District · Puriscal Canton # Barbacoas Barbacoas is a district of Costa Rica in Puriscal Canton, San José Province. It had an estimated 4,433 people in 2021 on 19 km² (about 238 per km²). 7 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 12 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 4,433 people (2021) - 18.6 km² - 12 mapped services - 1,166 m typical elevation ## How many people live in Barbacoas? Barbacoas had an estimated 4,433 people in 2021 — 11.6% of Puriscal Canton, 316th of 472 districts. There are 991 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Puriscal Canton figure of 986). Spread over 19 km², that is about 238 people per km², 206th of 472 districts. 18.9% of people are children under 15 and 10.7% are 65 or older; the median age is about 33 years (it is 34 across Puriscal Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 42 children and older people. - 0–4 269 - 5–9 297 - 10–14 274 - 15–19 281 - 20–24 365 - 25–29 469 - 30–34 426 - 35–39 342 - 40–44 264 - 45–49 240 - 50–54 267 - 55–59 255 - 60–64 211 - 65–69 168 - 70–74 119 - 75+ 186 Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO). ## Where is Barbacoas? Barbacoas lies in Puriscal Canton, San José Province, Costa Rica. It borders 5 other districts: Desamparaditos, Grifo Alto, Mercedes Sur, Picagres and Santiago. By area it is the 306th largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 3.4% of Puriscal Canton. The centre of Barbacoas is about 32 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. The centre point is at 9.8574° N, 84.3635° W. Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO). ## Things to see in and around Barbacoas OpenStreetMap lists 1 named sights in Barbacoas: 1 attraction. - Centro Turístico San Isidro · attraction ### Nearby, outside Barbacoas - Antigua Iglesia de Santiago de Puriscal · ruins, Santiago 5.5 km - Piedras Negras Catarata · waterfall, Picagres 6.5 km - Virilla Canyon · viewpoint, Turrúcares 8.5 km - Entrada inferior a la cueva · cave, Colón 8.9 km - Entrada superior a la cueva · cave, Colón 8.9 km - el mirador · viewpoint, Colón 11 km - Plaza Km 42 · ruins, Escobal 11 km - Museo Ferroviario · museum, Concepción 12 km - Monumento al Desarme, el Trabajo y La Paz · monument, Colón 12 km - La Casa de La Morpho Azul · zoo, Guácima 12 km - Ryoichi Sasakawa · memorial, Colón 12 km - José Martí · memorial, Colón 12 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: Barbacoas - 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 - Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela) 23 km - Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose 27 km ### Nearest railway station Ojo de Agua (San Rafael), about 20 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:16) and shortest in Dec (about 11.6 hours, sunrise around 05:45, 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 Barbacoas Open gazetteers list 7 villages, towns and localities in Barbacoas. Settlements here lie between about 915 m and 1,174 m above sea level (median 1,166 m). - Bajo Burgos - Bajo Campos - Barbacoas - Cortezal - Guatuso - Piedades - San Juan Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. ## Landscape and landmarks of Barbacoas Named natural and historic features inside Barbacoas, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 4 rivers and streams. - Quebrada Cortezal - Quebrada Guatuso - Quebrada Los Ángeles - Quebrada Pital ### Hills and mountains 1 mountain. - Alto Barbacoas · 1,115 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 Barbacoas and the best time to visit Using the climate of Puriscal Canton, the warmest month is Mar (average 25 °C) and the coolest is Oct (22 °C), after allowing for this place being about 425 m higher than the climate reference point (about 6.5 °C per 1,000 m). About 2,288 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (337 mm) and the driest Feb (29 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 | 23 | 51 | | Feb | 24 | 29 | | Mar | 25 | 39 | | Apr | 25 | 108 | | May | 24 | 277 | | Jun | 23 | 265 | | Jul | 23 | 281 | | Aug | 23 | 268 | | Sep | 23 | 294 | | Oct | 22 | 337 | | Nov | 22 | 235 | | Dec | 23 | 104 | Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29. ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Barbacoas | Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | | | Hospital | Nova salud · Santiago | 5.6 km | Map | | Bank | Grupo Mutual · Santiago | 5.3 km | Map | | ATM | BCR · Turrúcares | 12 km | Map | | Petrol pump | Estación de Servicio San Juan · Santiago | 5.7 km | Map | | Hotel | Badu Lodge · Santiago | 3.6 km | Map | | Mall | Plaza Santísima Trinidad · Santiago | 5.5 km | Map | | School | Escuela de Cortezal · Barbacoas | 0.9 km | Map | | College | Universidad Panamericana UPA · Santiago | 5.3 km | Map | | Police station | Delegación Policial Barbacoas · Barbacoas | 1.5 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 Barbacoas Places mapped inside Barbacoas in open map data, by type. - Schools 7 - Restaurants 4 - 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 Puriscal Canton - Candelarita - Chires - Desamparaditos - Grifo Alto - Mercedes Sur - San Antonio - San Rafael - Santiago ## Quick answers - Where is Barbacoas? In Puriscal Canton, San José Province, Costa Rica - What is the population of Barbacoas? 4,433 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in Barbacoas? About 33 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of Barbacoas? About 238 people per km² - What borders Barbacoas? Desamparaditos, Grifo Alto, Mercedes Sur, Picagres and Santiago - What is there to see in Barbacoas? Centro Turístico San Isidro - What time zone is Barbacoas in? UTC−6 - What currency is used in Barbacoas? Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in Barbacoas? Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in Barbacoas? 7 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of Barbacoas? Settlements lie between 915 m and 1,174 m - What is the highest point in Barbacoas? Alto Barbacoas (1,115 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit Barbacoas? December to April - Where is the nearest hospital to Barbacoas? Nova salud, about 5.6 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to Barbacoas? Grupo Mutual, about 5.3 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to Barbacoas? BCR, about 12 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to Barbacoas? Estación de Servicio San Juan, about 5.7 km from the centre - What is the P-code of Barbacoas? CR10403 (OCHA common operational dataset) At a glance - Type: District - Area: 18.6 km² - P-code: CR10403 - Canton: Puriscal Canton --- Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/puriscal/barbacoas/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.