District · Alvarado Canton # Pacayas Pacayas is a district of Costa Rica in Alvarado Canton, Cartago Province. It had an estimated 5,963 people in 2021 on 30 km² (about 201 per km²). 17 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 25 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 5,963 people (2021) - 29.6 km² - 25 mapped services - 1,856 m typical elevation ## How many people live in Pacayas? Pacayas had an estimated 5,963 people in 2021 — 38.4% of Alvarado Canton, 266th of 472 districts. There are 980 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Alvarado Canton figure of 973). Spread over 30 km², that is about 201 people per km², 213th of 472 districts. 22.0% of people are children under 15 and 8.3% are 65 or older; the median age is about 31 years (it is 32 across Alvarado Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 43 children and older people. - 0–4 436 - 5–9 441 - 10–14 434 - 15–19 406 - 20–24 543 - 25–29 575 - 30–34 530 - 35–39 457 - 40–44 402 - 45–49 352 - 50–54 342 - 55–59 315 - 60–64 234 - 65–69 169 - 70–74 115 - 75+ 212 Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO). ## Where is Pacayas? Pacayas lies in Alvarado Canton, Cartago Province, Costa Rica. It borders 4 other districts: Capellades, Cervantes, Cipreses and Santa Rosa. By area it is the 261st largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 37.4% of Alvarado Canton. The centre of Pacayas is about 29 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. The centre point is at 9.9376° N, 83.8171° W. Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO). ## Things to see in and around Pacayas ### Nearby, outside Pacayas - Volcano Museum Noche Buena · museum, Santa Rosa 3.9 km - Catarata Río Turrialba · attraction, Santa Cruz 5.2 km - Cráter Playa Hermosa · volcano, Santa Rosa 5.7 km - Irazú Volcano · volcano, Santa Rosa 5.9 km - Irazú Volcano National Park · national park, Santa Rosa 6.2 km - Antigua Casa de Médicos · attraction, Potrero Cerrado 7.1 km - Sanatorio Dr. Carlos Durán Cartín · attraction, Potrero Cerrado 7.3 km - Trail · attraction, Llano Grande 8.0 km - El Cristo · monument, Cot 9.0 km - Escalada Cachi · viewpoint, Santiago 9.9 km - Monumento al Sufragio · memorial, Llano Grande 10 km - Catarata Folio 28 · attraction, Santa Cruz 10 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: Pacayas - 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 - Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose 35 km - Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela) 43 km ### Nearest railway station Estación Santiago (Santiago), about 7.7 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:14) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:43, sunset around 17:16). 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 Pacayas Open gazetteers list 17 villages, towns and localities in Pacayas. Settlements here lie between about 1,725 m and 3,056 m above sea level (median 1,856 m). - Buenos Aires - Charcalillo - Coliblanco - Guadalupe - Irazú Sur - La Pastora - Llano Grande - Los Ángeles - Lourdes - Oratorio - Pacayas - Pascón - Patalillo - Plantón - San Pablo - San Rafael de Irazú - Trinidad Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. ## Landscape and landmarks of Pacayas Named natural and historic features inside Pacayas, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 5 rivers and streams. - Quebrada Central - Quebrada González - Quebrada Laguna Tapada - Quebrada Roscaván - Río Ortiga 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 Pacayas and the best time to visit Using the climate of Alvarado Canton, the warmest month is May (average 21 °C) and the coolest is Jan (19 °C). About 2,266 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (285 mm) and the driest Feb (70 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are January to April. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec | Month | Average °C | Rain mm | | Jan | 19 | 119 | | Feb | 19 | 70 | | Mar | 20 | 76 | | Apr | 21 | 117 | | May | 21 | 243 | | Jun | 21 | 239 | | Jul | 20 | 253 | | Aug | 21 | 214 | | Sep | 21 | 231 | | Oct | 20 | 285 | | Nov | 20 | 258 | | Dec | 20 | 162 | Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29. ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Pacayas | Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | | | Hospital | Clínica CCSS Pacayas · Pacayas | 2.5 km | Map | | Bank | Banco Nacional · Pacayas | 2.6 km | Map | | ATM | ATH · San Rafael | 12 km | Map | | Petrol pump | Servicentro Pacayas · Pacayas | 3.6 km | Map | | Hotel | Hogar Divina Misericordia · Pacayas | 2.5 km | Map | | Mall | Centro comercial Pacayas · Pacayas | 2.5 km | Map | | School | Escuela Alberto González Soto · Pacayas | 1.0 km | Map | | College | INA - Centro Nacional Especializado en Agricultura Orgánica · San Rafael | 11 km | Map | | Police station | Delegación Cantonal de Policía de Alvarado · Pacayas | 2.5 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 Pacayas Places mapped inside Pacayas in open map data, by type. - Hospitals 1 - Banks 1 - Petrol pumps 1 - Hotels 2 - Shopping malls 1 - Schools 7 - Pharmacies 4 - Restaurants 6 - Police stations 1 - Dental clinics 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 Alvarado Canton - Capellades - Cervantes ## Quick answers - Where is Pacayas? In Alvarado Canton, Cartago Province, Costa Rica - What is the population of Pacayas? 5,963 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in Pacayas? About 31 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of Pacayas? About 201 people per km² - What borders Pacayas? Capellades, Cervantes, Cipreses and Santa Rosa - What is there to see in Pacayas? Volcano Museum Noche Buena, Catarata Río Turrialba, Cráter Playa Hermosa, Irazú Volcano - What time zone is Pacayas in? UTC−6 - What currency is used in Pacayas? Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in Pacayas? Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in Pacayas? 17 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of Pacayas? Settlements lie between 1,725 m and 3,056 m - What is the best time to visit Pacayas? January to April - Where is the nearest hospital to Pacayas? Clínica CCSS Pacayas, about 2.5 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to Pacayas? Banco Nacional, about 2.6 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to Pacayas? ATH, about 12 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to Pacayas? Servicentro Pacayas, about 3.6 km from the centre - How many hospitals are in Pacayas? 1 mapped - How many banks are in Pacayas? 1 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in Pacayas? 1 mapped - What is the P-code of Pacayas? CR30601 (OCHA common operational dataset) At a glance - Type: District - Area: 29.6 km² - P-code: CR30601 - Canton: Alvarado Canton --- Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/alvarado/pacayas/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.