Just 24 km from Zarcero and the continental divide, Ciudad Quesada – also known as San Carlos, as capital of the local canton of the same name – is the main transport hub for the northern lowlands. While the town is of limited interest for the traveller, you may find yourself passing through or even needing to stop the night as it is a natural junction when travelling between Fortuna, Los Chiles and Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí and to San José. If driving, watch out for the one-way system.
By Costa Rican standards Ciudad Quesada is a fairly large town (population 34,875), but even so it has a distinctly small-town, country feel, the leathery faces of the workers and the occasional stetson affirming this genuine link with the land. There is really little need to move more than a block or two from the main plaza, which is densely packed with trees and palms. To the east is a cavernous church with an impressive sculpture of Christ hanging above the altar inside.
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