The best place to go to buy souvenirs and gifts is in the town of SARCHI, in the Central Highlands about an hour and a half’s drive northwest of San Jose...

The best place to go to buy souvenirs and gifts is in the town of SARCHI, in the Central Highlands about an hour and a half’s drive northwest of San Jose. The town is well known for its vast array of ornaments and decorative arts, such as hand-decorated oxcarts and sturdy wood and leather rocking chairs, both can be disassembled for shipment.

Wooden carvings of figures and animals using recycled wood from coffee plants are very popular; pre-Columbian jewelry replicas make wonderful gifts for the ladies; indigenous arts such as masks and woven objects are nice mementos; mats, table cloths and napkins are easy to pack and take home, so is wall art made of textiles; notepads, diaries and envelopes made of recycled banana leaves are pretty and useful. With any spare space left in your bag, take home some famous freshly roasted Costa Rican coffee that comes in neat little gift packages.

If you cannot make it to Sarchi, you will find a good selection of souvenirs and gifts in shopping centers, gift shops, boutique galleries or big department stores. Spend a couple of days in San Jose to visit the most popular shopping malls, such as the Multiplaza in Escazú, the Terramall on the highway to Cartago, El Pueblo in Barrio Tournón, Mall San Pedro just east of downtown, Plaza Rohrmoser in Pavas, Plaza Real Cariari located near the International Airport, the newest shopping center in the country, Paseo de las Flores on the highway to Heredia, and Plaza Itzkazú where you can shop as well as sample a variety of international cuisines like Peruvian, Italian, Japanese, American and Spanish all in one location.