A quick guide to the Mantra hiking trail at Hacienda La Chimba in San José, Costa Rica. Find out what the experience is like and if it’s worth doing.
If you’re planning on hiking in Costa Rica, then a good way to prepare for bigger adventures is to warm up with some of the smaller routes after arriving in San José.
One of these is the Mantra Trail, a 9-km hike through a private reserve called Hacienda La Chimba, a huge coffee finca sprawling the hillside of the Central Valley.
Along the trail there are great views of Santa Ana and Barrio España, 2 districts of San José. And you can see all the way up to Parque Eólico, another great viewpoint of the city and surrounding valley.
Read on for a quick guide to the Mantra Trail at Hacienda La Chimba and my opinion on whether this hike is worth the cost.
How much does it cost to hike at Hacienda La Chimba?
Hacienda La Chimba is a private coffee finca charging foreign adults 7,500 CRC ($15 US) to enter. Considering there is just 1 hiking trail here that, at most, takes 3 h 30 min to complete, this is a little pricey.
Is hiking the Mantra Trail worth it?
A $15 US charge for a few hours hiking can seem steep to foreigners, especially if you’re from Europe, for example, where paying to hike is unheard of.
With this in mind, if you’ve already been hiking in Costa Rica and have explored the nature, then Hacienda La Chimba might disappoint you with its family-friendly, curated trail.
However, if you’re just getting started exploring the country, then, in my opinion, hiking the Mantra Trail is worth it.
It’s not very challenging and it’s a good first taste of what it’s like to hike in Costa Rica’s hot and humid climate. This is important if you plan on doing bigger and longer hikes like the Drake Bay Trail and Cerro Chirripó.
The Mantra Trail at Hacienda La Chimba
For the average person the Mantra Trail is a moderately difficult hike, but for regular hikers it should be a walk in the park.
You zigzag up the hillside following a dirt trail with a gentle incline. While some parts are steeper than others and should bring out a sweat, there are no sections I’d call steep.
There are 3 ways to complete the Mantra Trail: you can walk the whole 9 km, or you can take 1 of 2 shortcuts, which reduce the distance to 5 km and 3 km respectively. I recommend walking the whole trail to get your money’s worth but also to make the most of the experience.
Along the route there are several interesting sculptures. In the early section you pass by a few wooden carvings including a large bird. Later on, there is a colossal stone buddha and at the top a huge hand you can stand in.
The hand is the main attraction and plenty of locals come here all dolled up to get Instagramable pictures. You’ll probably snap a few too, but be patient, especially if you visit on a weekend, as there might be a queue.
Don’t worry about needing a trail map as it’s almost impossible to get lost in Hacienda La Chimba. The route is obvious and well signposted the whole way.
Just be careful at the very start. There is a road at the bottom of the farm leading to a house which you might think is the route. However, the trail actually heads uphill to the right.
There’s not much else to say about the Mantra Trail. Simply follow the snaking route through the coffee finca enjoying the views and hopefully good weather.
Where is Hacienda La Chimba?
The coffee farm is located in Barrio España, a district on the south-western edge of San José, the capital city of Costa Rica. Barrio España is next door to another district of the city called Santa Ana, which is where you start the hike up to Parque Eólico Santa Ana.
How to get to Hacienda La Chimba
It’s fairly easy to get to Hacienda La Chimba. From the city centre it’s roughly a 30-min drive or taxi ride. If taxiing, then expect to pay around $25 US.
Although technically illegal, there are plenty of Uber drivers in San José, and it’s usually a bit cheaper to ride with them. If you’re travelling alone, don’t be surprised if the driver asks you to sit in the front with them. This is to make it look like they’re not an Uber driver.
The cheapest way to get to Hacienda La Chimba is with buses. First you need to hop on a bus to Santa Ana.
You catch this along Avenida José Cecilio del Valle and you need to get off at 1 of the stops along Avenida 3 in Santa Ana. This road runs through the centre of the district. The journey lasts around 40 min and costs 530 CRC (just over $1 US). The bus leaves regularly.
Then, in Santa Ana catch a bus towards Cebadilla and tell the driver to drop you at Hacienda La Chimba. This ride costs 360 CRC ($0.6 US) and lasts around 25 min. The bus should drop you very close to the entrance of the farm.
The bus to Cebadilla only comes once an hour supposedly on the hour. However, in my experience local bus schedules in Costa Rica are horrendously unreliable. I’d try to get to a bus stop along Avenida 3 in Santa Ana at least 15 min before the hour and expect to wait a while for the bus.
More Costa Rica hiking and adventure guides on A World Over
The Mantra Trail at Hacienda La Chimba is a great first hike to get warmed up for bigger adventures in Costa Rica. I recommend taking plenty of water and a few snacks; while you can eat at the reserve, the restaurant is expensive.
Check out these next guides for more destination inspiration in Costa Rica. Or head to the Costa Rica section of the blog for all my guides to this country.