Costa Rica is pure mountain paradise

As we drove up into the clouds, it began to look not like Costa Rica anymore. Mist swirled around us. Large-leafed Prehistoric-looking vegetation lurked in the gloom. All windows were up; I was wearing a big fleece jacket, and I was contemplating turning on my car’s heater for the first time ever.

When I told friends and family we were going to the “Cerro de la Muerte” (Mountain of Death) for Thanksgiving at the end of November, the overwhelming response was: “Sounds like fun. Not.” The Mountain of Death doesn’t exactly sound like a place for fun and relaxation … unless we’re talking eternal sleep. Maybe that’s why places like San Gerardo de Dota and Santa Maria de Dota (the Los Santos region of Costa Rica), the Tapantí National Park and the newly formed Los Quetzales National Park are some of the least visited destinations in Costa Rica.

These high mountain valleys in the Talamanca Mountain Range are most popular with die-hard eco-tourists – especially from Europe. Just 55 miles (89km) south of San José, the region is renowned for its bird watching. Visitors enjoy early morning nature walks searching for the magnificently-plumed Resplendent Quetzal and the other 200 or so bird species identified in these misty tropical cloud forests.

From the chilling damp of Cerro de la Muerte, we twisted down a narrow mountain road into the sun-kissed hidden valley of San Gerardo. Cerro de la Muerte is Costa Rica’s fourth highest mountain at 11,322 feet (3,451m); blessedly, we had dropped to a more pleasant 7,200 feet (2,200m) in San Gerardo.

Pure mountain air filled our lungs. The scent of cypress trees carried on crisp breezes, and the warm sunshine seemed to intensify all colors. San Gerardo is both charming and gorgeous. Little houses dot the countryside and numerous mountain lodges supply appealing accommodations. Apple, plum and peach orchards line the steep green hillsides. Rushing down the valley center is the wild Savegre River, tumbling headlong toward the Pacific Ocean just south of the Manuel Antonio National Park. On the Central Pacific Coast, the Savegre is known for its excellent whitewater rafting. Here, high in the mountains, its crystal clear spring waters provide sustenance to some of Costa Rica’s best trout fishing and trout farms.

We stayed at the Savegre Hotel, near the bottom of the valley settlement. The owners, the Chacón family, were the first pioneers to settle in the San Gerardo de Dota region, starting the community nearly 60 years ago. The family-operated lodge sits on a private reserve of 988 acres (400 hectares) with an extensive network of trails through the forest and to impressive waterfalls. Hiking and birding is fantastic, and it is also lovely to sit on the lodge’s sun deck watching countless jewel-toned hummingbirds zip around flowers, feeders and tree branches. Travel tip: Definitely go for the Junior Suite cabin with a wood-burning fireplace, and the all-inclusive meal plan. Constantly changing weather means bring warm clothes and rain gear.

The Trogón Lodge is another lovely mountain hotel in San Gerardo. Located a little higher up in the valley, it lines a bend in the river and offers comfortable cabins, hiking trails and a canopy zipline tour.

Make your travel arrangements for San Gerardo de Dota with Best of Costa Rica Destination Management Company, a Costa Rica travel agency with extensive experience. Best of Costa Rica arranges hotels, tours, transportation, custom travel packages, and travel for meetings and special events in Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua. The expert travel company provides a bilingual staff and a 24-hour assistance center.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica's Carara National Park is tops with nature lovers

One of the most brilliantly beautiful tropical birds is definitely the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao). Its loud, raucous squawks carry for miles, so usually you hear them before you see them. When you do sight a Scarlet Macaw in the wild, they are breathtaking – fire engine red bodies with sunshine yellow and royal blue wing feathers tinged with a bit of green, and a distinct stark white patch around both eyes.

An endangered species, Scarlet Macaws live in tropical forests from Mexico to South America. In Costa Rica, they live in dry, moist, and wet tropical lowland forests along the Pacific Coast where large mature trees provide nesting and food of nuts, fruits and flowers.

One of the best places to see wild Scarlet Macaws is at Carara National Park. You can also see them along the Central Pacific Coast from Herradura to Manuel Antonio, and in the Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula.

Carara National Park is located in a transition zone between tropical dry forest of Costa Rica's Northern Pacific and tropical rainforest of the Southern Pacific. This makes the Park home to a vast variety of wildlife and plants. Carara is one of 28 national parks in Costa Rica. Spannng 12,950 acres, it was created in 1978 first as a biological reserve and then made a national park in 1998.

Carara is exceedingly popular due to its easy accessibility and proximity to the capital city and the highly-trafficked beach town of Jaco, the Los Sueños Resort at Herradura Bay, and the Pacific cruise ship port of Caldera. But if you get there early, right when the park opens, or go late in the day near closing time, you can beat the crowds and have the nature and wildlife to yourself. Early morning, or around sunset is often the best time to see animals living in the park, especially Scarlet Macaws.

The Carara National Park protects the Tarcoles River valley on the Pacific Coast. Its forests are dense and high, and the park has a mixture of primary and secondary forests, lagoons, rivers and waterfalls. The huge trees here are often covered with vines and epiphytes. Pre-Columbian archaeological sites are scattered throughout the area.

The park's name is the native Huetar word for crocodile. Visit the park and you'll understand why since the Tarcoles River, which forms the park's northern boundary, is famous around the world for its giant and plentiful crocodiles. The Tarcoles River Bridge on the Coastal Highway is a favorite place for tourists to stop and view the monster-sized crocodiles below. Boat tours on the river also are very popular.

More than anything, though, Carara National Park is known for being a bird watching paradise. About 48% of Costa Rica's avian species, including one of the country's largest remaining wild populations of Scarlet Macaws, live in the park. More than 360 species of birds have been recorded in Carara, including toucans, parrots, aracaris, trogons, kingfishers and herons.

Other wildlife you are likely to see include white-faced Capuchin monkeys, agoutis, coatis, sloths, peccaries, anteaters, armadillos, boa constrictors and poison-arrow frogs.

The park has two trails to explore, each of which is approximately 2 miles (3 km) in length. There is a new shorter wheelchair accessible trail as well. It is best to go with a naturalist guide who will point out plant and animal species and explain the park's ecology.

Carara National Park is located 9.3 miles (15 km) north of Jacó and about an hour from San Jose. The Quebrada Bonita Ranger Station sits along Hwy 34 just minutes south of the Tarcoles River. The rangers will be happy to give advice and current information on wildlife. The park opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. The entrance fee is $10. Don't forget to bring insect repellent.

You can visit Carara National Park with Costa Rica travel agency Team CRT on their 7-day/6-night Costa Rica National Parks vacation package. The agency knows the best of the country, what to do and see, and they personalize it for you, designing your Costa Rica vacation to fit exactly what you want. From nature tours to beach destinations, adventure tours, family vacations, relaxation vacations, honeymoons and golf vacations, Team CRT delivers you unforgettable Costa Rica vacation packages. They also offer vacation packages to neighboring Panama and Nicaragua.

Team CRT is committed to sustainable tourism vacations that actively involve the local community in Costa Rica.

By Shannon Farley