South of Paraíso, Highway 224 drops steeply into the Orosi Valley, a self-contained world dedicated to raising coffee and centered on a huge artificial lake drained by the Río Reventazón. Highway 224 divides below Paraíso and loops around Lago Cachí: one way drops to Orosi, the other to Ujarrás; thus the valley makes a fine full-day circular tour.

For a fabulous view over the valley, call in at Mirador Orosi (tel. 506/2574-4688, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily, free), two kilometers south of Paraíso. This park has lawns, topiary, and picnic tables.

If traveling to or from Turrialba, take the dramatically scenic road that links Ujarrás with the main highway (about two km east of Cervantes); this roller-coaster snakes through boulder-strewn countryside farmed with chayote. Awesome!

Orosi

The village of Orosi, eight kilometers south of Paraíso, is the center of the coffee-growing region. Its main claim to fame is its charming Iglesia San José de Orosi, built by the Franciscans in 1735 of solid adobe with a rustic timbered roof, terra-cotta tiled floor, and gilt altar. The restored church, adorned with gilt icons, has withstood earth tremors with barely a mark for almost three centuries.

The church adjoins a small religious art museum (tel. 506/2533-3051, 1–5 p.m. Tues.–Fri., 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat.–Sun., $0.75) displaying furniture, religious statuary, paintings, and silver. Photography is not allowed.

Balnearios Termales Orosi (tel. 506/2533-2156, 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Wed.–Mon., $2), two blocks west of the plaza, has thermal mineral pools (30°C). It’s clean and well run. Another hot springs, Balnearios Los Patios (tel. 506/2533-3009, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Tues.–Sun., $2.50), about one kilometer south of Orosi, at Río Macho, has more simple pools but packs in the locals on weekends. Across the road, the Beneficio Orlich (tel. 506/2533-3535, fax 506/2533-3735, 9 a.m.–noon and 1:30–4 p.m. Mon.–Fri.) offers one-hour tours of the coffee-processing plant by appointment ($5 pp). Afternoon is best.

Vivero Anita (tel. 506/2533-3307, www.viveroanita.com, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, $1), next to Orosi Lodge, raises orchids and welcomes visitors.

South of town, the road divides at Río Macho: the main road crosses the river (a small toll is collected on Sun.) and turns north to continue around the lake’s southern shore via the village of Cachí; a side road continues south nine kilometers to Tapantí National Park via the Río Grande Valley, where just west of Purisil, four kilometers southeast of Orosi, a dirt road clambers uphill two kilometers to Monte Sky Mountain Retreat (tel. 506/2228-0010, www.intnet.co.cr/montesky, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, $10), a 56-hectare private cloud-forest reserve with trails and waterfalls, and camping ($10 per tent) with shared cold-water bathrooms.

It’s great for bird-watching. A 4WD vehicle is recommended for the rocky uphill clamber; you have to hike in from an unguarded parking lot, so don’t leave any valuables in your car.

Around Lago Cachí

Lake Cachí was created when the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad built the Cachí dam across the Río Reventazón to supply San José with hydroelectric power.

On the southern shore, just east of Cachí village, Casa El Soñador (Dreamer’s House, tel. 506/2577-1983, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. daily, free) is the unusual home of brothers Hermes and Miguel Quesada, who carry on their father Macedonio’s tradition of carving crude figurines from coffee-plant roots (the carvings are offered for sale). The house—with carved figures leaning over the windows—is made entirely of rough-cut wood. Check out the Last Supper on one of the walls.

Ujarrás, on the north shore of the lake, seven kilometers southeast of Paraíso, is the site of Las Ruinas de Ujarrás (8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily, free), the ruins of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción, built out of limestone between 1681 and 1693 to honor the Virgen del Rescate de Ujarrás. The church owes its existence to an imagined miracle. In 1666, the pirate Henry Morgan led a raiding party into the Turrialba Valley to sack the highland cities. They were routed after the defenders prayed at Ujarrás. The ruins are set in a walled garden. Thousands of pilgrims from Paraíso flock each Easter Sunday to honor the imagined intercession of the Virgin Mary in the pirate attack.

Recreation

Orosi Lodge (tel./fax 506/2533-3578, www.orosilodge.com) offers excursions and rents mountain bikes ($3 per hour, $10 per day) and canoes ($30 per day, including transport to the lake). Montaña Linda (tel. 506/2533-3640, www.montanalinda.com) also rents bikes ($4 per day).

Santos Tours (tel. 506/8855-9386, http://santostour.net) has a highlands fruit tour and biocoffee adventure, among others. Locally based Costarica-Moto (tel. 506/2533-1442, www.costarica-moto.com) offers motorcycle tours.

You can fish for trout at Montaña Trucha de Cachí (tel. 506/2577-1457), 1.5 kilometers south of Highway 224, near the village of Cachí.

The Adventure Lodge (tel. 506/2533-1195, www.alparaisoadventurelodge.com), on the south side of the lake, specializes in multiday adventure packages, combining sightseeing with mountain biking and hiking.

Hotels and Lodges

You can camp at Montaña Linda (tel. 506/2533-3640, www.montanalinda.com, $3 pp camping, $4 with tent rental), one block north of Balnearios Termales. Run by Dutch couple Sara and Toine Verkuijlen, it’s a rustic yet welcoming place primarily catering to backpackers and language students at their Spanish school. The hostel ($7.50 pp dorm, $12.50 s or $20 d private room) has three dorms and eight private rooms with hot water; a separate guesthouse three blocks away has three upstairs rooms (two with double beds, one with a double and a bunk, $25 s, $35 d). Meals are provided, but guests get kitchen privileges.

I recommend the delightful Orosi Lodge Cabinas y Cafetería (tel./fax 506/2533-3578, www.orosilodge.com, $48 s/d low season, $53 s/d high season), next to Balneario Martínez. Inspired by local architecture, with clay lamps and locally crafted hardwoods, it has six simply furnished rooms in a charming two-story whitewashed structure. All have bamboo furnishings, firm mattresses, ceiling fans, tile or wooden (upstairs) floors, minibar, coffeemaker, colorful little bathrooms with hot water, and a balcony with views. You can also choose a two-bedroom chalet ($75 s/d low season, $85 s/d high season). Its coffee shop is a delightful place to relax.

Similarly intimate, the Hostel Casa del Café (tel. 506/2533-1896, www.hosteldelcafe.com, $25 s, $30 d), three blocks southeast of the plaza, is a small bed-and-breakfast run by Dutchman Walter and his Cuban wife, Sucel. Comfy and simple sums it up.

Sanchiri Mirador and Lodge (tel. 506/2574-5454, www.sanchiri.com, $48 s or $60 d low season, $56 s or $72 d high season), on the Paraíso road above the valley, has five bare-bones cabins plus 12 sophisticated hillside rooms with walls of glass. Spectacular views combine with a delightful contemporary aesthetic and spacious modern bathrooms in the newer rooms. Three rooms are wheelchair-accessible. It has a kids’ playground, and the owners—nine brothers!—have been implementing sustainable systems, such as biogas from their own pigs. Rates include tax and breakfast. Noise from barking dogs and trucks negotiating the hill can be a problem.

The most upscale place is Hotel Río Perlas Spa & Resort (tel. 506/2533-3341, www.rioperlasspaandresort.com, $102–180 s, $111–196 d year-round), on the south side of the Río Agua Caliente in a lush mountainside setting. Red-tiled villas stair-step the hillside and include six tastefully decorated standard rooms, 26 superiors, 15 junior suites, and two suites. It has two restaurants, a swimming pool fed by thermal waters, ponds for fishing, and a spa offering a full range of treatments.

The neo-colonial-style Tetey Lodge (tel. 506/2533-1335, www.teteylodge.com, $35–42 s, $46–56 d low season; $39–47 s, $51–62 d high season), on the south side of Orosi, offers nine large, nicely furnished rooms around a courtyard. Two have full kitchens, and there’s a delightful restaurant. The only drawback is the small bathrooms.

El Copal Biological Reserve & Lodge (tel. 506/2535-0047), near Pejibaye, has five rooms with bunks and shared bathrooms. It has horseback riding, and tours of the farming community are a highlight. Costa Rican Association of Community-Based Rural Tourism (ACTUAR, tel. 506/2248-9470, www.actuarcostarica.com) handles reservations and arranges tours.

Orosi Valley Farm (tel. 506/2533-3001, in North America tel. 866/369-7871, www.orosivalleyfarm.com, call for rates), one kilometer east of Mirador de Orosi, was closed for remodeling at last visit.

Restaurants

The open-air Bar/Restaurant Mirador Sanchiri (at Sanchiri Mirador and Lodge, tel. 506/2574-5454, www.sanchiri.com, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily) serves comida típica ($6–10), enjoyed to stunning vistas through plate-glass windows.

In Orosi, Orosi Lodge (tel./fax 506/2533-3578, www.orosilodge.com, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Mon.–Sat.), three blocks south of the church, serves an excellent continental breakfast ($4), pizza ($3.50), sandwiches, croissants, bagels with salami and cheese, natural juices, and ice cream sundaes. On Sunday it’s open to guests only.

The charmingly rustic open-sided Restaurante Coto (tel. 506/2533-3032, 8 a.m.–midnight daily), on the north side of the soccer field, serves oven-roasted fare baked over coffee wood, plus casados (set lunches, $4) and dishes from burgers to trout.

Within a stone’s throw of Ujarrás ruins, the rustic Bar y Restaurante El Cas (tel. 506/2574-7984, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. daily) is set on a traditional farmstead with geese and goats. It serves typical Costa Rican dishes.

On the south side of the lake, with lovely views, La Casona del Cafetal (tel. 506/2577-1414, www.lacasonadelcafetal.com, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. daily) serves crepes, soups, salads, and Costa Rican dishes such as tilapia with mushrooms, and fresh-caught trout with pesto sauce. On Sunday, a hearty international all-you-can-eat buffet costs $20. It’s set in lush grounds on a coffee finca.

The Panadería Arce (tel. 506/2533-3244, 4 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 5 a.m.–noon Sun.) bakery is three blocks north of the soccer field in Orosi.

Getting to Orosi-Cachí Valley

Buses (tel. 506/2533-1916) depart Cartago for Orosi from Calle 4, Avenida 1, every 30 minutes 5:30 a.m.–10:35 p.m. ($0.65, Mon.–Sat., less frequently on Sun.). Return buses depart from the soccer field in Orosi. Buses do not complete a circuit of Lago Cachí; you’ll have to backtrack to Paraíso to visit Ujarrás and the Cachí dam by public bus. Buses depart Cartago for Cachí via Ujarrás from one block east and one block south of Las Ruinas.

Taxis El Rescate (tel. 506/2574-4442) is in Paraíso. Jeep-taxis (tel. 506/2533-3087 or 506/8378-0357) await customers on the north side of the soccer field in Orosi. A tour around the lake will cost about $20.