Cartago

Costa Rica Provinces

| San Jose | Cartago | Alajuela | Heredia |
| Limon | Puntarenas | Guanacaste |

Cartago

| Bridal Veil waterfall | Cachi | Cachi (lake) | Carpintera (hills) |
| Lancaster Botanical Garden | Orosi | Paraiso | San Rafael de Oreamuno |
| Tres Rios | Turrialba | Ujarras |

Bridal Veil waterfall

It´s situated near Ujarras, on the Reventazon river. It rushes 100 meters down. According to a legend a group of family and friends arrived here to celebrate a wedding. The horse went berserk and jumped taking the bride and her long trailing veil over the cliff.

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Cachi

A village to the south from Cartago, next to the artificial lake of the same name. Till 1995, a renowned Costa Rica sculptor Macedonio Quesada lived there. He was making a figures from coffee roots, which cover the outside walls and windows. He built in 1989 "The House of Dreams", which serves as a gallery. It´s two-stored cypress and cedar wooden building, next to Naranjo river.

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Cachi (lake)

It was created about 13.000 years ago, when a lava flow blocked the Rios Reventazon and Orosi to form a natural lake. The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity built the Cachi dam to supply San Jose area with hydroelectric power. From the Cachi Lake the Rio Reventazon begins its life.

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Carpintera (hills)

[Hills of woodpeckers]. It was created 2,5 mln years go. They are separate the Cartago Highland from the rest of Meseta Central. It stands out for fertile soil perfect for coffee cultivating. Since has been 1976 under the nature protection. Very often covered by fog.

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Lancaster Botanical Garden

It´s situated on the eastern side of Cartago. It was created by british nature lover Charles H. Lankaster in 1950´s and is managed by University of Costa Rica. It specializes with orchids cultivations. On 10,7 ha of surface there are 800 from 1400 orchids species. Besides there are shown bromeliads, helikons, bamboos, palms, aloes, amaryllis and cactuses. Orchids are in bloom during all over the year, especially in the period from february to may.

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Orosi

Small town in the centree of coffee growing. It was called in honour of Huetar Indian chief lived in XVI century. There is the oldest still in use adobe church. Founded in 1743 by Franciscan monks, has a sculpted ceiling and wooden altar. In the next building, in old monks rooms the Museum of religious art functiones. On September 2002 the big mudslide moved through the town causing destructions in houses and 6 people dead.

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Paraiso

A town 8 kilometres to the east off Cartago, in Orosi valley. In the past a tired Spaniards, who explored the caribbean coast in searching for proper new terrains for settling stopped there. There is a modern church, to which from Ujarras was moved the oicture of "Senora de la Limpia Concepcion y del Rascate de Ujarras". There is also a museum of "lady of Ujarras" that contains photos and relics from Costa Rica´s early days.

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San Rafael de Oreamuno

It´s on the northeastern outskirts of Cartago.It´s the site of Costa Rica's cigar-making industry. (Cigar have been made since XVII century). It got the municipal rights in 1963. On November 2001, in the centre of town, archaeologists have dug out some 40 pre-Columbian tombs (they found a large number of vases and only a few bones).

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Tres Rios

A small town on the San Jose - Cartago Highway. It has a modest. very small one-nave church which is distinguished by one sided tower accented by simply moulds. On the south corner of the church there is the Museum of Pilar. That was founded in 1977 and features 60 pieces of art religious, heritage of Tres Rios, images and sacred glasses. On every day, on October 12th, the fair celebrating its Patron Saint Virgen del Pilar are held.

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Turrialba

It lies at 625 metres up the slopes of Turrialba Volcanoe, on the bank of Rio Turrialba. It´s a base for white water rafting lovers that´s why called "the capital of white water rafting"). The river of the same name flows through it. It was established in 1841 as Guayabal as a place for people who suffered in earthquake in Cartago. The central park spreads on the surface of entire block. It´s covered with the trees, on which often three-toed sloths hung. Next to it Americana Theater thrives. There is also a archeological, historical museum of Omar Salazar Obando. It features archeolofical exhibitions (ceramic) and objects that used to belonge to first inhabitants of Turrialba.

Through it used to run the so called Jungle Train Route. Engine-drivers had there the work-break. 4 kilometres to the east of Turrialba, there is founded in 1942 Turrialba Center for Tropical Agronomy Research and Teaching (CATIE). It´s the biggest of such a type office in Central America, having very good supplied library. Besides it has very good equipped laborathories, where on the surface of 1000 ha experiment on tropical plants.

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Ujarras

Uninhabited town in Orosi valley. It was established by moving from Cartago to Talamanca soldiers and missionary, who were looking for a gold. In the years of 1570-1575 the Ujarraz diocese has been found. There are ruins of the church from XVII century (1681-1693), destroyed by earthquake. The church stands exactly in the same place where the small chapel previously was built shortly after when the local fishermen was appeared in 1565 Virgin of Mary. In 1833 the town was completely flooded and after that left by inhabitants. Despite of that, annually on 16 April, the fiesta of Virgin of Ujarras takes place. (Virgin was credited with repelling an invasion by the pirate Henry Morgan and his brigade who were turned back in 1666 from theor attempt to sack the region). The masses and parades are arranged. The local music is played and local meals are eaten. In 1904 after strong winds the majority of walls had colapsed. In 1920 the ruin was declared the national monument. In the vicinity, there are the biggest chayote plantations in the country.

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