The pre-Columbian city of Guayabo is located 19 km north from the town of Turrialba, province of Cartago, on a high plateau at 1,100m of altitude, on the skirts of the Turrialba volcano; the area has an average temperature of 20° and 82% humidity, the yearly average precipitation goes from 3,500 to 4,000 mm.

The 20 hectares settlement is believed to have been occupied between 1000 B.C. and A.D. 1400, after which its inhabitants vanished. It is unclear why the ceremonial and political centre was abandoned, the Spanish Conquistadors did not leave any record as to whether they found the ruins.

Irazú is the name of an active volcano located in Costa Rica's Cordillera Central (central mountain range) some 30 kilometres north of Cartago city. The National Park surrounding the volcano is also named after it and is the most visited Park in Costa Rica. It was created in 1955, and since 1970 has been managed by the National Parks Service.