Cañas Overview

Sweltering Cañas sits on the Interamericana Hwy. amid dusty Guanacaste farmland and cattle fincas. Though the town is dull, it can serve as a useful transportation hub for those traveling between the Pacific coast and Volcán Arenal. Some also use it as a base for Parque Nacional Palo Verde, 30km to the west, or for trips on the Río Corobicí.

Most buses leave from the mercado central, five blocks north of the parque, to San José (¢1330) and Puntarenas (M-Sa 4, 4:50, 5:40, 6:30, 8:30, 11:20am, 1:30, 2:30, 5:30pm; Su 6:20, 8:30, 11:20am, 1:30, 5pm; ¢800); Liberia via Bagaces (every 30min. 4:30am-5:45pm; ¢600); Tilarán (6, 8:00, 9, 10:30am, noon, 1:45, 3:30, 5:45pm; ¢300); Upala via Volcán Tenorio (M-F; 4:30, 6, 8:30, 11:15am, 1, 3:30, 5:30pm; ¢800); Bebedero (11am, 1, 3pm; 7, 9am, 5pm from the stop in front of the cemetery across from SuperCompro; ¢400).

Practical Information

The church is on the east side of the parque.

• Banks: Banco Nacional, on the northeast corner of the parque, has an ATM. Open M-F 8:30am-3:45pm. There is a Banco de Costa Rica west of the southwest corner of the parque on Av. 0. Open M-F 8am-4pm.
• Police: The police station (☎2669 0057, emergency 116) is north of the parque on the west side of the Interamericana.
• Pharmacy: Pharmacies are everywhere, including Farma Todo (☎2669 0748), 1½ blocks east of Banco Nacional. Open M-Sa 7am-9pm, Su 8am-1pm and 3-7pm.
• Medical Services: You can receive medical care at Dr. Juan Acón Chen’s clinic (☎2669 0139, emergency 2669 0471), 1 block north and 1 block west of the parque ’s northwest corner. Open M-F 8am-noon and 2-6pm, Sa 8am-noon. There is also the public Clínica de Cañas (☎2669 0092), 2 blocks west of the parque.
• Internet Access: Cibercañas (☎2669 5232), 1 block north and a ½ block east of the church’s northeast corner, offers Internet access and complimentary coffee. ¢400 per hr. Open M-Sa 8:15am-9pm, Su 2-9pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Post Office: (☎2669 1701; fax 2669 0309). Open M-F 8am-noon and 1-5:30pm) is 1 block north and 2 blocks west of the parque. Fax available. Postal Code: 50601.

Accommodations

• Hotel Caña Brava (☎2669 5511; drcable01@ice.co.cr), 2 blocks north and 2 blocks west of the parque ’s northwest corner and next to SuperCompro. It may be worth the higher prices if you are not traveling alone. Pool, hot tub, surveillance cameras, hotel restaurant (with the same menu as Hotel Cañas), popular bar as well as amenities like A/C, cable, flatscreen TV, Wi-Fi, and private bath in every room. Doubles US$60; triples US$80; quads US$90. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Hotel Cañas (☎2669 5118), 1 block north of the parque ’s northwest corner. Has plain white rooms with frame beds, private baths, Wi-Fi, teeny cable TV, and the option of A/C or a fan. ¢9000-12,000. AmEx/D/DC/MC/V.

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Supercompro, one block north and two blocks west of the parque ’s northwest corner, is a comprehensive supermarket that looks like a warehouse. (Open M-Sa 8am-8pm, Su 8am-noon.)

• Hotel Caña Brava, 1 block north and 2 blocks west of the parque ’s northwest corner, offers the same menu as Hotel Cañas with slightly higher prices, making up for it with the classier environment, full bar, and outdoor seating. Tasty fish fajitas (¢4400) and casados (¢3800). Strawberry daiquiri ¢1800. Open daily 6am-midnight.
• Soda Los Antojitos, ½ block west from Cibercañas, offers ordinary fast food and cheap comida típica. Casados ¢1900. Open daily 7am-8pm.

Outdoor Activities

Escape from the Cañas’s dusty roads with a float trip down Río Corobicí and Río Tenorio (never exceeding Class I and II rapids, perfect for beginners and appreciating the flora/fauna). Safaris Corobicí, 4.5km north of Cañas on the Interamericana, runs these tours, where you’ll see everything from crocodiles to harmless parrots and cuckoos. (☎2669 6191; www.safaricorobici.com. 2hr. trips US$37 per person or 3hr. US$45, snack included; half-day US$60, lunch included. 2 person min. Trips 7am-3:30pm. Rafts are wheelchair-accessible.) Safaris Corobicí also runs Centro de Rescate Las Pumas. Nowhere else will give you the chance to come within an arm’s length of pumas, ocelots, and various other felines, in addition to parrots, toucans, and white-tailed deer (but obey the signs: “Please don’t pet the cats!”). Lilly Bodmer de Hagnauer founded the center during the 1960s to care for Guancastecan wildlife in danger, particularly species that had been poached for the pet trade or displaced by deforestation. All animals brought to the center are released back into the wild if unharmed. Those unable to survive on their own find a safe home at this reserve. The center depends on visitor donations to keep them healthy, as well as profits from the souvenir shop at the entrance. Buses running from Cañas to Bugaces and Liberia will drop you at the entrance if you ask the driver. Call ahead to arrange for a guided tour. (Open daily 8am-5pm.Visit www.lrsarts.com/PUMAS/voluntariado.html for volunteer opportunities.)