If you want a nice, relaxing couple of days in Costa Rica, there’s no better place to go than San Gerardo de Rivas. Tucked deep into the Valle de Río Chirripó, the town seems like nothing more than a soccer field surrounded by family farms, cabinas for tired tourists and a couple of sodas. But in truth, the small city has much more to offer than at first you see. San Gerardo offers an excellent and breathtaking view of both the Río Chirripó and the Cerro Chirripó, so whether you’re looking to go kayaking or climbing, you’ll get to see both of your options from the comfort of your hotel room or the plaza. The city has a much cooler temperature than other cities in Costa Rica and is often cloudy, two things that attract tonnes of birds.

Sightseeing
San Gerardo boasts gateways to Cerro Chirripó and Río Chirripó as well as ground hikes (if you can’t make the summit) to beautiful waterfalls, preserves for reforestation and thermal hot springs to soak in after you’ve made that long and arduous journey to the summit of Cerro Chirripó and back.