Destinations Menu
RSS
COSTA RICA | Cartago, Costa Rica Travel Guide
Thursday, May 15, 2025
5 Of 6
Lake Cachí & Ujarrás
Lake Cachí & Ujarrás
The more common way to Lake Cachí is not through Orosí, but straight through Paraíso for seven km/four miles through Ujarrás, a simple village with a great little ruined colonial-era church (1.5 km/.9 miles down a side road). Before the village stop at a dramatic lookout, Mirador de Ujarrás, at the top of the valley walls. It offers an impressive view of the valley and lake, with a quiet picnic area.
The colonial church in Ujarrás, built of limestone between 1575 and 1580, resides where an indigenous Huetar Indian fisherman claimed to have found a box with an image of the Virgin Mary. Unable to move the box, local people built a classic Spanish Colonial church, (Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción) on the site. Over time, the spirit of Mary is said to have performed several miracles for the villagers, including a spontaneous bell ringing that warned them of an impending flood. In 1666 she is credited with helping a hastily organized militia repel an invasion of the Caribbean coast by the English pirate Henry Morgan. But she failed to save Ujarrás from a devastating flood in 1833 that damaged the village so badly the people abandoned it and rebuilt on higher ground. Today, the church is beautifully landscaped and makes a worth-while visit for people like us who love gardens and old church ruins. Across the road is one of two spring-fed balnearios (swimming pools) open to the public.
The big hydroelectric dam of Lake Cachí is three km outside of Ujarrás on the northeastern side of the lake. From here the Río Reventazón (“Bursting River”) spills down the mountainside to the Caribbean. Weekenders fish, hike lakeside trails and windsurf here. See above for the worthwhile open-air restaurant in Cachí, La Casona del Cafetal, which features a Sunday buffet and an interesting menu everyday.
Last updated October 28, 2010
Posted in Costa Rica | Cartago
Explore the Destination
Amenities and Resources
Overview
Hotels(15)
Restaurants(1)
Attractions(6)
Weather Forecast
- Reported on:
Thu, 05/15/2025 - 16:00
- Reported on:
Trending Themes:
Guides to Popular Ski Resorts
-
Ischgl is a small mountain village turned hip ski resort, with massive appeal among the party-hearty young crowds. It is... Read More
-
Andorra la Vella is its own little world, and not just because it’s a 290-square-mile independent principality (a fifth the... Read More
-
Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is the place to be seen. It is to Argentina what Aspen is to the... Read More
-
Aspen is America's most famous ski resort. And that's an understatement. For, as a ski complex, Aspen is unsurpassed. Its... Read More
-
Zermatt is a small but glamorous mountain resort town, with a population of approximately 5,700. It is one of Switzerland's... Read More
-
St. Moritz is a glitzy, alpine resort town in the celebrated Engadin Valley of Switzerland, with huge notoriety as the... Read More
-
Lake Tahoe is the premier lake resort of America, and the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is an absolutely... Read More
-
St. Anton, Sankt Anton am Arlberg in German, is Austria's premier ski-bum resort! It's actually a small village cum... Read More
-
Kitzbühel, a small, Tyrolian resort town in the Kitzbüheler Alps, comes with international renown and huge snob appeal, and... Read More