# San Carlos District, Tarrazú Canton, San José Province

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/tarrazu/san-carlos/

District · Tarrazú Canton 

# San Carlos

San Carlos is a district of Costa Rica in Tarrazú Canton, San José Province. It had an estimated **2,158 people** in 2021 on 59 km² (about 37 per km²). 12 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 13 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 2,158people (2021)
- 59.0km²
- 13mapped services
- 1,361 mtypical elevation

## How many people live in San Carlos?

San Carlos had an estimated **2,158 people** in 2021 — 11.6% of Tarrazú Canton, 404th of 472 districts. There are 976 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Tarrazú Canton figure of 967). Spread over 59 km², that is about **37 people per km²**, 357th of 472 districts.

25.0% of people are children under 15 and 7.6% are 65 or older; the median age is about 28 years (it is 30 across Tarrazú Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 48 children and older people.

0–4 ****199**

5–9 ****172**

10–14 ****169**

15–19 ****155**

20–24 ****225**

25–29 ****228**

30–34 ****179**

35–39 ****143**

40–44 ****125**

45–49 ****104**

50–54 ****111**

55–59 ****103**

60–64 ****82**

65–69 ****59**

70–74 ****41**

75+ ****63**

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Where is San Carlos?

San Carlos lies in [Tarrazú Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/tarrazu/), [San José Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/), [Costa Rica](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/). It borders 6 other districts: [Legua](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/aserri/legua/), [Llano Bonito](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/leon-cortes-castro/llano-bonito/), [Parrita](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/puntarenas/parrita/parrita/), [Quepos](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/puntarenas/quepos/quepos/), [San Isidro](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/leon-cortes-castro/san-isidro/) and [San Lorenzo](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/tarrazu/san-lorenzo/). By area it is the 203rd largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 20.2% of [Tarrazú Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/tarrazu/). The centre of San Carlos is about 36 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. It is about 11 km from San Marcos, the main town of Tarrazú Canton. The centre point is at 9.6087° N, 84.1046° W.

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri).

## Things to see in and around San Carlos

### Nearby, outside San Carlos

- Coope Llano Bonito RL · ruins, Llano Bonito6.7 km
- Centro Turistico La Libia · attraction, San Lorenzo8.9 km
- MidWorld Costa Rica · attraction, Quepos10 km
- Safari Adventures Canopy · attraction, Naranjito10 km
- Letras corporeas · attraction, San Pablo11 km
- Rainmaker Park · attraction, Parrita12 km
- Rainmaker · attraction, Parrita13 km
- ENTRADA AL CERRO LA TRINIDAD (LA CRUZ) · attraction, San Pablo13 km
- Cruz del Cerro Trinidad · monument, San Marcos13 km
- Café Solís y Cordero · attraction, Santa María15 km
- Quepo Canyoning Office · attraction, Naranjito16 km
- Monumento a los Caídos de la Guerra Civil de 1948 · monument, Santa María16 km

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: San Carlos

- Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica
- CurrencyColon (CRC)
- Country calling code+506
- LanguagesSpanish, English
- Plug typesType A, B · 120 V
- Driving sideRight
- Postcode format5 digits (#####)

### Nearest airports

- Quepos Managua Airport (XQP) · Quepos19 km
- Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose39 km

### Nearest railway station

Cartago (Occidental), about 35 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 05:44, sunset around 17:18).

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

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 Carlos

Open gazetteers list **12 villages, towns and localities** in San Carlos. Settlements here lie between about 726 m and 1,525 m above sea level (median 1,361 m).

- Alto Chiral
- Alto San Juan
- Bajo Jénaro
- Bajo San José
- Cura
- Jamaica
- Llano La Virgen
- Quebrada Seca
- San Carlos
- San Cayetano Nuevo
- San Cayetano Viejo
- San Jerónimo

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

## Landscape and landmarks of San Carlos

Named natural and historic features inside San Carlos, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

7 rivers and streams.

- Quebrada Napoleón
- Quebrada Quirós
- Quebrada San Carlos
- Quebrada Santa Cruz
- Quebrada Seca
- Quebrada Zapotal
- Río Blanco

### Hills and mountains

3 mountains; 1 hill.

- Cerro Cura · 1,555 m
- Loma Los Bajos · 1,240 m
- Loma Esquipulas · 1,146 m
- Alto Cotos · 1,019 m

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in San Carlos and the best time to visit

Using the climate of Tarrazú Canton, the warmest month is Mar (average 28 °C) and the coolest is Oct (25 °C). 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 26 51 

Feb 27 29 

Mar 28 39 

Apr 28 108 

May 27 277 

Jun 26 265 

Jul 26 281 

Aug 26 268 

Sep 26 294 

Oct 25 337 

Nov 25 235 

Dec 26 104 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from San Carlos

Need Nearest mapped Distance 

Hospital Los Santos Centro Médico · San Marcos 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.66137&mlon=-84.02077#map=17/9.66137/-84.02077) 

Bank Banco Nacional · San Marcos 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.66005&mlon=-84.02199#map=17/9.66005/-84.02199) 

ATM Banco Popular · Quepos 19 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.44236&mlon=-84.13724#map=17/9.44236/-84.13724) 

Petrol pump Estación de Servicio San Francisco · Llano Bonito 9.0 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.68858&mlon=-84.11666#map=17/9.68858/-84.11666) 

Hotel Centro Turístico El Escondite · San Carlos 2.6 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.62792&mlon=-84.09167#map=17/9.62792/-84.09167) 

Mall Centro Comercial El Diamante · San Marcos 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.66044&mlon=-84.02186#map=17/9.66044/-84.02186) 

School Escuela Alto San Juan · San Carlos 2.0 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.62073&mlon=-84.11777#map=17/9.62073/-84.11777) 

College UNED · San Marcos 12 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.67523&mlon=-84.01814#map=17/9.67523/-84.01814) 

Police station Delegación Cantonal de Policía de Tarrazú · San Marcos 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=9.65831&mlon=-84.02223#map=17/9.65831/-84.02223) 

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km.

## Hospitals, banks and other services in San Carlos

Places mapped inside San Carlos in open map data, by type.

- Hotels1
- Schools7
- Restaurants4
- Dental clinics1

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Other districts in Tarrazú Canton

- San Lorenzo
- San Marcos

## Quick answers

- Where is San Carlos?In Tarrazú Canton, San José Province, Costa Rica
- What is the population of San Carlos?2,158 (2021 estimate)
- What is the median age in San Carlos?About 28 years (2021 estimate)
- What is the population density of San Carlos?About 37 people per km²
- What borders San Carlos?Legua, Llano Bonito, Parrita, Quepos, San Isidro and San Lorenzo
- What is there to see in San Carlos?Coope Llano Bonito RL, Centro Turistico La Libia, MidWorld Costa Rica, Safari Adventures Canopy
- What time zone is San Carlos in?UTC−6
- What currency is used in San Carlos?Colon (CRC)
- What language is spoken in San Carlos?Spanish, English (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in San Carlos?12 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of San Carlos?Settlements lie between 726 m and 1,525 m
- What is the highest point in San Carlos?Cerro Cura (1,555 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit San Carlos?December to April
- Where is the nearest hospital to San Carlos?Los Santos Centro Médico, about 11 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest bank to San Carlos?Banco Nacional, about 11 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest ATM to San Carlos?Banco Popular, about 19 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest petrol pump to San Carlos?Estación de Servicio San Francisco, about 9.0 km from the centre
- What is the P-code of San Carlos?CR10503 (OCHA common operational dataset)