Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you're cruising north on the Interamericana, Cañas is the first town of any size in Costa
Rica's driest province, Guanacaste.
Sabanero
(cowboy) culture is evident on the swelter-
ing streets, where full-custom pickup trucks share the road with swaggering cowboys on
horseback. It's a dusty, typically Latin American town, where almost everyone struts
slowly and businesses shut down for lunch. It's all centered on the Parque Central and the
decidedly atypical Catholic church.
Although you're better off basing yourself in livelier Liberia, Cañas is a good place to
organize rafting trips on the nearby Río Corobicí or for exploring Parque Nacional Palo
Verde. And if you need to stop for gas, it's worth a stroll; just make sure you lock your car.
Sights & Activities
Iglesia de Cañas
CHURCH
You might not expect an architectural landmark in this otherwise innocuous town, so don't
miss the local Catholic church, designed by famed local painter Otto Apuy. From top to
bottom (including a 30m belfry) it's covered in psychedelic mosaics, taking the form of
sinewy vines and colorful starbursts. The theme of the artwork ranges from religious stor-
ies to jungle scenes. The church is striking from afar, but up close the intricacy and artistry
are amazing.
Las Pumas
ZOO
( 2669-6044;
www.centrorescatelaspumas.org
; adult/child US$10/5; 8am-4:30pm)
This wild-animal shelter was started in the 1960s by the late Lilly Hagnauer, a Swiss en-
vironmentalist. It's the largest shelter of its kind in Latin America, housing big cats includ-
ing pumas, jaguars, ocelots, jaguarundis and margays - plus a few deer, foxes, monkeys,
peccaries, toucans, parakeets and other birds that were either orphaned or injured. It's loc-
ated about 5km north of Cañas on the Interamericana.
The shelter is still operated by the Swiss Family Hagnauer, a local Cañas institution.
This is a labor of love. The shelter does not receive any government funding and relies on
visitor admission and donations to survive. Volunteers are always welcomed, but you must
make arrangements beforehand.
Safaris Corobicí
RAFTING
