I was recently in Costa Rica during low season (June) with a last minute plan to climb Cerro Chirripó, Costa Rica’s highest point. I kind of stumbled upon it in the guide book while researching for the Osa Peninsula. I thought I could sign up last minute to climb the peak and it failed. I actually didn’t climb this peak but I learned a lot and have lots of information on how to go about climbing it on your own. I will climb Cerro Chirripó in the future and also want this information for when that time comes so I hope it helps in your planning in the interim. Yes, it was quite frustrating to not summit (it took me hours to get over it and lots of hiking elsewhere), especially knowing it was all my own fault but the positive is that now I have lots of knowledge, more reason to go back soon and also know a local friend who has yet to climb it and would join.

Costa Rica’s highest point is surprisingly not a volcano like the other Central American nations highest points. Chirripó is 12,533 ft (3820 m) high and is the third highest peak in Central America (Guatemala has the highest peaks)! It is located in the Talamanca Mountains and the way up is via a rocky trail that goes from jungle to paramó (only found in Central and South America at certain altitudes; a unique source of water) to high rocky alpine heights. I did get to walk the first 4 km of the trail as I calmed myself down after failure. It seemed like a great trail, I even saw cool birds and animals! I learned that I would prefer to do this hike with actual hiking boots as it is quite rocky and my feet were not happy doing the 4km in running shoes. Halfway to the basecamp there is a spot to refill water and get snacks (cash only).

You need 2 days to climb it plus it sort of takes a day to arrive to the base town of San Gerardo de Rivas. The day before your climb, you need to register at the ranger station. Day of the climb, you will need to start hiking by 10 am (this is the National Park rule). The Crestones Basecamp hut is 14km (8.6 miles) up where you will stay the night (bed included when you complete your reservations online)…you cannot camp! The second day you have a bit over 5km (3 miles) left to hike to reach the summit. On a good day you can see both oceans and the various alpine lakes plus other peaks up there.

I recommend a 2 or even 3 day climb because it is 7,218 ft (2,000m) elevation gain over 20km (12.4 miles) one way. It is possible to do in a day but it will be a lot (25 miles/40km in maybe 12-16 hours)! Plus if you stay the night you can also check out the other peaks and lakes (created by glaciers).

• Doing 3 days lets you explore more and at a leisurely pace.
• If 2 days, you will hike to the summit then hike all the way back to San Gerardo de Rivas.
• If you do choose to do it in 1, you still need to reserve but you reserve the day pass.

Reservations

1 – To climb, the first thing you must do is make a reservation with Sinac here: Reservations for the National Park

• create profile
• select dates (site shows availability – disponibilidad)
• reserve and pay

2 – Reserve for the night you will stay at the cabin and food you wish to have. You can bring your own prepared food if you want but will need to reserve most meals as you cannot cook in the shelter (aka no gas camping stove allowed).

3 – Reservations open 6 months in advance. There are only 60 spots available per day! You cannot reserve at the ranger station in town. Reservations are only online and only in advance. Cost is $18

4 – There are 3 entrances to access the summit, you want the San Gerardo entrance unless you have a car and want the extra challenge.

5 – You do not need to hire a guide for this national park. You can simply follow the trail yourself.

6 – Best time to climb and the most popular season is December-April but you can climb it year round with a couple of exceptions (May – last 2 weeks are closed for trail maintenance and Feb – last weekend due to a race).

7 – Meals need to be reserved before as well and you can double check that they are reserved once you arrive to town at Consorcio Rural Comunitario Chirripó, which is diagonally across from the ranger station. They also have last minute snacks and hiking items here too.

8 – You can cancel reservations up to 2 weeks prior but there is no refund. Canceling 2 weeks prior to your date will release the spot for others though. Changing dates might be possible when available by contacting chirripo@sinac.go.cr

You can try in low season like me last minute but weekends will be fully reserved. If doing last minute, you should reserve a week or two prior for best chances at securing a spot! My attempt failed because I was trying for a weekend date (many Ticos – Costa Ricans – climb in the off season)…Monday had spots…but I had a flight out that day. It also failed because of planning, I wasn´t exactly sure how long by bus it would take to arrive to San Gerardo de Rivas (lots of bus companies and lots of misinformation…I definitely had the wrong schedule!).

Transportation

To get to San Gerardo de Rivas you either bus or drive there. It’s about 4-5 hours away.

From San Jose you can take a bus to San Isidro de El General (about 4 hours) from various bus terminals and then a bus from the main bus station (at Mercado Central) in San Isidro to San Gerardo de Rivas (about 1 hour). San Isidro is often also called Perez Zeledón and costs 4,000 Colones ($9 US). Usually you arrive to the bus company´s terminal and will then need to walk to the city bus terminal. In the future, I might take a bus from San Jose and then rent a car in San Isidro de El General.

Bus Schedule to San Geraldo de Rivas: Schedule
**Click Rutas y Horarios, then Lunes-Viernes / M-F (not the RIVAS one) or Sabado (Saturday) or Domingo (Sunday).

From San Jose to San Isidro – Various bus companies go often, such as: Tracopa, Musoc (both with AC).
***There are also buses from the Coca Cola Terminal (Estación de Coca Cola) likely without AC and maybe cheaper.

From the Pacific – Transportes Blancos offers buses daily
**If you are near Dominical/Uvita, aka Pacific beaches.

Either way you go, you need to get to San Isidro de El General. I actually arrived from the far South of Costa Rica (Puerto Jimenez) and even that far away, a bus was available.

Lodging in San Gerardo de Rivas

When picking where to stay, take note that the ranger station in town is about 2.4 km (1.5 miles) downhill from the trailhead and lodging is also about that far. Hotel Uran is across from the trailhead and it might be worth staying there instead of the extra walk (they have a restaurant and other amenities), once you have registered at the ranger station. Another near the trailhead you might consider looking into is Cabañas Nasua….they might be basic but its a nice location and cheaper. I stayed in a basic room at the fancy hotel El Pelicano, it is a bit further away, it was nice and had great views from the pool area but it didn´t seem to be anything that special.

What I suggest bringing to hike Cerro Chirripó:

• Hiking boots
• Water filter
• Sleeping bag
• Warm jacket and water proof jacket – temperatures can get very low (-9C/15F has been recorded), and rain can come any time of year!
• Gloves and warm hat
• Cooking stuff (if you don´t include meals with reservation)
• Hiking poles (if you want some aid, it´s steep)
• Towel if you plan to shower (its cold!)
• Plenty of snack and water
• Cash (colones)
• Sunscreen

**It is a good idea to check the weather before summiting, you can find Cerro Chirripó weather here.

**More information about hiking Cerro Chirripó here.

Things to do in San Gerardo de Rivas:
– Eat/Drink at Kapi Kapi (it is the hub for locals)
– Hike at Cloudbridge for the waterfalls and extra time on legs lol (3.5km from town, you can walk there, although most drive) It is a bit pricey, $12 for foreigners (plus parking but the waterfalls were great!). You can also get lodging here!
– Visit the hot springs

Running/Cycling:
– Carrera Chirripó 34k (21miles) in late February Register
– Ultra Marathon Valle del Chirripó (6k-50k) in late April Register (Inscríbase Ahora)

– There are a lot of cyclists who go from San Isidro de El General up to Rivas (it´s the biggest town near San Gerardo de Rivas, which is a typical small mountain town)

***This blog will be updated once I actually go back and climb Cerro Chirripó!***