Guayabo National Monument

Guayabo, on the slopes below the Turrialba volcano, is the largest and most important archaeological site in Costa Rica, a settlement occupied for well over two thousand years and abandoned, for reasons still unclear, shortly before the Spanish arrived. What survives beneath the forest is the infrastructure of a town: circular stone foundations where conical houses stood, paved causeways running out into the country, staircases, a monolith carved with a jaguar and a lizard, and, most impressively, an aqueduct and drainage system built with such judgment that parts of it still channel spring water across the site today, an achievement that earned it recognition as an engineering landmark. Trails loop through the ruins and the surrounding forest, which is full of birds. It is modest compared with the great sites of Mexico or Peru, and it is much the better for being quiet and green.

What you actually see

• The working aqueduct - the pre-Columbian water channels still carrying spring water.
• The causeways - the paved stone roads running out from the settlement.
• The house foundations - the circular stone platforms where dwellings stood.
• The carved monolith - the stone worked with jaguar and lizard figures.

When to go

December to April is the drier season and better for the trails, which are slippery in the rain; this is a wet, green corner of the country in any month. Mornings are clearest for views towards the Turrialba volcano. Guided tours add a great deal, as the site is subtle.

Honest expectations

Expect foundations and stonework under forest rather than pyramids or standing buildings, and without a guide much of it reads as low walls in the trees. It is off the main tourist circuit east of San José, so getting there needs a car or a taxi from Turrialba. Paths are steep in places and often muddy. For anyone who has seen Tikal or Machu Picchu, the scale will feel small.

Nearby

Turrialba town and its rafting rivers are nearby; the Orosi valley and Cartago lie to the west.