District · Pérez Zeledón Canton # Barú Barú is a district of Costa Rica in Pérez Zeledón Canton, San José Province. It had an estimated 2,848 people in 2021 on 190 km² (about 15 per km²). 26 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 44 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 2,848 people (2021) - 190 km² - 44 mapped services - 410 m typical elevation ## How many people live in Barú? Barú had an estimated 2,848 people in 2021 — 2.0% of Pérez Zeledón Canton, 373rd of 472 districts. There are 1,000 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Pérez Zeledón Canton figure of 1,009). Spread over 190 km², that is about 15 people per km², 435th of 472 districts. 18.4% of people are children under 15 and 9.6% are 65 or older; the median age is about 35 years (it is 33 across Pérez Zeledón Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 39 children and older people. - 0–4 167 - 5–9 191 - 10–14 166 - 15–19 152 - 20–24 201 - 25–29 248 - 30–34 293 - 35–39 263 - 40–44 215 - 45–49 185 - 50–54 181 - 55–59 170 - 60–64 142 - 65–69 105 - 70–74 68 - 75+ 101 Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO). ## Where is Barú? Barú lies in Pérez Zeledón Canton, San José Province, Costa Rica. It borders 4 other districts: Bahía Ballena, Río Nuevo, San Isidro de El General and Savegre. By area it is the 91st largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 10.0% of Pérez Zeledón Canton. The centre of Barú is about 75 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. The centre point is at 9.3168° N, 83.8125° W. Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO). ## Things to see in and around Barú OpenStreetMap lists 8 named sights in Barú: 5 waterfalls; 3 attractions. - Eco chontales waterfall · waterfall - Entrance Waterfalls · waterfall - Nauyaca 45m · waterfall - Nauyaca Waterfalls · waterfall - Upper Nauyaca Waterfalls · waterfall - Diamante Waterfall · attraction - Forestral · attraction - Parque Reptilandia · attraction ### Nearby, outside Barú - Torre Piedra Amarilla · viewpoint, Savegre 8.7 km - Playa Dominical · beach, Bahía Ballena 9.2 km - Cascada Poza Azul · attraction, Bahía Ballena 9.5 km - Turtle Hatchery · attraction, Savegre 9.5 km - San Luis Waterfalls · attraction, San Isidro de El General 11 km - Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary · attraction, Bahía Ballena 11 km - Playa Hatillo · beach, Savegre 11 km - Catarata Salto la Mona · waterfall, Río Nuevo 12 km - Aguas Termales · hot spring, Savegre 12 km - Virgen de los Ángeles · memorial, Daniel Flores 15 km - Cascada Bejuco · waterfall, Bahía Ballena 16 km - El Cristo de Pérez Zeledón · ruins, Páramo 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: Barú - 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 - Quepos Managua Airport (XQP) · Quepos 38 km - Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose 80 km ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:15) and shortest in Dec (about 11.6 hours, sunrise around 05:42, sunset around 17:17). 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 Barú Open gazetteers list 26 villages, towns and localities in Barú. Settlements here lie between about 93 m and 758 m above sea level (median 410 m). - Alfombra - Alto La Pera - Bajos - Barucito - Barú - Cacao - Caña Blanca - Ceiba - Chontales - Farallas - Florida - Guabo - La Reina - Líbano - Platanillo - Reina - San Juan de Dios - San Luis - San Marcos - San Salvador - Santa Juana - Tinamaste - Torito - Tres Piedras - Tumbas - Villa Bonita Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. ## Landscape and landmarks of Barú Named natural and historic features inside Barú, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 40 rivers and streams. - Quebrada Cabro - Quebrada Cacao - Quebrada Camarones - Quebrada Castro - Quebrada Cementerio - Quebrada Chontales - Quebrada Chorros - Quebrada Copo - Quebrada Farallas - Quebrada Gemelas - Quebrada Guayabales - Quebrada Las Lajas - Quebrada Magnolia - Quebrada Manolo - Quebrada Mena - Quebrada Negro - Quebrada Perla - Quebrada Pilas - Quebrada Pizote - Quebrada Platanillo - Quebrada Quebrador - Quebrada Reina - Quebrada Salto - Quebrada Salto …and 16 more. ### Hills and mountains 4 mountains; 1 hill. - Cerro San Antonio · 1,190 m - Cerro Barú · 670 m - Cerro Copo · 503 m - Cerro Cabeza de Mono · 467 m - Alto Panteón · 263 m 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 Barú and the best time to visit Using the climate of Pérez Zeledón Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 24 °C) and the coolest is Jan (23 °C), after allowing for this place being about 332 m lower than the climate reference point (about 6.5 °C per 1,000 m). About 2,258 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (277 mm) and the driest Feb (60 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are January to March. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec | Month | Average °C | Rain mm | | Jan | 23 | 101 | | Feb | 23 | 60 | | Mar | 24 | 73 | | Apr | 24 | 125 | | May | 24 | 253 | | Jun | 24 | 240 | | Jul | 23 | 266 | | Aug | 24 | 226 | | Sep | 23 | 233 | | Oct | 23 | 277 | | Nov | 23 | 254 | | Dec | 23 | 150 | Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29. ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Barú | Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | | | Hospital | San Juan de Dios de Platanillo · Barú | 1.9 km | Map | | Bank | Servicoop R.L. · San Isidro de El General | 13 km | Map | | ATM | BCR · San Isidro de El General | 14 km | Map | | Petrol pump | Estacion de Servicio El Ceibo · Savegre | 9.0 km | Map | | Hotel | Villa Los Aires · Barú | 1.6 km | Map | | Mall | Plaza Pacifica · Bahía Ballena | 8.7 km | Map | | School | Escuela San Juan de Dios · Barú | 2.0 km | Map | | College | Centro de Aprendizaje para Indígenas · Barú | 4.6 km | Map | | Police station | Puesto de control Dominical · Savegre | 8.6 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 Barú Places mapped inside Barú in open map data, by type. - Hospitals 1 - Hotels 17 - Schools 14 - Colleges and universities 1 - Restaurants 10 - 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 Pérez Zeledón Canton - Cajón - Daniel Flores - El General - La Amistad - Pejibaye - Platanares - Páramo - Rivas - Río Nuevo - San Isidro de El General - San Pedro ## Quick answers - Where is Barú? In Pérez Zeledón Canton, San José Province, Costa Rica - What is the population of Barú? 2,848 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in Barú? About 35 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of Barú? About 15 people per km² - What borders Barú? Bahía Ballena, Río Nuevo, San Isidro de El General and Savegre - What is there to see in Barú? Diamante Waterfall, Eco chontales waterfall, Entrance Waterfalls, Forestral - What time zone is Barú in? UTC−6 - What currency is used in Barú? Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in Barú? Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in Barú? 26 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of Barú? Settlements lie between 93 m and 758 m - What is the highest point in Barú? Cerro San Antonio (1,190 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit Barú? January to March - Where is the nearest hospital to Barú? San Juan de Dios de Platanillo, about 1.9 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to Barú? Servicoop R.L., about 13 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to Barú? BCR, about 14 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to Barú? Estacion de Servicio El Ceibo, about 9.0 km from the centre - How many hospitals are in Barú? 1 mapped - What is the P-code of Barú? CR11909 (OCHA common operational dataset) At a glance - Type: District - Area: 189.7 km² - P-code: CR11909 - Canton: Pérez Zeledón Canton --- Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/perez-zeledon/baru/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.