Description
If you only have one day to experience the Central Valley, this is the combination that has it all: an active volcano, waterfalls deep in the cloud forest, tropical wildlife and the coffee that built the nation's fortune. It is our favorite recommendation for travelers who want to take home the essence of Costa Rica in a single day.
We begin at Doka Estate, on the slopes of Poas, where coffee tradition comes alive among the shrubs, sun-drying patios and a historic water-powered wet mill. A farm guide traces the bean's journey from seed to cup, and the closing tasting awakens the senses with notes of chocolate and fruit.
Next we climb to Poas Volcano National Park. From the lookout, the main crater opens like an immense bowl of rock where Laguna Caliente steams in an unreal shade of turquoise. When the trail is open, a short walk leads to Botos Lagoon, ringed by elfin forest and bromeliads.
The afternoon belongs to La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a private reserve in the mountains of Vara Blanca. After a buffet lunch of traditional dishes, we follow its trails and stairways along the La Paz River, descending past five waterfalls that thunder among giant ferns. Along the way we visit one of the largest butterfly observatories in the world, the hummingbird garden where dozens of them buzz inches from your face, the frog exhibit, the serpentarium, the aviary and the sanctuary for rescued wild cats, home to jaguars, pumas and ocelots. As the light fades, we head back feeling we've lived several journeys in one.
