Green travel guide

Urban Greening in Costa Rica: San José River Trails, Parks and Forests

Costa Rica's cities are greening through river trails, pollinator-friendly planting, big public parks and small community forests, mostly around San José. You can visit two finished Rutas Naturbanas sections, Parque La Libertad in Desamparados and the Spirogyra Butterfly Garden today, while much of the planned 43-kilometer river trail network is still under construction.

By Pura-Verde.com Editors · Published October 30, 2026 · Last checked October 30, 2026

Best for

Travelers with a free day in San José, residents, and anyone curious how a tropical capital is adding nature

Where

San José, Escazú, Goicoechea, Curridabat, Desamparados and La Unión

Open now

Rutas Naturbanas lists Avenida Escazú and the Superintendencias del Banco Central section in Barrio Tournón as completed

In progress

Amón, Otoya and Aranjuez, El Respiro, Núcleo Sabana and Parque de la Paz sections are listed as work in progress

Good to know

Curridabat's Ciudad Dulce policy, approved in 2016, treats pollinators as residents to plan for

Ask before you go

Whether a trail section is finished and open, where the safe entrances are, and what local conditions are like

Most visitors come to Costa Rica for monkeys and rainforest, and leave San José as fast as they can. But some of the country's most interesting environmental work is happening right in the capital, where rivers long treated as back alleys are becoming trails, and neighborhoods are planting forests the size of two tennis courts.

Costa Rica's green reputation is built on national parks and beaches. Cities matter too. Urban trees cool hot streets and give birds and insects somewhere to live. Green corridors let people walk and cycle instead of drive. Healthy rivers need clean water and room to flood. And free public parks let people meet nature without paying for a tour. This guide covers who's doing that work around San José, what you can visit now, and what's still a plan on paper.

Rutas Naturbanas: turning rivers into walking and cycling routes

Fundación Rutas Naturbanas wants to turn forgotten urban rivers into green routes for walking, cycling and rolling. Its plan would connect more than 43 kilometers of green space along the Torres, María Aguilar, Tiribí and Agres rivers and their tributaries, linking Escazú, San José, Tibás, Goicoechea, Montes de Oca and Curridabat.

The team page lists founder and general director Federico Cartín Arteaga, an economist with a master's in planning; co-proponent and vice president Dana Víquez Azofeifa, an architect with a master's in landscape architecture; and co-proponent and urban design director José Vargas Hidalgo, an architect with a master's in urban design. That mix matters. A good river trail needs planning, landscape design, engineering and a lot of neighborhood buy-in.

What's finished and what isn't

This is the part most write-ups skip. The foundation's stage list shows six sections, and only two are marked complete:

• Completed: Avenida Escazú in San Rafael de Escazú, and the Superintendencias del Banco Central section in Barrio Tournón, Goicoechea.
• In progress: Barrios Amón, Otoya and Aranjuez in central San José; El Respiro in La Uruca; Núcleo Sabana in Mata Redonda and Merced; and Parque de la Paz in San Sebastián.

The two finished sections are in different parts of the metro area, so they aren't one continuous trail. Don't try to walk unfinished riverbanks, which can be steep, isolated or flood-prone. Check the stage list before you go, and visit by day.

Río Torres: the river neighbors refused to forget

The Torres runs through the heart of San José and is the backbone of several of these projects. Amigos del Río Torres is a citizen movement that began in 2013, when a group of residents decided the river had been ignored long enough. It describes volunteers, neighbors, artists and students organizing cleanups, tree planting, urban gardens, workshops and murals along more than 20 kilometers of riverbank, with help from local governments and companies.

A city river suffers from more than litter. Sewage, stormwater runoff, erosion and paved-over ground all affect it, so cleanups help but lasting change depends on fixing pollution at the source. That's why river groups double as civic watchdogs, documenting problems and keeping pressure on public agencies. River corridors are protected by law, and enforcement can make news, as with SINAC's investigation of a dock built in the Río Tárcoles corridor. For how to join a river cleanup, see our beach cleanups and river restoration guide.

Spirogyra: a butterfly garden on the river's edge

Right on the Torres, in San Francisco de Goicoechea, Sol Carballo founded Spirogyra Butterfly Garden in 1992. The garden calls its 7,000-square-meter property one of the last wooded patches on the river's banks, and it's open to visitors every day. It's a good example of how one private landowner's choice can keep a pocket of habitat alive inside a busy city. We cover Spirogyra and similar gardens in our butterfly gardens and pollinators guide.

Curridabat's "Sweet City": planning for pollinators

East of San José, Curridabat took an unusual approach. Its Ciudad Dulce (Sweet City) plan, developed in the mayor's office starting in 2015 under then-mayor Edgar Mora Altamirano, led to a 2016 policy that treats pollinators like bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and bats as residents whose needs count in city planning, according to the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. It doesn't give them legal rights; it makes them part of planning decisions.

In practice, Biophilic Cities describes native trees and flowering plants, parks brought into neighborhoods and infrastructure redesigned so rain soaks into the ground instead of rushing off. The plan includes green corridors linking neighborhoods and parks, and the town has proposed pollinator corridors reaching into neighboring cantons. Curridabat joined the Biophilic Cities Network in 2017.

The idea is still spreading at street level. In August 2026, about 200 volunteers were due to plant a Miyawaki-style pocket forest in Curridabat: about 1,540 native plants of 74 species in roughly 515 square meters in Guayabos, near the Quebrada Tacaco, in a project led by a local developer with SUGi Pocket Forest and Bosko.

Parque La Libertad: a concrete plant turned public park

On the southern edge of San José, between Desamparados, La Unión and Curridabat, Parque La Libertad, which its foundation now brands simply as La Libertad, sits on 32 hectares once used by a concrete products company, La Nación reported when the plan was announced. The design kept existing green areas and set aside a wooded zone with trails for birdwatching.

Today it's one of the metro area's busiest public spaces, with close to 500,000 visits a year and training programs, gardens and culture alongside the green space. In August 2026, the Ministry of Culture and Youth cut its funding mid-year and the foundation that runs it eliminated 15 positions, the Tico Times reported. The park stays open with free entry, but some programs, including community gardens, were affected. It's a reminder that green spaces need steady maintenance money, not just a ribbon cutting. The park has two entrances, at Fátima and Río Azul, and the foundation posts monthly activity calendars on its website.

San José's plazas, trees and peace gardens

San José's municipality is also working on its historic center. In April 2026, Mayor Diego Miranda's office moved ahead with plans for Parque Central that include more green space, a sensory garden, pergolas and automatic irrigation, along with upgrades to the Plaza de las Garantías Sociales meant to make it cooler and greener. These were plans in procurement, not finished work, so check progress before you plan a visit around them.

Trees with a story are taking root too. In 2025 and 2026, Japan's embassy planted trees that survived the Hiroshima bombing at the University of Costa Rica's main campus, the Lankester Botanical Garden in Cartago and the University for Peace. Our botanical gardens guide covers Lankester and other living collections.

Urban wildlife, trees and power lines

Not all green space is equal. A mowed lawn, a row of ornamental trees and a messy native riverbank give wildlife very different things. The most useful urban greening favors native plants, connections between patches, and room for water to soak in.

Trees also need the right spot. Planted under power lines or over pipes, they get hacked back or removed later. And wires are a real hazard for animals that travel through the canopy: Costa Rica rolled out a national strategy to reduce wildlife electrocutions in 2026, covering howler monkeys, sloths, squirrels and birds. If you see an injured animal, call a rescue center; our wildlife rescue centers guide explains how.

Walking, cycling and access for everyone

Walking and cycling routes can replace some short car trips, but only if they connect to places people actually go. A pretty trail that ends at a dangerous intersection works for a Sunday stroll, not a commute. Surfaces, slopes, curb cuts, shade, rest stops and lighting decide who can use a route. If you use a wheelchair or have limited mobility, our accessible nature guide has practical tips, and it's worth asking any project about step-free entrances before you go.

How to explore green San José in a day

• Morning: Visit Spirogyra Butterfly Garden in Goicoechea, when butterflies are most active, and walk the nearby finished Rutas Naturbanas section in Barrio Tournón.
• Midday: Head to Escazú for the Avenida Escazú section, or east to Curridabat to see its parks and neighborhood planting.
• Afternoon: Spend time at Parque La Libertad, which is free to enter.

Go by daylight, use official entrances, stay on finished paths and check the Rutas Naturbanas stage list first. You can find parks and reserves across the country on our map, and community projects under villages and communities.

A greener city is something you can feel

Costa Rica will always have volcanoes and rainforests. But everyday environmental quality for most Costa Ricans will be shaped by people working where traffic, property lines and budgets complicate every idea. A good urban corridor isn't a green line on a planning map. It's a place someone enjoys walking, a riverbank the neighborhood looks after, and a tree that makes it through the dry season.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rutas Naturbanas in San José?

Rutas Naturbanas is a foundation turning urban river corridors in the San José area into green walking and cycling routes. Its plan covers more than 43 kilometers along the Torres, María Aguilar, Tiribí and Agres rivers, but only two sections are listed as completed so far.

Can I walk the Río Torres trail in San José?

Only parts of it. Rutas Naturbanas lists the Superintendencias del Banco Central section in Barrio Tournón and Avenida Escazú as completed; other sections are still in progress. Check the foundation's stage list and go by day.

What is Curridabat's Ciudad Dulce?

Ciudad Dulce, or Sweet City, is Curridabat's urban plan, launched in 2015 and 2016, that treats pollinators like bees, hummingbirds and bats as residents to plan for. It focuses on native planting, neighborhood parks, green corridors and letting rain soak into the ground.

Are there free green spaces to visit in San José?

Yes. Parque La Libertad, on a former concrete plant site between Desamparados, La Unión and Curridabat, is free to enter, and the finished Rutas Naturbanas sections are public. Spirogyra Butterfly Garden is a private garden open to visitors.

Is San José safe for walking along rivers?

Stick to finished, official trail sections during daylight, and avoid unbuilt riverbanks, which can be steep, isolated or flood-prone. Ask locally about current conditions before you go.

Sources

1. Rutas Naturbanas: home
2. Rutas Naturbanas: Equipo
3. Rutas Naturbanas: Etapas
4. Amigos del Río Torres: Quiénes somos
5. Spirogyra Butterfly Garden: About
6. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor: Curridabat urban policy extending citizenship to pollinators
7. Biophilic Cities: Curridabat
8. La Libertad: official site
9. Tico Times (Aug. 29, 2026): Parque La Libertad budget cuts and community protest
10. La Nación (Aug. 18, 2009): Parque La Libertad conectará comunidades urbanas y naturaleza
11. Tico Times (Apr. 27, 2026): San José moves forward with upgrades to Parque Central and key plazas
12. Tico Times (Aug. 21, 2026): Pocket forest in Curridabat
13. La Nación (May 29, 2026): Embajada del Japón sembró en Costa Rica árboles sobrevivientes de Hiroshima

We checked these pages when we last updated this guide. We didn't interview the people named; their roles and words come from the sources above.