Located approximately 1 hour from San Jose, the picturesque village of Sarchí is the cradle of wood crafting and decorating in Costa Rica, particularly known for its production of colorful ox-carts.

The custom of painting decorations on the carts was began in Sarchí around the turn of the century. Many houses in Sarchí are adorned with colorful gingerbread trim, another example of the craftsmanship in wood, for which this little town is famous.

With its pink church, trimmed in pale green, Sarchí is truly a fairy tale town. In any one of the numerous gift shops visitors will find not only the traditional oxcarts and oxcart wheels in wide variety of designs and sizes, but also an astounding array of bowls, boxes, toys, statues and jewelry, as well as items in cloth, glass, bronze and other materials.

The route to Sarchí passes through picturesque small towns like Grecia, with its unique metal church.