natural wonder
Poás Volcano
An active volcano with one of the world's largest crater lakes, an acidic turquoise pool measuring nearly 300 meters wide.
32 km · about 35 min drive


San José, Costa Rica · North America
San Rafael sits on the route: 10 minutes from San Felipe, 32km from Poás Volcano.
San Rafael is in San José, Costa Rica, with about 25,000 people. The nearest town is San Felipe, about 4 km away.
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Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near San Rafael.
Within an hour or so of San Rafael: Poás Volcano (32 km), Cerro de la Muerte (58 km), Manuel Antonio National Park (60 km).
The nearest famous roads are Cerro de la Muerte.
San Rafael is in San José, Costa Rica, about 4 km from San Felipe.
Road trip
Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.
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Places within a drive of San Rafael. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
3 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
An active volcano with one of the world's largest crater lakes, an acidic turquoise pool measuring nearly 300 meters wide.
32 km · about 35 min drive
mountain pass
The 3,335-m 'Mountain of Death', the highest point on Costa Rica's Pan-American Highway: a cloud-forest pass of paramo, quetzal country and roadside soda cafes.
58 km · about 65 min drive
national park
Costa Rica's most visited park combining white-sand beaches with tropical forest teeming with monkeys, sloths, and toucans.
60 km · about 70 min drive
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
Other places to explore near San Rafael.
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