We took a three week self booked trip to Costa Rica with our two children in April 2018.  So far this goes down as one of our best holidays ever even though there were some serious downs; luckily they were far outweighed by our amazing experiences in this friendly and stunningly beautiful country.

Days 8-11.  Mountains, waterfalls and hummingbirds around La Paz and Volcan Poas in Costa Rica. 

Continuing around the stunningly beautiful country of Costa Rica.  Long drives, waterfalls and hummingbirds and being covered in butterflies.  Ever had a butterfly on your face?  Ever seen a jaguar crushing a chicken carcass two feet away?

Follow our story below and read on for accommodation and activity reviews, logistics and costing. 

Day 8 – Catarata Del Toro (90 metre waterfall in Costa Rica)

Woke up at Wendy’s for the last time.  We packed slowly as we were all sad to leave such a beautiful and peaceful place.  On reflection we should have spent more time hanging out at the lodge.

Headed for Catarata Del Toro on the road to Bajos Del Toro up in the mountains.  A beautiful drive of about 2 hours with some decent signs for once!  Probably more tourists here than we’d seen anywhere else so far, mainly in the form of a photography group taking shots of the hummingbirds which are everywhere here!  Check out our attempts.  We are definitely not professionals but this one sat still for us and gave us a chance!

From the restaurant at the top, we walked down to the waterfall around the edge of the crater and down the hundreds of steps to the base of the 90m falls which were spectacular – not many people make it all the way down here so we pretty much had it to ourselves.  The sound and the spray made it hard to hang around at the bottom for too long though and we went at the end of the dry season!

After heading back up the stairs, which was much harder than the way down we wandered through the gardens, which were empty of people but another great site for bird-spotting.  Chris and the kids got fed up with my slow pace and headed on to the restaurant without me.  We had the buffet lunch which was pretty good, although the highlight was the large variegated squirrels coming right next to the table on the feeders.

Time to leave and drive back down and around the mountain.  Just before La Paz Waterfall Gardens, there is a little waterfall (the 5th one of LA Paz Waterfall Gardens it turns out) on the side of the road.  We stopped and found the little path to the left of the falls to get behind it before heading on to our home for the next two days – Vara Blanca Tiquicia Lodge. 

Arrived in the cloud so couldn’t see much of anything – except for the painted shoes placed outside and the brightly coloured room.  A quirky place!

Day 9 – La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Sloths, big cats and lots of rain.

I was up early for a spot of birdwatching as we were cloud free and the sun was shining before rejoining the family for breakfast.  The hotel standard was lots of fruit, scrambled eggs and bread which definitely works for us.

We headed to La Paz Waterfall Gardens getting there about 9am.  It’s back on the tourist trail so it’s a pricey and busy place.  This day was for the kids though, who had been so great wandering forest trails and looking for birds with us.  It’s like a small zoo, with a bird aviary, massive butterfly house and some other CR animals like monkeys and big cats but set in a beautiful valley with some cloud forest trails which take you down past five waterfalls.     

We covered the animal exhibits by 12 as there aren’t a huge amount and stopped for lunch which was a lovely buffet in the beautiful restaurant with views out across the valley. 

After lunch we walked down to the waterfalls. The trail is pretty short but nicely done with a bus at the bottom to take you back up.  We skipped the bus and walked back up – it’s really not that far and it’s so beautiful.  We also headed down the other trails which are available but have no waterfalls.  These were totally deserted and obviously infrequently travelled as the route is paved like the waterfall trails but it was all covered in moss so it looked lovely and green and natural.  Well worth it as the cloud forest coats everything in moss making it feel like you’re walking through a mystical forest – very magical. 

It was magical until the heavens opened anyway!  Near the end of the trail we were treated to our first proper drenching since arriving in the rainforest – it felt like a right of passage! The trees provided some cover but as we came out we realised how big the raindrops were! We were soaked by the time we got back to the bird house.

Having overheard some people talking earlier about sloth feeding at 2 we made sure we were there for that.  It turned out that was a private tour who were getting a ‘behind the scenes’ experience or something as it was just a couple of families who were taken into the sloth cage to stroke and feed the sloths.  Darn!  We weren’t allowed in really, but the lovely people there let us in after to stroke them – lucky!  As it was still raining we headed into the butterfly house next door (which is easily the best butterfly house I’ve ever been in – it felt very special to have the ginormous blue morpho butterflies flapping around your head).  There we saw the private group again with a man holding a large net full of butterflies.  We headed over to watch as he got the butterflies out and placed them on the people in the group.  These were freshly hatched butterflies whose wings hadn’t quite dried enough for them to be flying yet or something so they sat on people for ages.   The guide went around the circle and then started putting them on us too – whoops but also yay!  An amazing experience – we had beautiful butterflies on our bodies, hands and even on our heads and faces!  Eventually, they warmed up and stretched out enough and fluttered off.  What an experience!

After deciding not to follow them again we headed to the big cat pens for feeding time.  By this point it was steadily raining and most people had left so we had front row seats to the large male jaguar crunching the chicken carcass like it was a wafer bar – his face literally inches away from ours through a piece of glass.  I will not be picking any fights with a jaguar in my future – scary stuff! 

Aiden high fived a mountain lion (through glass again) too and we got good views of other cats. Ran back to the car in the heavy rain and had dinner in Tiquicia Lodge.

Day 10 – Tiquicia’s emoji trail and the crocodiles of Tarcoles

Our final morning at Tiquicia started with glorious sunshine so after their usual breakfast we took our last chance to get out on their trail down to the river. The owner has made an Emoji trail with emoji’s to find in the gardens and along the trail. The kids went round with a notepad and recorded what they saw – just like me with my birds 😊. There are also painted shoes hung in random places which you don’t see very often!

Then it was time to start our day of travel – 5 and a half hours in the car – eugh.  Thanks goodness for music and for the kids liking our heavy rock music.  (Although I also learnt all the words to The Greatest Showman soundtrack on this holiday!)  It started with a long car journey back through the mountains towards Alajuela again and down to the Tarcoles area (3 hours not helped by the total lack of signs and us not having any mobile data so we had to guess our way through Alajuela).  What can I say – I love a real map even though Google maps is technically better. 

As you come into Tarcoles there’s a bridge across the river as you approach called the ‘crocodile bridge’ (you can’t really miss it).  It’s famous for having crocodiles under it a lot of the time.  It’s also known for car theft – they wait for you to park at the end of the bridge knowing the walk along the bridge and back will take at least 5 mins, smash a window and grab what they can.  Do not leave your car unattended here – we heard two stories about this happening from people whilst we were there!  The bridge did not disappoint and there were at least 20 massive crocs in the river below.  We also saw our first Scarlet Macaws flying over. 

We drove on another 20 mins (partly up a very steep unpaved road which the car barely made it up (it was heavily laden with people and cases so I won’t blame the car too much)).  It started to hammer down too as we were driving up.  We made it up only to find out the Pura Vida Gardens and Waterfalls restaurant (which is meant to have super great views) was closed.  What!?  We could tour the gardens in the rain for a pretty pricey ticket but that didn’t sound great.  Turned round sad and hungry to search elsewhere and found Ti-Ko’s on the way back down.  The views out to sea were amazing (once the rain stopped and some of the cloud cleared) and our stuttering sliding hill ascent seemed worth it again.    

Back on the road for the remaining 2 hour drive to Matapalo which was very straight forward – it’s literally one road along the coast the whole way – and a great road at that 😊.  Finding the property was guesswork with no mobile data/map but we got there by driving all the roads in Matapalo – luckily there aren’t many – it’s tiny town along the coast with a couple of restaurants and a few places for rent.  The plus side is the great empty beach! 

Reviews

Accommodation Reviews

Vara Blanca Tiquicia Lodge

Overview

This place is a perfect base for the La Paz Waterfall Gardens as it’s only 5 minutes away. It’s pretty quirky with colourful rooms and a lovely outdoor space with lovely gardens which include an emoji trail and a little trail down to the river.

Great for a couple of days, then you’d probably want a change.

Getting there

Off the main road (the 126) from Alajuela/San Jose to San Miguel so easy to find.

The hotel room price includes a FREE shuttle from the hotel to the airport. You can also get them to pick you up from the airport for a fee.

Costs

Our room cost us £65 per night with breakfast included. This was for a room with a double bed and bunk beds with a mountain view.

Facilities

This is a fairly small place with only a few rooms but the outside space is great and the restaurant has lovely views over the hills.

The room we had was green, with a double bed and a bunk bed. There wasn’t much room for much else so it was pretty cosy for four. We weren’t in there much so it was fine for us.

There are lovely gardens outside with a small playground and a trail down to the river through the forest.

Food and drink options

We ate dinner the two nights we stayed here (you’d have to drive to find anywhere else to eat). The food was ok from memory. Breakfast was eggs, bread and fruit which was fine for us.

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Activity reviews

Catarata Del Toro

Overview

A massive waterfall at 90m, one of the biggest in Costa Rica on a private reserve of 100 hectares.  You start at the top looking down at the waterfall as it flows into an old volcanic crater and then through a gorge it’s carved for itself. Because of the volcanic nature the rocks have interesting hues to them.

There are over 350 steps (we counted) leading down to the bottom so you can feel the full force of the spray.

There’s also a fairly pricey restaurant and a ton of hummingbird feeders in gardens so this place is a paradise for hummingbird photographers.

https://www.catarata-del-toro.com/

Getting there

On the road (the 708) to Bajos Del Toro up in the mountains from Rio Cuarto.

A beautiful drive up from La Virgen with some decent signs!

Costs

$14 USD per adult and $7 per child entry. About £38 including lunch for us.

You can save 15% by booking online.

Tours/Activity

The main things to do here are wander the gardens at the top and look at the hummingbird feeders – there were a ridiculous amount of them here, of many species. I also saw lots of other birds on the trail and in the rest of the gardens.

The other activity is viewing the waterfall. This can be done by looking down from the top, or you can walk down the gravelled, gently sloping trailhead to see it from some different angles. For the fitter people the trail then starts down 259 concrete steps to the base of the falls.

We spent over four hours here walking the trails and eating lunch.

Food and drink options

There is a restaurant which offers a buffet lunch with fairly standard Costa Rican food. We had meat, rice and beans. There were also some juices like Cas and Mangosteen. You pay for this on entry. It wasn’t cheap but there aren’t really any other options!

Practicalities

The bottom of the falls are only accessible by those fit enough to walk 259 steps down and up.

It was pretty busy here – there was a photography group at the start taking pictures of the hummingbirds at the feeders around the restaurant and some of them were walking down to the falls.

Wildlife

We saw loads of birds, Violet Sabrewing, Green Crowned Brilliant, Stripe tailed hummingbird, Brown violet ear, Sooty Robin, Bannanaquit, Green Hermit, Brown Jay to name the ones I hadn’t seen anywhere before.

Sustainability/Eco friendly rating

Not all of the 100 hectares of forest are open for the public and the owners try to keep everything as natural as possible. Their aim is to create somewhere where nature’s beauty can be appreciated but with as little human impact as possible. As someone who wants to see all the world has to offer whilst causing as little damage as possible I am all for this!

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La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park

Overview

The waterfall gardens are a mix between a zoo and a nature park, with enclosures of animals which you can visit, and trails through cloud forest and down to five waterfalls.

The setting is lovely, on one side of a valley in the cloud forest. All the buildings are sympathetic with their environment and the fences I loved – they looked like wound wood even though they are stone.

http://www.waterfallgardens.com/la_paz_waterfall_gardens.php

Getting there

On the main road from (the 126) from Alajuela/San Jose to San Miguel you can’t miss this.

Costs

$192 for the four of us with lunch (or $148 without food) – about £156.   This was the kids treat for coming on all the trails with us.

Tours/Activity

In the La Paz Waterfall Gardens you have a bird house where you can walk amongst a number of bird species, the sloth houses and monkey enclosure. There is an amazing butterfly house with a display of lots of insects (dead). Then there are the big cat houses, which are largely glass fenced. The enclosures are not big, but not horrendously small either and you get really close – the cats always seemed to be hanging about near the glass.

This is the best butterfly house we have ever been to with massive Blue Morphs everywhere. They put fruit out so the butterflies come to land at a good height.

There are also two sets of trails (3.5km in total); the waterfall trails and the rainforest trails.

The waterfall trail is the one most people have come here to walk. The trail is paved and fenced in lovely natural looking stone so is easy underfoot. It weaves down through the forest along the river passing 5 waterfalls on its route. All very pretty.

The rainforest trails were totally deserted and obviously infrequently travelled as the route is paved like the waterfall trails but it was all covered in moss so it looked lovely and green and natural. Well worth it a walk. They are not far – 1-2km (with steps).

You can do a private tour here which would include getting in the sloth cage and feeding them, and having freshly hatched butterflies put all over you amongst other things. I’m not sure how much this costs but it did look pretty amazing!

Food and Drink options

The lunch buffet was good, with lots of options, although there was quite a queue. If you pay for the buffet with your ticket then you get a wristband which gives you free drinks and food at the restaurant whilst they’re serving (11-4 I think) so we went back and had more drinks and ice cream just before 4.

The restaurant was beautifully designed with views out across the valley.

Practicalities

A proper tourist attraction so expect all your normal facilities.

The waterfall trail does have some steps down on it, although they all have good railings and the route down past the waterfalls can’t be much more than 1 km. There’s a bus then that will take you back up to the entrance.

You are in the cloud forest up here so it rains a lot and can get quite cold as you’re at about 4,500 feet above sea level.

Wildlife

We didn’t see much other than the caged animals here, but the viewings of the animals in the park were very good and up close.

Sustainability/Eco friendly rating

The 70 acres of the park are comprised of 40 acres of cloud and rainforest, and 30 hectares of pastureland which was cut by the previous owner. The park are reforesting this area and are members of a number of green programs.

The 3.5km trails and viewing platforms were supposedly created and built without cutting one tree or vine system which shows quite a commitment to leaving things as they are! The trail materials were carried down on foot to avoid the use of heavy equipment in the forest.

95% of the employees are from towns within a 12 mile radius, employing people who used to subsist on ranching and agriculture.

Most the animals are rescues. The big cats in these enclosures were unsuitable for release and lost their previous home so are being used for breeding. The aim is to release their young into the wild.  

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Logistics

Some facts to help you plan your trip:

Our route:

The drive from La Virgen to Catarata Del Toro was about 45 minutes (34km). Then on to Vara Blanca Tiquicia Lodge was 1 hour (44km).

Tiquicia to Matapalo was a long one. The drive total was close to 4 hours, especially with our detour for lunch but we broke it up by stopping at the Tarcoles bridge about 2 hours in (200km).

We drove 278km at a cost of about £24.

Our transport:

We did all of our travels in our own hire car which was 2WD.  

Costs

Our costs for this part of our trip worked out as follows:

Accommodation

Vara Blanca Tiquicia Lodge 2 nights = £130

Travel

Fuel (at about £8.50 per 100km) = £24

Activities

Catarata Del Toro = £38

La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Nature Park = £156

Food

No self catering option at Tiquicia so we ate out. 

Breakfasts were included in the hotel price (with one final one at Wendys) = £3

We ate lunch out every day (3 times).  Lunch was included in the price for La Paz and Catarata Del Toro = £55

We ate two dinners at Tiquicia for £88 and ate at Matapalo when we arrived at about £8.

Catch up on days 1-8 

Days 11-16 coming soon!