Sabana Redonda

About Sabana Redonda:

Sabana Redonda covers about 20 square kilometres on the south side of Poás volcano, between San Pedro, the canton seat, and the Fraijanes crossroads. Route 146, the road from San Pedro de Poás up to Poasito, runs through the middle of it, and Route 120 also crosses the district. CONAVI has resurfaced the stretch from San Juan Norte to Sabana Redonda, and the main road is asphalt. Buses leave the San Pedro terminal for Sabana Redonda and Calle El Tajo, and San Pedro is where residents go for banking, the municipality and most errands.

Most people here still work the land. Strawberries are the crop the district is known for, sold from farms and stands along the volcano road, and plant nurseries trade from La Pradera. Between the fields sit the houses, a few shops and the EBAIS clinic beside Route 146. Visitors heading up to the national park, the Fraijanes lagoon and the coffee and farm tours nearby keep a string of cabins, small hotels and roadside restaurants in business.

The mean altitude is 1,440 metres, and the ground rises steadily toward the crater, getting cooler and mistier as it goes. That cooler air is much of the reason people move up from the valley, and it decides how a house should be built: for damp and cold nights, with good drainage on a sloping plot, rather than for heat. Poás is an active volcano. It erupted repeatedly in 2025, its park reopened in July of that year, and it had another moderate eruption in August 2026, so access to the crater opens and closes with its activity.

The population has grown fast, from 883 at the 1984 census to 2,343 in 2011. Homes spread along Route 146 and the side streets off it, such as Calle El Tajo, Calle del Tigre and Calle La Cascada, and the community of La Pradera has its own school. The Escuela Monseñor Delfín Quesada Castro serves the district centre. Buyers from the Central Valley look for a quinta with a view and a cool climate within reach of Alajuela; others want a cabin to let to volcano visitors, or a plot to build on later.

Land and Lots in Sabana Redonda:

Land is the largest part of the market. Lots of two to eight thousand square metres come up along paved roads with water and electricity available, some flat and some cut into terraces down the slope, and nearly all are sold on their Central Valley view. Gated developments of mountain quintas offer plots with private access and underground power, with rules on how much of each plot can be built over. Smaller lots of 250 to 500 square metres also appear in new subdivisions; they cost far more per square metre than the large view lots, so compare on the size you actually need. Before you pay for the view, get water availability in writing and walk the slope below the building platform.

Houses in Sabana Redonda:

Houses for sale are mostly detached family homes on their own plots, from modest local houses to three-bedroom homes with gardens facing the valley. Some sit inside the gated quinta developments, others front Route 146 or the side streets. Small cabins built for weekend guests are the other common type, especially toward Fraijanes and along Calle del Tigre. If you are buying a cabin to rent out, find out how much of its trade depends on the national park being open.

Quintas in Sabana Redonda:

The quinta, a country house on a generous plot, is what many outside buyers come looking for. Among quintas in Poás, the ones on the main road between San Pedro and Poasito come up at around five thousand square metres with all services, some with an older house to remodel and some with commercial land use. Inside the gated developments, quintas share a private access road and security. Check whether an existing house was built with permits before you price the remodel.

FAQ:

• How do you get to Sabana Redonda?

  Head for San Pedro de Poás and take Route 146 north toward Poasito; the road climbs straight through the district. Buses run from the San Pedro terminal to Sabana Redonda and Calle El Tajo. Fraijanes and the road to the national park are just above the district.

• Does the active volcano affect buying here?

  Sabana Redonda is on the slope below Poás, not at the crater, but the volcano has been active since 2025 and its alert level changes. Check the current CNE alert and the OVSICORI reports, ask neighbours whether ash has reached their land, and talk to your insurer about cover before you buy. If you plan to rent to visitors, remember that park closures cut that trade.

• What should I check before buying a view lot on the slope?

  Slope is the first risk: many lots are terraced, and the view usually comes with a steep drop below. Ask the Municipalidad de Poás for a land-use certificate and get water availability from the provider in writing, since a lot sold with services may only have them at the road. Pull the title and cadastral plan from the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario), and in a gated development read the rules on how much of the plot you may build over.

• Can I rent out a cabin in Sabana Redonda?

  Visitors to the volcano, the Fraijanes lagoon and nearby farm tours stay in cabins and small hotels along the road. Demand rises and falls with the park, so price a cabin on what it earns in a closed year as well as an open one. Confirm with the municipality that the land use allows lodging.

• Is Sabana Redonda practical for a family?

  The district has two primary schools, the Escuela Monseñor Delfín Quesada Castro and Escuela La Pradera, and an EBAIS clinic on Route 146. For banks, the municipality and most shopping you go down to San Pedro de Poás, the canton seat.