South of San José lies a little-touristed region of hidden valleys perfect for a full-day drive along the scenic “Route of the Saints,” so-called because most of the villages, which are hidden off the main road, are named after saints. These saintly villages can also be accessed by driving south from Cartago along the Pan-American Highway (Highway 2) and turning west at Enpalme or Cañon.

San José to San Ignacio de Acosta and San Gabriel

From San José’s southern suburb of Desamparado, Highway 209 climbs into the Fila de Bustamante mountains via Aserrí, a pretty hillside town famed for its handsome church and for La Piedra de Aserrí — a massive boulder with a cave at its base that was once inhabited, apparently, by a witch. The gradient increases markedly to the crest of the mountains just north of Tarbaca. En route you gain a breathtaking view of Volcán Irazú.

Three kilometers south of Tarbaca is a Y-junction. The road to the right (Hwy. 209) drops westward to San Ignacio de Acosta, a charming little town nestled on a hillside. You can see its whitewashed houses for miles around. The sun sets dramatically on its steep west-facing slopes. (For a wildly scenic drive, continue west from Acosta to the Balneario Valle Cantado (Fri.–Sun.), with swimming pools fed by hot springs. Beyond, the unpaved road switchbacks to Tabarcia (not to be confused with Tarbaca). Turn right in Tabarcia and you will climb to Highway 239, which runs along the ridge of the Cerros Escazú mountains; turn right to return to San José via Colón and Santa Ana.

The road to the left (Hwy. 222) at the Y-junction south of Tarbaca drops to San Gabriel, gateway to the “Route of the Saints” proper.

San Gabriel to Santa María de Dota

Highway 222 leads southeast from San Gabriel, dropping and rising via Frailes to San Cristóbal Sur, a market town better known to Ticos for La Lucha Sin Fin (The Endless Struggle), the finca of former president and national hero Don “Pepe” Figueres, who led the 1948 revolution from here, two kilometers east of San Cristóbal. There’s a museum in the high school (open weekends only, free).

East of La Lucha, the road clambers precipitously through pine forests three kilometers to the Pan-American Highway. Instead, turn south from San Cristóbal and follow a scenic route via San Pablo de León Cortes to San Marcos de Tarrazú, dramatically situated over coffee fields and dominated by a handsome white church with a domed roof. You can visit the local coffee mill, Beneficio Coopetarrazú (tel./fax 506/546-6098, tarrazu [at] sol [dot] racsa [dot] co [dot] cr) by prior arrangement.

From San Marcos, the main road climbs southeast to Santa María de Dota, a tranquil village whose main plaza has a small but dramatic granite monument — the Monumento Liberación Nacional — honoring those who died in the 1948 revolution. The area has recently blossomed as a major coffee-producing area; Indigenous people from as far away as Boca del Toro, in Panamá, provide the field labor. You can visit the Beneficio Coopedota (tel. 506/541-2828, www.dotacoffee.com, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.), which handles the beans for 700 local producers and accepts visitors by reservation, in season; the visit includes a plantation tour, video, and tasting ($10).

The wonderful coffee of the region is available for purchase through Down to Earth (tel. 866/653-2784, reorder [at] godowntoearth [dot] org, www.godowntoearth.org).

From Santa María, the roads east snake steeply to the Pan-American Highway, with dramatic views en route. Alternately, you can head south five kilometers into the mountains to the Centro Para el Desarrollo Sostenible de Los Santos (the Center For Sustainable Development of Los Santos), with cabins, trails, and spectacular vistas.

Accommodations

The modern and rather institutional Colinas Altavista Resort & Conference Center (tel. 506/230-4941, www.colinasaltavista.com, $53 s/d deluxe, $79 apartments, $143 master suite), outside Aserrí, has six deluxe rooms, 10 apartment units, and a three-bedroom master suite, all modestly furnished and with broad verandas with magnificent views. It has a restaurant and offers horseback riding.

Cabinas Cecilia (tel. 506/541-1233, from $14 pp), 400 meters south of the plaza in Santa María de Dota, is set in a lovely garden surrounded by coffee fields. It has nine simple cabins of rough-hewn timbers and stone floors around a farmhouse-style open-air dining area serving food from a wood-fired stove.

Costa Rican Association of Community-Based Rural Tourism (ACTUAR, tel. 506/248-9470, www.actuarcostarica.com) arranges accommodation at Nacientes Palmichal (tel. 506/418-4325, fax 506/418-4328, www.nacientespalmichal.com), at Palmichal de Acosta, between San Ignacio and Tabarcia. This delightful alpine lodge has eight rooms with private bathrooms; musicians perform after dinner.

The exquisite El Toucanet Lodge (tel./fax 506/541-1435, www.eltoucanet.com, $45 s, $58 d), on a 40-hectare fruit farm in the valley one kilometer east of Copey, is perfect for birders — more than 170 species have been seen at the lodge; quetzals are virtually a daily occurrence. Made of stone and polished timbers, it has a wide veranda with valley views, a lounge with fireplace, and six hardwood cabinas plus a family cabin for six people with a fireplace, kitchenette, and hot water. Rooms are spacious and have simple furnishings and clean tiled bathrooms with hot water. Two suites with walls of glass and whirlpool tubs were being added at last visit. It has a charming pinewood restaurant, plus a wood-fired, stone-lined hot tub. It offers hiking trails, plus horseback tours, a coffee tour, and a free quetzal tour for guests. Rates include breakfast.

Food

The place to eat is La Casona de Sara (tel. 506/541-2258, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. daily), in Santa María (take the first left after the bridge into town when approaching from Enpalme). This clean family restaurant serves filling meals. Take a peek in the kitchen to choose from the simmering pots. A filling lunch costs about $3. It typically stays open until the last guest leaves.

I love Restaurante Bar Vaca Flaca (no tel., 11 a.m. until the last guest leaves, daily), at Alto de Abajonal, near San Antonio. This rustic Colorado-style place is very country, very cowboy (think cowhide seats, plus rifles on the walls), and serves a house special: chicken breast with mushroom and broccoli ($3).

Getting There

Buses from San José depart for Aserrí from Calle 2, Avenidas 6/8, and for San Ignacio from Calle 8, Avenidas 12/14, hourly 5:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m. daily. Buses (tel. 506/410-0015) to San Ignacio de Acosta depart from Calle 8, Avenidas 12/14 every 30 minutes 5:20 a.m.–10:30 p.m. daily.

Buses to San Marcos and Santa María depart San José from Avenida 16, Calles 19/21, at 7:15 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. daily. Return buses to San José depart Santa María at 4:30 a.m., 5:40 a.m., 7:15 a.m., 9:15 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. daily.