreetMap — Parque Central de San Rafael de Guatuso (vía 501278884) Map

    Location of the central park.

    openstreetmap.org · checked on

  7. Enrutador FOSSGIS/OSRM sobre datos de OpenStreetMap (routing.openstreetmap.de) Map

    Estimated driving distance from La Fortuna's central park.

    routing.openstreetmap.de · checked on