Visiting Hojancha is like taking a step back in time. It’s a charming place that you’ll completely fall in love with.
Hojancha is a small town located in the Province of Guanacaste. In pre-Columbian times the territory that now is the canton (county) of Hojancha was part of one of the provinces of indigenous people called Chorotegas, located on the Nicoya Peninsula, whose domain extended all the way to Lake Nicaragua. It consisted of several towns and manors. Electricity wasn’t installed until 1972.
The origin of the name Hojancha comes from a tree located in the region, which the Indians called broad-leaved, because of the very special characteristics and the size of their leaves. The county of Hojancha is located along the route of the Tempisque River and has several areas of tourist interest. Local production focuses on forestry, coffee and cattle. Almost all the inhabitants were born in this region, though the last 20 years has seen an increase in population by people originally from the Central Valley areas of San Ramon, Palmares and Grecia.
Because Hojancha is a small town, it’s easy to start meeting people and to make new friends. Our volunteers and non-volunteering guests are more than welcome in town, and are taken care of very well by our host families and community members.
Those who have traveled to other parts of Costa Rica are often impressed by the fact the town is so sparkling clean, well-organized and well maintained. Residents there take a lot of pride in their town — and it shows. It’s still one of the safest towns in the country: there are yet to be found many bars on the windows and many residents still leave their doors unlocked day and night.
Whether you choose to work in one of the elementary schools, daycare center, nature reserve, or some general community development projects, you’ll no doubt meet new friends for life and really enjoy getting to know what life is really like in a typical Costa Rican community.
Don’t want to volunteer? No worries! There are many fun tours and activities to enjoy during your stay, including:
- Monte Alto Nature Reserve
- Salto del Calvo (Highest waterfalls in Central America)
- Rio Nosara Recreational Center with Pool
- Lookout point from the top of Monte Alto with views of the Gulf of Nicoya and…..
- Samara Beach
- Camaronal Sea Turtle Project
Guanacaste is normally known to be hot. But because the altitude of Hojancha is 1,300 feet above sea level, the weather is quite marvelous year-round. Expect to find temperatures averaging 79 degrees F.