There are many things you can do in San José’s city center. Visit museums, historical landmarks, restaurants, and malls, but you won’t find a hike in the city center. If you want to go for a hike near San José, I recommend going to Treep in Colón.
General information about Treep
Treep is only 30 minutes away from San José city center (without traffic). You can take route 27 and deviate to Colón. You can check the exact location here: Treep’s location.
Treep is a private property administrated by a local family that decided to open to the public during the pandemic as a way to allow people to escape from the busy city without leaving the Central Valley. It’s important to know that this place is more focused on hosting picnics and family gatherings surrounded by nature. But since there are a lot of trails there, you can also visit just for the hikes and pay a different ticket.
They have limited tickets per day, so you should book via WhatsApp (contact information at the end of the article) before you visit this place.
Any car can access Treep, but the parking lot is a bit small, so I suggest getting there the earliest as possible or doing a car pull if you are visiting this place with someone else.
Trails and facilities at Treep
Trails:
There are around 8Km of trails. Most of them are in excellent shape and accessible to the intermediate level. The staff offered the possibility of tracking the trails with an app, which we thought was a perfect way to know where you were going.
During the trails, you’ll find different flora. My favorite trail was the one surrounded by bamboo trees. There is also a trail that takes you to the river, which is clean even to get in.
Since most of the trails are easy, this is an excellent place to hike near San José with older adults, kids, or pets.
Picnic:
The main focus of Treep is providing a relaxing spot where you can have a picnic or a gathering surrounded by nature. This is why they offer around ten different sites where you can do your picnic. Most of them have roofs, chairs, tables, and access to clean water. They are making it very easy to spend the entire day there.
At Treep, you can also purchase a package in which they even offer the food, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Other places to hike near San José
So, as you can see, Treep is an excellent option if you are looking for a hike near San José or maybe just getting out of the city. But besides Treep, there are other terrific options if you want to hike near San José. Here are some:
Hacienda la Chimba: This is a coffee plantation field that opened trails inside so everyone could hike there. The trails have a lot of spots where you can take photos, like a giant Buddha, a love sign, and the famous mantra hand. You can also find a restaurant and ice cream shop. If you want more information about La Chimba, you can check here: One Day Hike in San José
La Arboleda: La Arboleda is around 30-40 minutes away from San José city center with no traffic. This is a place not very known, not even by locals. So, if you want to have a relaxing time while hiking, I recommend you visit this place in Las Vueltas de la Guacima. Exact location here: La Arboleda
Montañas de Cariblanco: This is my favorite hike near San José. It’s around 30 minutes away without traffic. Like La Arboleda, not many people know this place even though it’s a great hike with a waterfall at the end. f you want more information about Montañas de Cariblanco, you can check here: Hiking at Montañas de Cariblanco
Treep Recap:
- Location: Colón, San José (Drive there)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Access: All cars
- Contact: +506 8369-2442 (Make sure you book!)
- Schedule: Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30 am until 4 pm
- Cost: $9 / 6,000 colones just to hike and $11 / 7,500 colones for the Day Pass
- Parking: Yes
- Mascots: Yes
- More info about the place: Treep’s Instagram
- Hidden Gem Score:
