Santa Cruz travel guide

Heading from Liberia down Highway 21, the first town of any real size in the surrounding area is Santa Cruz (52 km), with a population of just under 18,000. Known as Costa Rica’s ‘National Folklore City’, January is the month for the festival of Santo Cristo de Esquipulas with its colourful fiestas, dancing and regional food. (July 25th is Guanacaste Day and the town also celebrates this in some style with dancing and music.)

For much of the rest of the year, it’s a quiet little town serving as a transport and supply hub. If you’re heading for self-catering accommodation, Santa Cruz is a good place to stock up on basics. Activity focuses on a rather bare square called Plaza de los Mangos. While in town, take a look at the modern church, in the main square 600 m south, with its fine stained-glass images that spray a rainbow of colours across the congregation. The tower of the old church is monument to the earthquakes that shake the region.