District · Santa Cruz Canton # Cartagena Cartagena is a district of Costa Rica in Santa Cruz Canton, Guanacaste Province. It had an estimated 5,039 people in 2021 on 83 km² (about 61 per km²). 23 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 8 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 5,039 people (2021) - 82.8 km² - 8 mapped services - 59 m typical elevation ## How many people live in Cartagena? Cartagena had an estimated 5,039 people in 2021 — 7.2% of Santa Cruz Canton, 298th of 472 districts. There are 957 women for every 1,000 men (above the Santa Cruz Canton figure of 944). Spread over 83 km², that is about 61 people per km², 312th of 472 districts. 27.9% of people are children under 15 and 8.7% are 65 or older; the median age is about 31 years (it is 33 across Santa Cruz Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 58 children and older people. - 0–4 448 - 5–9 502 - 10–14 455 - 15–19 351 - 20–24 307 - 25–29 331 - 30–34 431 - 35–39 413 - 40–44 303 - 45–49 263 - 50–54 294 - 55–59 263 - 60–64 239 - 65–69 159 - 70–74 109 - 75+ 171 Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO). ## Where is Cartagena? Cartagena lies in Santa Cruz Canton, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. It borders 5 other districts: Belén, Santa Cruz, Sardinal, Tempate and Veintisiete de Abril. By area it is the 169th largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 6.3% of Santa Cruz Canton. The centre of Cartagena is about 182 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. The centre point is at 10.3646° N, 85.6867° W. Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO). ## Things to see in and around Cartagena ### Nearby, outside Cartagena - Apami Wildlife Rescue Center · zoo, Tempate 4.2 km - Esprit ID:X · gallery, Cabo Velas 13 km - Scuba Dive Potrero · attraction, Tempate 13 km - Sol Gallery · gallery, Tamarindo 13 km - Playa Potrero · beach, Tempate 14 km - Galerie Lalonde · gallery, Cabo Velas 14 km - Amberes · attraction, Cabo Velas 14 km - Playa Penca Palmas · viewpoint, Tempate 14 km - Parador Fotográfico de Santa Cruz · attraction, Santa Cruz 15 km - Playa Prieta · beach, Tempate 15 km - Galería de Arte Tamarindo · gallery, Tamarindo 16 km - Playa Zapotillal (Mina) · beach, Cabo Velas 16 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: Cartagena - 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 - Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) · Liberia 30 km - Nosara Airport (NOB) · Nicoya 43 km ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:21) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:52, sunset around 17:23). 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 Cartagena Open gazetteers list 23 villages, towns and localities in Cartagena. Settlements here lie between about 41 m and 186 m above sea level (median 59 m). - Arenal - Barrio La Candelaria - Cartagena - Cañafístula - Corazón de Jesús - El Edén - El Jobo - El Milagro - Higuerón - Horcones - Jobo - Juan Viñas - La Dolorosa - La Mora - La Ponderosa - Loma Bonita - Lorena - Los Ángeles - Lourdes - Oratorio - San Martín - Toyosa - Villa Rosario Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. ## Landscape and landmarks of Cartagena Named natural and historic features inside Cartagena, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 6 rivers and streams. - Quebrada Toyosa - Río Arenal - Río Barba de Viejo - Río Limón - Río Malvar - Río Nimboyores ### Hills and mountains 10 hills; 1 mountain pass. - Cerro Curiol · 311 m - Cerro Pando · 154 m - Cerro Jocotillo · 131 m - Cerro Palizada · 93 m - Loma Ángulo · 87 m - Loma Yucal · 82 m - Loma Escondida · 64 m - Loma Campo Alegre · 56 m - Paso Higuerón · 52 m - Loma Arrozal · 35 m - Loma Nubes · 33 m ### Getting around 1 airfield. - Granos de Oro 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 Cartagena and the best time to visit Using the climate of Santa Cruz Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 29 °C) and the coolest is Nov (26 °C). About 1,726 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (337 mm) and the driest Feb (4 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are December to January. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec | Month | Average °C | Rain mm | | Jan | 28 | 7 | | Feb | 28 | 4 | | Mar | 29 | 5 | | Apr | 29 | 38 | | May | 28 | 220 | | Jun | 27 | 227 | | Jul | 27 | 182 | | Aug | 27 | 227 | | Sep | 27 | 303 | | Oct | 26 | 337 | | Nov | 26 | 151 | | Dec | 27 | 24 | Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29. ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Cartagena | Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | | | Hospital | Liminal Medicina Funcional · Tempate | 11 km | Map | | Bank | Banco Popular · Tempate | 9.6 km | Map | | ATM | BAC Credomatic · Santa Cruz | 15 km | Map | | Petrol pump | Estacion de servicio Tamarindo · Tempate | 6.4 km | Map | | Hotel | Villas Nimboyore · Cartagena | 0.7 km | Map | | Mall | Plaza Las Américas · Tempate | 9.7 km | Map | | School | Escuela Líder de Cartagena · Cartagena | 2.1 km | Map | | College | Colegio Belén de Carrillo · Belén | 12 km | Map | | Police station | Delegación Policial Cartagena · Cartagena | 2.4 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 Cartagena Places mapped inside Cartagena in open map data, by type. - Hotels 1 - Schools 4 - Restaurants 2 - 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 Santa Cruz Canton - Bolsón - Cabo Velas - Cuajiniquil - Diriá - Santa Cruz - Tamarindo - Tempate - Veintisiete de Abril ## Quick answers - Where is Cartagena? In Santa Cruz Canton, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica - What is the population of Cartagena? 5,039 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in Cartagena? About 31 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of Cartagena? About 61 people per km² - What borders Cartagena? Belén, Santa Cruz, Sardinal, Tempate and Veintisiete de Abril - What is there to see in Cartagena? Apami Wildlife Rescue Center, Esprit ID:X, Scuba Dive Potrero, Sol Gallery - What time zone is Cartagena in? UTC−6 - What currency is used in Cartagena? Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in Cartagena? Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in Cartagena? 23 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of Cartagena? Settlements lie between 41 m and 186 m - What is the highest point in Cartagena? Cerro Curiol (311 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit Cartagena? December to January - Where is the nearest hospital to Cartagena? Liminal Medicina Funcional, about 11 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to Cartagena? Banco Popular, about 9.6 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to Cartagena? BAC Credomatic, about 15 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to Cartagena? Estacion de servicio Tamarindo, about 6.4 km from the centre - What is the P-code of Cartagena? CR50305 (OCHA common operational dataset) At a glance - Type: District - Area: 82.8 km² - P-code: CR50305 - Canton: Santa Cruz Canton --- Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/guanacaste/santa-cruz/cartagena/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.