The Solo Scale:

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In Costa Rica, there’s no escaping the saying ‘pura vida’. The entire country is awash with great friendly vibes, incredible natural resources, and a culture that’s hard to leave. You’ll flora & fauna unlike any other place in the world. There’s a relaxed feeling as you enjoy it all that’s nearly impossible to beat.

Once you’ve left the jungles and beaches behind, there’s still plenty to see in towns like Sarchi. There’s a vibrant and artistic vibe on display. There’s also plenty of shopping if you haven’t fully packed your suitcases with souvenirs.

What can you see in Sarchi?

It’s not just about shopping in Sarchi, though it’s a prominent reason to stop. It’s worth an afternoon and a few hours of exploration when you’re there, if only to do a couple visits and spend your time perusing souvenirs for yourself and your family.

• You can start with the ox-cart wheel factory. Here, you learn about how ox-cart wheels are created and see the massive machines that do the job. What’s also very interesting is to see how they’ve evolved over the years, becoming more vibrant and colourful with each passing decade. The tour itself takes a little under an hour and walks you through some early days of machinery in factories. It’s interesting even if you’re not into this specific topic, but the draw truly is how artistic and colourful the wheels get as time progresses

• Nearby, you can also see the Guinness World Record holder for the largest ox-cart wheel in the world. It would take some seriously massive oxen to be able to pull this cart! There was someone working on stripping the paint off so they could fully repaint it fresh.

• You won’t just see the shops. You’ll be able to see some of the local artisans at work decorating and painting. True, a lot of what you find in the souvenir shops will be mass-produced, so you should be cautious of where it’s made, but there are still some hidden gems to be found that are locally produced. You may have to pay a little more, but it’s worth it to give these artist’s a fair wage.

• Nearby in town, you can also find several souvenir shops. When I heard that we’d be going to a few areas, I thought it would be more small business, but what’s on tap is several gift shop like areas with prices that weren’t much of a deal. They’re clearly on the tour’s itinerary given how many groups had pulled up. This is where you can buy traditional souvenirs including multiple crafts inspired by the ox-cart wheels. You can also get vanilla extract, carved wooden materials, leather-work, and plenty of hand-painted work. Most of the prices will be in US dollars, which they accept alongside Costa Rica Colón. There’s multiple shops in Sarchi, so if you’re not finding what you want at one, you can always move on to the next

If you’re headed to Costa Rica and you want a diversion from all the jungles and beaches, I definitely would recommend heading here for an afternoon. For more details to plan your visit to Sarchi, check out the city’s website here.