Alajuela Province in Costa Rica and the area of La Fortuna in the Canton of San Carlos represent a hot bed of activity for mountain tours, Arenal Volcano and national parks.

The inland province of Alajuela is home to some of the most beautiful volcanoes in all of Costa Rica and feasibly the entire planet. The La Fortuna area makes life with an immense conical volcano in the background a surreal reality that enchants people from all over the world. The Arenal Volcano may be at the top of the list for most visitors to the province of Alajuela, but it certainly is not the only attraction to be found in Alajuela.

Alajuela has many traces of the indigenous population’s history, of an occupation more than ten thousand years in the past, and was a cradle of activity in early times Costa Rica. Several of the pre-columbian era tribes can be traced to this area, and Alajuela had been settled by no less than five indigenous groups that all fell under the rule, at one point in time, of one leader by the title of Garabito. Not much is known of the ancient occupants of Costa Rica, but much of what has been found has come from Alajuela.

There are many national parks in Alajuela, and of them a few are Poas Volcano National Park, Juan Castro Blanco National Park and Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Rincon de la Vieja is a particularly interesting park for both the topography that form the parks natural features, and the folklore that is related to the name of Rincon de la Vieja (the Corner of the Old Woman). The story tells of a woman and her family who travelled to the area before it was known as Rincon de la Vieja. Unfortunate circumstance led to her losing her family to the volcano, and in turn becoming a recluse of the mountain.

There are plenty of hotels, resorts, guest houses, hostels, cabinas and other such accommodations that can fit into most types of vacation plans. There are exclusive and highly impressive resorts in the major tourist areas of Monteverde, Arenal and the canto of San Carlos and Rincon de la Vieja. There are also lesser known, yet still fantastic, quiet little getaways scattered throughout the province of Alajuela. The Juan Santamaria International Airport is in the capital of Alajuela, and there are a number of hotels close to the airport, as well. Here are a few hotels in the province of Alajuela; Xandari Resort & Spa, Hotel La Guaria Inn and Suites, Baldi Hot Springs Hotel & Spa and Borinquen Hotel

Capital City: Alajuela
Places of Interest: Tabacón hot springs, El Mundo de los Serpientes (The World of Snakes), the city of Zarcero, Lake Arenal
Hotels: Xandari Resort & Spa, Hotel La Guaria Inn and Suites, Baldi Hot Springs Hotel & Spa, Borinquen Hotel
National Parks: Arenal Volcano National Park, Juan Castro Blanco National Park, Poas Volcano National Park, Silvestre Caño Negro National Park, Children’s Eternal Rainforest, Guanacaste National Park, Rincon de la Vieja National Park
Airports: Juan Santamaria International Airport Alajuela, Arenal Domestic Airport

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The Province of Limon in Costa Rica
The Province of Cartago in Costa Rica
The Province of Heredia in Costa Rica
The Province of San Jose in Costa Rica
The Province of Puntarenas in Costa Rica