Attractions and Places To See in El General - Top 4

For hikes to Chirripó or in the surrounding area, it is a good idea to spend at least one night in camp. From San Gerardo de Rivas, the climb to the camp takes 6 to 8 hours, and to the summit another 2.5 hours if you are in good shape. The supplies at the camp are very good; you get wholesome meals and there is a kiosk. You can borrow blankets, towels, etc., thus saving on backpack weight. Luggage transport is also offered, but in my opinion it is not necessary. For the descent, if you are in good shape, you should plan on 1-1.5 hours from the summit and 5-6 hours back to the valley. It is quite a knee-breaker on the way back, but it is worth it. There are hardly any people in the park and the nature is simply unbelievably beautiful. We were there in April and had two days with good weather until late afternoon, after which the clouds move up the mountain. You can park in San Gerardo de Rivas in several private parking lots for little money.

Crestones base camp is a comfortable place to use for your summit hike of Chirripo. It is also a sizeable complex but does get full at peak times.

The Crestones aren't really a separate peak from Cerro Terbi, they are more of a line of rocky spires that form an out-crop on the ridge of Cerro Terbi.

Cerro Terbi is the 5th highest peak in Costa Rica. The Crestones aren't really a separate peak(s) from Cerro Terbi; they are more of an out-cropping on a ridge of Cerro Terbi. The lower areas of this mountain area are covered with lush, wildlife-rich rainforest. The upper slopes consist of Paramo, similar to the vegetation found on the Paramo in the Andes of South America. For route information click here: https://www.komoot.com/tour/292242878

Great comfortable base camp for your hike up Chirripo. Overnight hikers can spend the night at Crestones Base Camp, a rugged lodge situated 11,155 feet (3,400 meters) above sea level and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from Chirripó’s summit. Although hardly luxurious, Crestones base camp puts Chirripó within the reach of average hikers and makes sunrise summits feasible. All visitors to Chirripó National Park must purchase entrance permits in advance. Cost: $18 per person, per day. Chirripó permits are available through the park’s website: www.sinac.go.cr They do sell out months in advance on busy/popular weekends.

Having come up from the park office in a seven hour slog for 14km and 2000m, we had a 2.30am wake up call at the refuge and hiked for 2hrs to get to the summit of Cerro Chirripo at 5.30am. After watching the sunrise we then decended Chirripo and hiked up Cerro Crestones straight afterwards. A great hike all told with great weather and scenery. We then had a five hour decent from the refuge to the park gate to finish off a hard two days of hiking. A great few days out. For route information click here: https://www.komoot.com/tour/292242878

The highlight is sunrise on the summit - this requires a start at the base camp at 3:00 a.m. Then you can be back in time for breakfast.

Beautiful, sometimes steep hike over the Sendero del Río and Pam’s Path with opportunities to swim in the river. Return via an easy ATV path. PS: The hike is in the private Talamanca Nature Reserve. There is an entrance fee unless you are staying overnight here.