Alajuela is a convenient first stop in your trip in Costa Rica, both because it is very close to the airport and it is a good base for first activities in the country. We stayed at Villa Margarita, approx. 10 minutes from the airport (more at rush hours), a family friendly hotel with large family rooms set in a tropical garden, with a swimming pool and lots of amenities for kids.
We first went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park. Though it is the most visited reserve in the country, we were almost at 09:15 and slightly wondered why. Well, when we left at noon time, the parking was packed… The zoo is beautiful (all animals are recovered from poaching or trafficking) and gives you a first glimpse of what you might see during your trip. The walk to the 4 waterfalls, with platforms going almost below the water, is very pleasant and the highest waterfall (37 meters high) is truly impressive. If you do not feel like driving 75 minutes (for 38 km, yes), there are other reserves closer from Alajuela and much cheaper, without waterfalls, though.
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- Blue Peacock (Pavo cristatus), La Paz Waterfall Gardens
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- Chestnut Mandibeled Toucan (Ramphastos Ambiguus Swainsonii), La Paz Waterfall Gardens
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- Menelaus Blue Morpho (Morpho Menelaus), La Paz Waterfall Gardens
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- Owl Butterfly (Caligo Atreus), La Paz Waterfall Gardens
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- Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus), La Paz Waterfall Gardens
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- Templo (26 meters), La Paz Waterfall Gardens
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- Magia Blanca (37 meters), La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Alajuela, Costa Rica, La Paz Waterfall Gardens
On the next day, we climbed the Volcano Poas. Climbing is probably slightly exaggerated, since you drive all the way up, and then finish with a casual 10-minute walk to the mirador. The sight is impressive: the fuming acid-lake in the crater is surrounded by a moonlike landscape of ashes, itself surrounded by a primary cloud-forest. Then the walk to the lake through the primary cloud forest is pleasant, though there is nothing spectacular. Beware that at 2.645 meters above sea level, it is cold at the mirador: we lost 12 degrees driving up from Alajuela, with a steady strong wind that amplified the feeling of cold. And plan your visit early in the morning early to enhance your odds to see the summit and crater: later on chances are high that it will be in the fog.
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- Sulphur-lake of the crater of the Poas Volcano
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- Crater of the Poas Volcano
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- Around of the crater of the Poas Volcano
Both the Volcanoe Poas & La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park can easily be done in one day (which also saves time driving), starting at Poas at 08:00 and then heading to La Paz Waterfall, with time available in the afternoon to relax.
