The High Mountain Cross Hike is a challenging trail with great views of the Orosi Valley and its coffee-finca clad hills. Find out how to do the hike in this quick guide.
The High Mountain Cross Hike is one of the best ways to see the town of Orosi and the surrounding valley.
This route takes you up into the hills above the town and, on a good day, you can see far down the valley all the way to distant volcanoes.
The High Mountain Cross trail isn’t technical, but it is long and there are lots of ups and downs which sap your energy.
In this quick guide, I explain the hike route, the distance and timings, and important tips to make sure you don’t stray from the trail.
High Mountain Cross Hike overview
The hike starts and finishes in Orosi, the main town in the Orosi valley and should take you around 6 h.
There are different sections along the route where the underfoot changes. A winding uphill concrete road makes up the first part before the surface becomes gravel.
You then follow the gravel road for a while which brings you to a coffee finca. Here you descend the hillside through the finca along a dirt trail back into town to finish the day.
High Mountain Cross trail
- Distance: 15.5 km
- Duration: 5-7 h
- Elevation gain: 743 m
- Difficulty: moderate
Orosi town to Iglesia Maria de Guadalupe (Maria Guadalupe Church)
You can walk or take the bus to complete this first section of the hike. As it’s along the main road and nothing too interesting, I recommend taking the bus.
Get on the bus anywhere along the main road in town heading south and get off at Iglesia Maria de Guadalupe. This shouldn’t cost much more than 500 CRC ($1 US).
If you’re walking, then leave town heading south along the main road (Ruta Nacional Secundaria 224).
After roughly 30 min you come to a bridge. The road forks on the other side of the bridge and you need to bear right onto Ruta Nacional Terciaria 408.
Continue along Ruta 408 for 1 km until you come to Iglesia Maria de Guadalupe (Maria Guadalupe Church).
Iglesia Maria de Guadalupe to AYA entrance
The church sits on a junction and you need to take the road heading uphill to the right of it. Follow this road parallel to the river, which is a gentle uphill climb through a neighbourhood.
Along the river there are several natural pools (pozos) which you can swim in. I recommend you return here another day to enjoy them. Locals have made gaps in the fence separating the road from the river to access the pools.
Continue along the road heading uphill through the neighbourhood until you come to another fork. Bearing right takes you up a steep hill while bearing left means you continue on the same road, only it becomes windier.
Both of these options take you further up the mountainside and convene at Iglesia San Martín de Calle Sánchez (an orange church). The church itself sits on a crossroads and, if facing the church looking uphill, you need to take the road heading right.
Shortly after leaving the church behind the road becomes gravely. You follow it for quite a while as it bends around the mountainside gently climbing it.
This section is also a little boring; on one side of the road there’s a steep embankment and the other is lined by trees. So, unfortunately, there are no views of the Orosi Valley for quite a while.
After roughly 45 min you come to another junction where you need to keep right. Shortly after this junction there is another one, only this time, where the road bears right, there is a metal gate.
On the gate there should be a sign with the letters AYA. This is an abbreviation of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers – in Spanish, of course.
AYA gate to AYA viewpoint
After passing through the metal gate simply follow the road. In this section there aren’t any turn-offs or any other paths to consider.
After around 30 min you’ll come to an AYA station with small cabins and equipment. Continue past this for roughly another 15 min to get to the viewpoint.
From this viewpoint you have some of the best scenes of the entire hike – the rest come later at the finca. It’s also a good spot to break for a minute, rehydrate and eat something.
AYA viewpoint to Finca Cafetalera la Caja
Leave the viewpoint behind by continuing along the gravel road. The main part of this section is a long and steepish hill followed by a long steep descent on the other side.
At the top of the hill there are rectangle concrete constructs which I believe have something to do with the water infrastructure.
Once you descend the hill continue along the road until you come to yet another fork. At this fork head right into the finca grounds.
I believe that this is private property and so am not 100% sure whether you are actually allowed to walk here. However, nobody stopped me and I even walked past a house onsite that was clearly occupied.
There are several paths leading down the mountainside through the finca, but you can see which one to take; it snakes downhill towards the town.
The finca trail brings you into town, a block or 2 back from Orosi Church and the central football field. This is pretty much the middle of town and, if you’re staying in Orosi, from here you shouldn’t have long to walk to your accommodation.
El Camino de Pepe
While writing this guide, I found a hiking trail in Orosi very similar to High Main Cross called El Camino de Pepe (Pepe’s Route).
- Distance: 6.8 km
- Duration: 3 h 30 min
- Elevation gain: 503 m
- Difficulty: moderate
This hike is almost the same as the High Mountain Cross, except you climb the mountain via a street closer to the town of Orosi, making the overall distance much shorter.
El Camino de Pepe could be a more interesting route than High Mountain Cross as, by looking at the trail map, it seems like you lop off the long and boring road sections.
To get to the start point of El Camino de Pepe, take the same bus out of Orosi town heading south as you would for the High Mountain Cross, but get off just before the bridge that comes just before the junction with Ruta 408.
What to bring on the High Mountain Cross / El Camino de Pepe hike
This is a long hike with lots of uphill and downhill sections so you’re going to burn lots of energy. I’d bring plenty of water – at least 2 L – and snacks to keep yourself fuelled. There’s little tree coverage so I recommend putting sunscreen on before you set out.
I’d also have a rain jacket and an offline map downloaded – Maps.me is my go to. There’s no signal along most of the trail and the offline map comes in particularly handy once you get to the finca.
Apart from paying for the bus, you don’t need any money to do this hike. However, if you want to buy something along the way, then bring cash. Your last chance to buy something is at the small village where Iglesia San Martín de Calle Sánchez is located.
When to do the High Mountain Cross or Pepe’s Camino hike
The dry season in Costa Rica typically runs from December – May and is the best time for hiking. Although the weather is hot and more taxing, trails are in better condition.
This hike is doable during the rainy season, which runs May – November, but there’s a good chance that the few opportunities you get to see views of the Orosi Valley might be spoiled by rain clouds.
More Costa Rica travel guides on A World Over
If you’re keen to get a better perspective of the Orosi Valley and see views of the beautiful nature, then do the High Mountain Cross Hike. It’s a challenging route, but a great way to explore the area.
For more ideas on things to do here, see my complete guide to Orosi. And for all my articles on Costa Rica, head to the Costa Rica blog section.
Related guides: