For day 3, Saturday, I had booked a combined Coffee, Volcano and Waterfall tour. I normally hate guided tours, especially the one-day bus tour variant. But since I had little time and getting around on my own wasn’t too easy, I went for it.
The coffee farm visit was not really worth it, it was mostly a tourist thing where they tried to sell us overpriced coffee. The farm itself didn’t look like anything was actually grown there, and I suspect all the machines were only there as decoration. Compared to the coffee tour I took a few years back in Colombia, where I went to an actual coffee farm deep in the mounts where we were shown around by an actual coffee farmer, this one I would not recommend.
The next destination was the Poas Volcano, which is surrounded by cloud forests. Again the site was very crowded with tourists, but due to the mist and the clouds, you were able to at least sometimes imagine like you were alone…
The volcano itself was unspectacular, since the cloud cover was so dense that day, you couldn’t actually see the crater. You were just looking into the mist.
The last station of the tour was La Paz Waterfall Gardens. While the place was again pretty crowded, it for sure was the highlight of the tour. The gardens, besides multiple waterfalls, contain a small zoo with Leopards, an aviary as well as a butterfly garden. Also, everywhere in the park, we were able to see colibris very close up.
The waterfalls really were remarkable. Just be aware that you will be climbing a lot of stairs while visiting them.
After ferrying us to yet another souvenir shop (“you should buy some, they have really good prices!!”, yeah of course), we were dropped off at the hotel late in the evening. This time not McDonalds, thank god, since lunch was included in the tour.
On Sunday, my last full day in San Jose, I joined a free walking tour, together with some fellow travelers I met during the tour on Saturday. The guide was good, but truth said, there’s just not too much to see in San Jose. It’s small, there isn’t too much history and it has this “post modern dystopia” vibe that many city centers in latin america have. Never the less, it was fun to be with people, and we learned a lot about what it’s like living in a tiny country in central america.
After the tour, we all went for lunch in a small Colombian restaurant, where I had “Patacones” for the first time since visiting Colombia. For those that dom’t know, patacones are flat, fried plantains topped with meat or mushrooms and cheese. They are a staple food in south america, and they are awesome. It’s funny that when I was in Colombia, I was not a fan of the cuisine, but after leaving, I really crave patacones and arepas quite often.
After lunch I went to the national history museum, which is located in a former military fort right in the center of the city, and next to the new parlament building. The history itself wasn’t too interesting, it’s quite similar in all central american states: Spaniards, slavery, fight for independence, failed communist revolution, boom in 50th and 60th, decay since the 70th. Never the less, I found it remarkable that Costa Rica is one of the very few countries in the world that completely abolished their military. Until this day, they don’t have an Army or Navy, and still they are one of the safest countries in latin america. Go figure.
After the museum, I met up with another fellow traveler for a drink, before saying the final good bye and making my way back to the Hotel. Since the sun was shining for the first time in the trip, I decided to walk the 2 km. I even found an open shop to buy some “Cerveza Imperial”, the local Costa Rican beer.
The next day, I went to the airport early and flew back to Mexico City.
Was it worth it? In the end, I would say yes. Although the next time, I would not stay in San Jose, there’s just not much to see or do in the city. I would probably move directly to La Fortuna. Also, apparently there’s a really cheap bus from San Jose that brings you to a beach within 1-2 hours – sadly I learned this only after leaving. But all in all it was an interesting trip, I met some nice people and I had an excuse why work couldn’t reach me – I was on top of a volcano as well as in the jungle, after all.
The Guerito 