Costa Rica Ruins: 5 Archaeological Sites Worth Visiting

Costa Rica has no Mayan or Aztec ruins, and nothing on the scale of Tikal or Copán. What it does have is worth a day trip: the stone roads and aqueducts of Guayabo, the mysterious stone spheres of the Diquís Delta, and colonial church ruins in Cartago and the Orosi Valley.

This guide covers the best Costa Rica ruins and archaeological sites, what you’ll see at each, how to get there and what it costs, plus where to see Costa Rica’s pre-Columbian gold, jade and pottery in San José.

Site	What it is	Where	Entry
Guayabo National Monument	Pre-Columbian town with stone roads, mounds and aqueducts	Near Turrialba, about 2 hours from San José	Small fee
Finca 6 (Diquís stone spheres)	UNESCO site with stone spheres in their original positions	Palmar Sur, southern Pacific	About $7
Santiago Apóstol ruins	Unfinished church ruined by the 1910 earthquake	Central Cartago	Free to see from outside
Ujarrás church ruins	17th-century colonial church ruins	Orosi Valley, near Paraíso	Free
Sanatorio Durán	Former tuberculosis hospital, 1918 to 1973	Slopes of Irazú Volcano	Small fee; check access

The short answer

Are There Mayan Ruins in Costa Rica?

No. The Maya lived farther north, in what is now Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. The nearest major Maya city to Costa Rica is Copán, in western Honduras. The Aztecs were based in central Mexico.

Costa Rica’s ancient peoples built differently. Most houses and temples were made of wood, palm thatch and earth, which don’t survive the rainforest climate. What lasted are stone foundations, roads, aqueducts and the carved stone objects these societies were skilled at making, including the famous stone spheres. Set your expectations accordingly: Costa Rica’s ruins are about context and craftsmanship, not towering pyramids.

Where to go

Best Ruins and Archaeological Sites in Costa Rica

1. Guayabo National Monument

Guayabo is Costa Rica’s most important archaeological site. On the slopes of Turrialba Volcano, people lived here from about 1000 BCE until roughly 1400 CE, and the town may have held around 10,000 residents at its peak. Only a small part has been excavated.

• What you’ll see: Circular stone mounds that once supported large houses, stone-paved causeways, stone-lined tombs, petroglyphs and three aqueducts that still carry water.
• Nature too: The trails pass through rainforest, so you may also see birds, coatis and sloths.
• Time needed: About 2 to 3 hours, longer with a guide.
• Getting there: About 2 hours from San José via Cartago and Turrialba, then about 17 km past Turrialba. A regular car can usually handle the road. Buses reach Turrialba, but you’ll need a taxi for the last stretch.
• Hours and fees: Generally open daily from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. SINAC, the national parks agency, charges a small entry fee; check the current rate before you go.

A guide makes a big difference here, since the stones are hard to read on your own. Guayabo occasionally closes for heavy rain or volcanic activity at nearby Turrialba, so check before you set out. Our guide to volcano alert levels explains how closures work.

2. Finca 6 and the Diquís Stone Spheres

The stone spheres of the Diquís Delta are Costa Rica’s most famous archaeological mystery. People of the region carved hundreds of near-perfect granite spheres between about 500 and 1500 CE. The largest known sphere measures about 2.6 meters (8.7 feet) across. Their exact purpose isn’t known, though many archaeologists link them to status and to how settlements were laid out.

In 2014, four sites with spheres became Costa Rica’s first cultural site on UNESCO’s heritage list. Finca 6, run by the National Museum, is the one set up for visitors, with a small museum and trails through a former banana plantation where spheres sit in their original lines.

• Getting there: In Palmar Sur, about 7 km from Palmar Norte on the road to Sierpe, roughly 4 hours by car from San José.
• Hours and fees: Open Tuesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; about $7 for foreign adults.
• Combine it: Sierpe is the gateway to Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park, so Finca 6 makes an easy stop on the way.

3. Santiago Apóstol Ruins, Cartago

Photo: Alejandro Zúñiga / The Tico Times

In the center of Cartago, Costa Rica’s colonial capital, the stone shell of the Santiago Apóstol parish church is the city’s best-known landmark. A church has stood on the site since around 1575, and earthquakes damaged it repeatedly, including in 1841. Rebuilding in stone was underway when the 1910 earthquake left it as you see it today. It was declared part of the national heritage in 1982.

Locals tell a legend that the church was cursed and could never be finished. You can see the ruins from the surrounding park in a few minutes. Combine them with the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, about 1 km away and the focus of the yearly Romería pilgrimage.

4. Ujarrás Church Ruins, Orosi Valley

The ruins of the church of Ujarrás, built in the 17th century from lime and stone, are among the oldest colonial structures in Costa Rica. They sit in a quiet park about 1 km from Lake Cachí in the Orosi Valley.

The church is tied to the Virgin of the Rescue (Virgen del Rescate), whom believers credited with turning back a pirate raid in 1666. Residents abandoned Ujarrás in 1832 and 1833 because of disease outbreaks and moved to what is now Paraíso, taking the image with them. A yearly romería, or pilgrimage, still walks from Paraíso to the ruins.

• Hours and fees: Open daily, roughly 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free entry.
• Getting there: About 1.5 hours from San José by car, or by bus from Cartago.
• Combine it: The Orosi Valley loop, Tapantí National Park and the valley’s hot springs make a full day. See Costa Rica’s hot springs compared.

5. Sanatorio Durán

Photo: The Tico Times

Not ancient, but one of Costa Rica’s most visited ruins. Dr. Carlos Durán’s tuberculosis hospital opened in 1918 on the cool, misty slopes of Irazú Volcano, with room for about 300 patients. It closed in 1973 as tuberculosis declined, and the empty buildings slowly fell apart. The Ministry of Culture recognized the site in 2014.

The sanatorium is known locally for ghost stories, which draw curious visitors and photographers. It’s on the way to Irazú Volcano, about 18 km below the crater. Access, hours and fees have changed over the years, so check locally before you go.

Museums

Where to See Pre-Columbian Artifacts in San José

Many of Costa Rica’s finest pre-Columbian objects aren’t at the sites but in San José’s museums. If you only have a day in the capital, these are the places to see gold, jade, pottery and stone spheres up close:

• Pre-Columbian Gold Museum: Gold figures and jewelry under the Plaza de la Cultura.
• Jade Museum: A large collection of carved jade and ceramics.
• National Museum of Costa Rica: History and archaeology, including stone spheres, in a former army barracks.

See our guide to museums to visit from San José for hours and tips, and learn about Costa Rica’s living Indigenous cultures in our guides to the Maleku and Boruca masks.

Plan your visit

Tips for Visiting Costa Rica’s Ruins

• Go early. Mornings are usually drier, especially in the rainy season, and Guayabo’s trails can get muddy.
• Hire a guide at Guayabo. The site makes much more sense with someone who can explain the layout.
• Group the Cartago sites. The Santiago Apóstol ruins, the Basílica, Ujarrás and Orosi fit in one day from San José; add Sanatorio Durán and Irazú for a second.
• Drive carefully. Mountain roads to Guayabo and Irazú are narrow and often foggy. Read our tips on driving in Costa Rica.
• Don’t touch or move artifacts. Removing archaeological objects from Costa Rica is illegal.

FAQ

Costa Rica Ruins FAQ