San Isidro
Gateway to Pacific beaches and high mountains
Unique
Adults-Only
Couples
Romance
Sustainable
Remote
Hiking
Why Visit San Isidro?
San Isidro (full name San Isidro de El General) is a small city on the PanAmerican Highway between San Jose and the border with Panama.
The city is an agricultural and administrative center more than a tourism hotspot. Before the coastal highway south of Manuel Antonio was completed, the route through San Isidro was the best way to get to the beaches of Uvita, Dominical, and the Osa Peninsula. For that reason, it's always been a good stopping point for tourists.
All in all, San Isidro is a charming town surrounded by nature and agricultural communities. It offers travelers a snapshot of "real" Costa Rican life and culture with access to breathtaking scenery, hiking, and birdwatching.
Here are some of our favorite reasons to come to San Isidro:
- Cerro Chirripo: San Isidro is the closest town to the Cerro Chirripo National Park and Costa Rica's highest mountain. Hikers coming to make the two-day trek to the summit of Chirripo will find San Isidro a great pre-and post-hike resting spot.
- Cloud Forest Birdwatching: The mountains around San Isidro offer access to various nature reserves and world-class birdwatching.
- The Local Culture: San Isidro is an excellent destination for travelers hoping to experience authentic Costa Rican festivals, including the Fiesta Civica in February, famous for its bullfights and live music. In May, local farmers celebrate and pay tribute to San Isidro, the patron saint of farming, with a colorful and vibrant parade.
Where to Stay
Many of the accommodations in San Isidro are family-owned and operated, providing guests with an authentic Costa Rican experience.
Things to Do
San Isidro is a splendid gateway to fresh air and an outdoor lifestyle, from hiking Chirripo to exploring the cloud forests searching for the resplendent quetzal to fishing for trout.
Experience Authentic Costa Rica in San Isidro
Before visitors even reach the charming city of San Isidro de El General, they'll pass through some of the most spectacular landscapes that Costa Rica has to offer.
The PanAmerican Highway from San Jose passes through a stretch of road called the Cerro de la Muerte (the mountain of death). But, despite its fearsome name, travelers needn't fear the Cerro de la Muerte. Instead, they should simply enjoy the spectacular views as they traverse this 11,000-foot pass, from where they can view the Pacific coast and rugged mountains from above the clouds.
After descending from the Cerro de la Muerte, travelers will find a lush valley through cloud forests and coffee farms. San Isidro is this valley, a community with a rich history and diverse culture. The local climate around San Isidro is ideal for growing fruit, particularly pineapples, and vendors line the streets. San Isidro is also a major producer of coffee and sugar.
The mountains around San Isidro are covered in pristine cloud forests, making them a birdwatcher’s paradise. Many of the most elusive and exotic birds in Costa Rica, including the resplendent quetzal, make their home in the lush forests around the city - there's even a national park close by called Los Quetzales.
Adventurous visitors can also use San Isidro as a base for hiking the nearby Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica's highest mountain, in another nearby national park named after the mountain.
Heading back into town, away from the glorious natural surroundings, San Isidro is a quaint agricultural town. There's a fabulous Saturday market to visit, and the city also hosts some significant cultural events throughout the year.
If you're passing through to hike Chirripo, check out nature, or visit the southern Pacific beaches, San Isidro is worth a glance. A couple of days add a great differential to any Costa Rican visit. Many of the restaurants in San Isidro serve locally-sourced produce. Fruit vendors can be found in San Isidro’s downtown district at virtually every turn. Visitors will enjoy a variety of Costa Rican staples at many of the city’s eateries.
Best Time to Travel to San Isidro
Visitors hoping to enjoy the Fiesta Civica should visit in February, while the parade dedicated to San Isidro takes place in May. During the green season months, which run from April to November, temperatures can be pretty cool due to the city’s elevation and location, so most travelers come in the dry season (December to March).
Weather in San Isidro
Temperatures in San Isidro are a little lower than elsewhere in Costa Rica due to the higher elevation of the city. Expect low-to-mid-60s to mid-70s F year-round and high humidity due to the surrounding forests. The heaviest rains fall during September and October.
Is San Isidro Safe?
San Isidro is safe, crime-wise, as a small town where most people know each other, like most rural communities in Costa Rica. Usual precautions apply, of course, but if you're sensible, you'll be fine. Other dangers in the area are mainly getting lost in the surrounding forests or hiking Chirripo without the necessary equipment or level of fitness needed.
Top Restaurants in San Isidro
Urban Farm Cafe: This is a healthy option in town focusing on organic and local products. Specialties include salads, burritos, wraps, smoothies, and a good breakfast.
Restaurante y Pizza Sabores: An excellent pizza choice. Every city has one - this is San Isidro's.
Candombe: A steakhouse with massive and tasty portions. The pizza is excellent here, too.
El Cafetín: A coffee and breakfast place with a great line in wraps.
How to Get to San Isidro
San Jose Airport (Airport Code SJO) outside San Jose is the closest international airport to San Isidro.
Distance & Driving Time to San Isidro
From SJO Airport: 95 miles (153 kilometers), about 3 hours.
All Costa Rican Vacations packages include an airport "meet and greet" service and private transfers with English-speaking drivers, which means you're all set when you arrive in-country - just sit back, relax. Our driver will get you to your destination.
Those planning to drive to San Isidro from the airport should allow about three hours of driving time, plus an hour or so to arrange your car rental. Make sure you arrive in Costa Rica early enough in the day to not go at night - something we don't recommend, especially on the Cerro de Muerte and high mountain passes on this route.
Once you have your car, get onto the PanAmerican Highway and head towards San Jose. Make sure you have Waze on here, as you have to negotiate your way through the southern part of the city, from Sabana Park, which you reach on the airport road, to that left turn at McDonald's and the straight shot through to Curridabat, an eastern suburb of San Jose. From here, look for signs for Tres Rios and Cartago, which will take you onto Ruta 2, part of the PanAmerican. Keep heading east, all the way to Cartago, staying on Ruta 2. Rule of thumb here: Stay on Ruta 2 - this is the road that will take you to the Panamanian border, but before that o San Isidro.
After Cartago, the road will stay rising in elevation, and sooner or later, you'll find yourself in high mountains navigating switchbacks amid swirling clouds and thundering trucks. It's a hair-raising drive but a beautiful one. Don't leave the road, and after around 2.5 hours, you'll descend into San Isidro.