District · Guatuso Canton # San Rafael San Rafael is a district of Costa Rica in Guatuso Canton, Alajuela Province. It had an estimated 9,982 people in 2021 on 304 km² (about 33 per km²). 57 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 50 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 9,982 people (2021) - 304 km² - 50 mapped services - 64 m typical elevation ## How many people live in San Rafael? San Rafael had an estimated 9,982 people in 2021 — 51.3% of Guatuso Canton, 171st of 472 districts. There are 1,004 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Guatuso Canton figure of 997). Spread over 304 km², that is about 33 people per km², 365th of 472 districts. 24.8% of people are children under 15 and 7.8% are 65 or older; the median age is about 28 years (it is 29 across Guatuso Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 48 children and older people. - 0–4 804 - 5–9 816 - 10–14 851 - 15–19 1,002 - 20–24 909 - 25–29 907 - 30–34 762 - 35–39 705 - 40–44 612 - 45–49 513 - 50–54 489 - 55–59 451 - 60–64 382 - 65–69 330 - 70–74 190 - 75+ 259 Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO). ## Where is San Rafael? San Rafael lies in Guatuso Canton, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. It borders 6 other districts: Buenavista, Cote, Katira, Monterrey, San Jorge and Venado. By area it is the 41st largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 40.4% of Guatuso Canton. The centre of San Rafael is about 113 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. The centre point is at 10.6787° N, 84.7862° W. Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO). ## Things to see in and around San Rafael OpenStreetMap lists 1 named sights in San Rafael: 1 attraction. - Tafa Urijif · attraction ### Nearby, outside San Rafael - Cavernas de Venado · attraction, Venado 14 km - Rio Celeste Aventuras · attraction, Katira 15 km - Labyrinth · attraction, Katira 16 km - Tree of Peace · viewpoint, Katira 19 km Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: San Rafael - Time zone UTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica - Currency Colon (CRC) - Country calling code +506 - Languages Spanish, English - Plug types Type A, B · 120 V - Driving side Right - Postcode format 5 digits (#####) ### Nearest airports - La Fortuna Arenal Airport (FON) · La Fortuna 32 km - Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) · Liberia 83 km ### Nearest railway station Rondorama (Arenal), about 22 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:16) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:49, sunset around 17:19). Source: GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03; OurAirports (public domain). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Villages and localities in San Rafael Open gazetteers list 57 villages, towns and localities in San Rafael. Settlements here lie between about 47 m and 188 m above sea level (median 64 m). - Aguas Negras - Amapola - Bajuras de Patastillo - Barrio Aguas Negras - Barrio El Bosque - Barrio La Liga - Barrio Ricos y Famosos - Betania - Buenos Aires - Curirre - El Carmen - El Corozo - El Edén - El Jade - El Silencio - El Sol - El Triunfo - Esperanza - Flor - Garita - Guayabo - Imas - Jorón - La Corteza - La Garita - La Granja - La Muerte - La Palmera - La Poma - La Rivera - Las Parcelas - Los Ángeles - Lourdes - Maquencal - Margarita - Moravia Verde - Nazareth - Pataste - Pataste Abajo - Patastillo - Puerto Nuevo - Samen - Samén Arriba - San Gabriel - San Juan - San Luis - San Miguel - San Rafael - San Rafael de Guatuso - Santa Fe - Santa Fé - Santa Marta - Tonjibe - Treminio - Triunfo - Viento Fresco - Vuelta Malacia Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. ## Landscape and landmarks of San Rafael Named natural and historic features inside San Rafael, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 20 rivers and streams. - Quebrada Aguas Negras - Quebrada Boca Tapada - Quebrada Calabaza - Quebrada Patastillo - Quebrada Pejibaye - Quebrada Quebradón - Quebrada Quebradón - Quebrada Timacar - Quebrada Tioracasa - Río Burío - Río Cote - Río Cucaracha - Río El Muerto - Río El Sol - Río Guatuso - Río La Muerte - Río Margarita - Río Quéquer - Río Tonjibe - Río Venado Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features. Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in San Rafael and the best time to visit Using the climate of Guatuso Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 27 °C) and the coolest is Dec (24 °C). About 1,443 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (289 mm) and the driest Feb (9 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are December to April. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec | Month | Average °C | Rain mm | | Jan | 24 | 13 | | Feb | 25 | 9 | | Mar | 26 | 10 | | Apr | 27 | 40 | | May | 27 | 187 | | Jun | 25 | 177 | | Jul | 25 | 131 | | Aug | 25 | 175 | | Sep | 25 | 252 | | Oct | 24 | 289 | | Nov | 24 | 132 | | Dec | 24 | 28 | Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29. ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from San Rafael | Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | | | Hospital | Clinica de Guatuso · San Rafael | 4.3 km | Map | | Bank | Coocique · San Rafael | 3.9 km | Map | | ATM | ATM Banco Costa Rica · La Fortuna | 28 km | Map | | Petrol pump | Estación de Servicio Full Katira · San Rafael | 3.6 km | Map | | Hotel | Hotel Jennifer López · San Rafael | 3.8 km | Map | | Mall | Centro Comercial Obando · Arenal | 19 km | Map | | School | Escuela Palenque El Sol · San Rafael | 2.1 km | Map | | College | Colegio Técnico Profesional De Guatuso · San Rafael | 4.1 km | Map | | Police station | Delegación Cantonal de Policía de Guatuso · San Rafael | 3.8 km | Map | Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km. ## Hospitals, banks and other services in San Rafael Places mapped inside San Rafael in open map data, by type. - Hospitals 3 - Banks 3 - Petrol pumps 2 - Hotels 7 - Schools 24 - Colleges and universities 2 - Pharmacies 2 - Restaurants 6 - Police stations 1 Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Other districts in Guatuso Canton - Buenavista - Cote - Katira ## Quick answers - Where is San Rafael? In Guatuso Canton, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica - What is the population of San Rafael? 9,982 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in San Rafael? About 28 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of San Rafael? About 33 people per km² - What borders San Rafael? Buenavista, Cote, Katira, Monterrey, San Jorge and Venado - What is there to see in San Rafael? Tafa Urijif - What time zone is San Rafael in? UTC−6 - What currency is used in San Rafael? Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in San Rafael? Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in San Rafael? 57 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of San Rafael? Settlements lie between 47 m and 188 m - What is the best time to visit San Rafael? December to April - Where is the nearest hospital to San Rafael? Clinica de Guatuso, about 4.3 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to San Rafael? Coocique, about 3.9 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to San Rafael? ATM Banco Costa Rica, about 28 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to San Rafael? Estación de Servicio Full Katira, about 3.6 km from the centre - How many hospitals are in San Rafael? 3 mapped - How many banks are in San Rafael? 3 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in San Rafael? 2 mapped - What is the P-code of San Rafael? CR21501 (OCHA common operational dataset) At a glance - Type: District - Area: 304.0 km² - P-code: CR21501 - Canton: Guatuso Canton --- Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/guatuso/san-rafael/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.