The 37km loop (23 miles) took me 3 hours and 40 minutes to complete. That included a few stops – at the Ruins of Ujarrás and park overlooking the valley on the Ujarrás side. The actual biking only took 2 hours and 50 minutes. As a goal, it was nice to complete the entire loop. However, on a previous ride I biked from the Orosi church to the Ujarrás ruins and back, which is about the same distance but avoids the steepest, most dangerous, and least scenic portions. There’s also a shortcut across the pedestrian bridge to cut the journey short if necessary.
The colonial-style Orosi church began construction in 1743, and the current structure is restored with thick adobe walls, wooden beams, and orange tiled-roof. It is the oldest church still in use in Costa Rica. There is an somewhat interesting museum in a neighboring portion of the church, a beautiful garden, and an old graveyard to explore as well. A tiny geocache is hidden cleverly on the premises (see the photos).