Poás (Volcano & La Paz Waterfall Gardens)
We landed in SJO and ate at an Indian restaurant Zaika (Food was ok) before starting the 2 hr drive to Poás Volcano Lodge. It was a very strenuous drive with narrow winding road and dense fog. Make sure you plan your itinerary in a way that you reach your destination before 6pm as it gets very dark.
Poás Volcano Lodge
We arrived at the lodge when it was pitch dark. The entry road that leads to the reception is a very narrow one-way road shared by cars and wildlife and there are no street lights. It was quite challenging to navigate int he dark. Thankfully there were no cows at that hour. Our room was spacious and lovely with a beautiful view of the Poás valley. My only gripe is the bathroom shower tile which was very slippery. I slipped pretty bad. Thankfully there were no injuries. The area surrounding the lodge had a lot of greenery, beautiful flowers, walking trails (need mud shoes), on- site restaurant. Breakfast was included. We dined there as well (which wasn’t all that great). I would highly recommend staying at this location.
Poás Volcano
Next morning we visited Poás Volcano. Reservation is required in advance. Make sure you get there early morning as clouds start to form by 9am and block the view. Tour Poor Man’s umbrella trail. The name comes from a plant that has a huge leaf that can be used as an umbrella. You can smell the sulphur in the area. There are shelters built in the area in case of an eruption.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Next stop was at La Paz waterfalls. This is free to view from the road. You can visit La Paz waterfall garden which costs $55 per person (includes lunch). I would not recommend eating there. The garden has a mini zoo with local birds, butterflies, snakes, animals. Th Waterfall has 3 stages which you can see as you hike along the trail. Lots of stairs and a strenuous walk.
Trimbina (Longest hanging Bridge and Chocolate tour)
Next day we checked out of the hotel and stopped at Trimbina forest preserve. Here we saw the longest hanging bridge and took a guided chocolate making tour. Our guide showed us how the cacao bean is harvested and turned into chocolate. We got to try hot chocolate as well. The forest preserve has manned parking and a nice cafe. There are several trails in the forest preserve that you can hike on your own. Look out for wildlife as your walk along. We saw several iguana on trees.
Arenal (Volcano, Mistico hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall)
Arenal
Next stop was Arenal. It is the most popular volcano of Costa Rica. I personally preferred Paos Volcano. In my opinion, yo can watch Arenal volcano from the road and save on entrance fees to the park. We stayed at El Silencio del Campo. I would highly recommend this place. We had a small cottage to ourselves. The resort had multiple thermal springs and an animal farm. We would see peacocks strolling around the gardens. It was like living in heaven.
Arenal Volcano
We hiked along the yellow trail. Volcano was covered with clouds. We got better views when we were dining at a nearby Soda (canteen). Ate dinner at AWU Maki (would not recommend).
Mistico Hanging Bridges
Next morning we visited Mistico hanging bridge garden. We hired a guide (Brandon) who was great for the first 30 mins and then his enthusiasm died down for the remainder of the 2 hour walk. I would not recommend hiring a guide. The garden had 16 bridges (6 hanging and 10 fixed)
La Fortuna Waterfall
Next morning we visited LaFortuna Waterfall. You have to go down (and eventually climb up) 500 steps. As arduous as it sounds, it was fairly easy and not strenuous. We ate at India Curry house (highly recommend) before driving out of the area.
Tenorio Volcano National Park (Casita Tenorio, Rio Celeste)
Casita Tenorio
Staying at Casita Tenorio was my favorite stay of the trip. During the entire trip, I fell i love with the Tucan and was dying to get a good picture and close-up of this bird. Well, I had my heart’s full during breakfast time at this casita. The breakfast area overlooked a forest. The hotel staff hung fruit for the birds. One can spend the entire morning sitting at the breakfast area and watch all kinds of birds fly in. It wass a really close encounter with the birds. It was my birthday and I could not have asked for a better experience and start to the day. We say all types of Tucans and other colorful birds. I would highly recommend this place. They have 5 rooms which get sold out pretty quickly. Our room was beautiful with a floor to ceiling glass door, balcony overlooking the forest. The staff also offers a free farm tour where they walk you through the plantation, farm animals, you can feed the sheep and milk the cow as well. They cook breakfast with ingredients from their farm.
Rio Celeste
Celeste River is a river in Tenorio Volcano National Park of Costa Rica and is known for its striking turquoise color. There are several hot springs in the area and a waterfall. It takes about an hour to hike to the waterfall from the park’s entrance and involves going stairs. Make sure you have hiking poles. We had lunch at a soda outside the park. It was quite an enjoyable experience as it started pouring. The sound of the rain hitting the tin roof and water dripping from the roof on the vegetation was very soothing to watch
Monteverde (Cloud Forests, Bird watching tours, Tree top dining)
Monteverde
This was heaven on earth although the drive to Monteverde was arduous due to unpaved roads. Luckily we had the drive during daytime. Monteverde is another one of my favorite places. We stayed at the Koora Hotel. I would highly highly recommend this hotel. The staff is courteous, the 2 story cottage that we stayed in was like a palace overlooking a forest. It was like staying in a treetop hotel. he hotel’s restaurant has a gorgeous view overlooking the forest and the Pacific ocean. Food was great. Had dinner at Senda El Sapito. It was a great experience.
We hired a tour guide (Oscar) for bird watching tour. I would highly recommend him. He was very knowledgeable, punctual and could spot birds magically. He was also very quick with his setting up his scope, attaching his phone and recording photos and videos that he shared with us. We took two tours with him and they were both enjoyable. We had better luck with birds at the Curi-Cancha reserve than at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (mainly because it was raining and birds are inactive during rain). The highlight was seeing a green snake hanging from the tree. Thank goodness for our guide’s eyes that caught it. My favorite part of the tour was eating at Stella’s cafe. The food and chocolate mocha were amazing. We caught good glimpses of birds at the bird feeder while eating breakfast. Must go place if you are in the area. We also visited Santa Elena forest preserve, another cloud forest. It was windy and rainy. We completed a short walk and exited.
Chander treated me to a prix fixe treetop dining experience for my birthday at San Lucas treetop dining. While the food was mediocre and not worth the price, the experience was great. We had a glass cabin reserved for us along with a menu our name. The menu was carefully crafted with dishes representing various regions and specialities of Costa Rica. The staff brought delicacies one after the other.
Manuel Antonio & San Jose
Manuel Antonio
This was our last stop. The park was overly crowded, nothing much to see. Our guide talked more about himself than the wildlife. We did not see much at this park. There were a few sloths, but all sleeping. I would not recommend wasting your time and money here. We stayed at Shana By The Beach which had more wildlife to see compared to the park. This was a very commercial hotel property. It did not have that intimate feel like all the other places we stayed. We ate at Hola India and Varuna Cafe (plant based). At some point during this time Chander and I caught COVID.
San Jose
We drove to San Jose which was an experience in itself. Firstly we got caught in traffic and then entering San Jose city was a really daunting experience in terms of navigating foot and car traffic. I would not recommend staying here. We breathed such a sigh of relief when we reached the hotel. We stayed at the Gran Hotel which was very nice. Had dinner at Tin Jo (would not recommend) and toured the oldest market central Mercado established in 1880. Flew back to Chicago the next day.
Overall, this was an amazing trip. If I had to go back again, I would skip Manuel Antonio and San Jose.