Costa Rica Vacation Journals

It was 5 a.m. and still dark outside when my alarm clock, our neighborhood rooster, roused me from sleep. I gulped down my morning café. The transition from night owl to morning person complete, I was now raring to go, ready for my second tour with Expediciones Tropicales. Today we were sightseeing in Cartago Province, a part of the country I knew little about, and home to Irazú Volcano, the Orosi Valley and Lankester Botanical Gardens.

My journey began at 7:30 a.m., as I was the first guest to be picked up by our Expediciones Tropicales bus. Our driver patiently navigated the clogged San José streets, retrieving 13 other passengers before we headed towards Irazú, the highest volcano in Costa Rica.

Another ten-hour day ahead of me, I was eager to meet my tour companions and hear their stories. We were an international crowd, from Mexico, El Salvador, England, the U.S. and Costa Rica. Our tour guide Marcel gave us a bit of background on local ecology in alternating Spanish and English as we made the hour and twenty-minute trip to Irazú Volcano National Park.

We traveled east via the Pan-American Highway and then slowly climbed into the clouds, on switchback roads that crisscrossed up the volcano slope. We saw large fields of onions, broccoli, cabbage and mustard growing in the black volcanic soil, some of the most fertile in the country. Dubbed the “Idaho of Costa Rica”, the farmlands along Irazú’s slopes produce vast amounts of hearty potatoes which are later sold at the local farmers’ market.

Nearly there, we made a pit stop to warm ourselves up with hot cocoa and coffee at a popular mountain-top restaurant. We were 10,000 feet above sea level, and it was downright chilly. As I put on my jacket and pined for gloves, I felt kind of sorry for the two guests that wore only shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops.

The temperature hovered around 45 F, as we were now in the páramo, an ecosystem like that in the Andes, found only at high elevations, between the forest and snow lines. Marcel seemed unconcerned by the large clouds rolling in, assuring us that we would get a glimpse of one of the volcanic craters. Our bus scaled the remaining 1,260 feet to the desolate landscape that marked the entrance to Irazú National Park.

Unlike anything I’ve ever seen, the area around the craters resembled a moonscape, a vast expanse coated with black ash. It felt like we were on another planet; the absence of wildlife and lush vegetation was strikingly different from the fertile fields we had just passed. One of Costa Rica’s active volcanoes, Irazú Volcano infamously erupted in 1963, raining clouds of ash on Cartago, San José and most of the Central Valley for nearly three years.

Mixed with rain, the ash formed a mild sulphuric acid resulting in severe respiratory problems for local inhabitants. Volcanologists speculate that Irazú has been erupting for over 500 years; however, it has recently entered a dormant phase to the great relief of farmers and property owners along the slopes. (Not to mention our tour group.)

On a perfectly clear day, you can see both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts from the volcano. The sky dark and misty, we were lucky to see three of Irazú’s five craters. The first was completely filled with a slate-grey ash. The view that I had anticipated was of the principal crater, 3445 feet in diameter, the bottom filled with lime green water. Depending on mineral concentrations, the lagoon can also take on a red hue, but today it was unmistakably chartreuse.

Other than oak and cedar trees, interspersed with poor man’s umbrella plants and patches of scrubby grass, the area was bleak and eerie. We spotted a sooty robin, one of a few species that thrives in the high altitudes of the páramo.

An ominous band of black clouds rolled above us, but our luck continued as the rains abated. We descended the mountain, bound for La Basilica de Los Angeles, a famous church dating back to the early 17th century in the heart of Cartago.

Built where a young indigenous girl saw The Virgin herself, the church is regarded as a holy Mecca and is the destination of a religious pilgrimage by thousands of Latin Americans every August 2nd. Inside the elaborate cathedral, Ave Maria played softly and parishioners either walked or slowly crawled on their knees to the altar in prayer.

Amid all of this religious fervor, we had worked up an appetite, so we departed the former colonial capital of Cartago, and drove southeast to La Casona de Cafetal, a popular Tico restaurant nestled in a coffee plantation and overlooking the Cachi Lake. Along the way, we passed the hydroelectric Cachi Dam and entered the Orosi Valley, a flourishing agricultural basin, known for its coffee and flanked by enormous jade mountains.

The spectacular scenery and good company added ambiance to our scrumptious casado lunch of grilled sea bass, ripe plantains cooked in molasses, rice, beans and salad. Coffee was the central theme for dessert of homemade flan de café, a creamy, coffee custard served alongside our very own traditional coffee makers, known as coffee-socks.

Our bellies full, we traveled a few miles down the road to The Dreamer’s House, a family-run gallery where artisans exhibit elaborate carvings made from coffee and drift wood, the latter found along the banks of the Reventazón River, famed for its whitewater rapids.

We continued on to the small village of Ujarrás, to view the ruins of the country’s first colonial church, founded by missionaries in 1570. In an account now common in Costa Rica and other Latin American countries, the church was constructed by Spanish settlers where a fisherman purportedly saw The Virgin. Over the years, earthquakes and floods have taken their toll on the structure, leaving only the limestone framework.

As we were leaving, Marcel pointed out that Ujarrás was once a muggy, mosquito-infested area, forcing Spanish settlers to relocate to the higher grounds of nearby Paraíso and Cartago. Today, the village was free of mosquitoes as well as the noise and cars of the city; it seemed to me an ideal setting and a nice place to call home.

Fields of chayote, also known as christophene or pear-squash swathed the roadside on our way to Lankester Botanical Gardens, our final stop for the day. Our guide revealed that women used to smoke chayote leaves during the colonial era, a sort of clandestine tobacco.

Lankester Gardens spans 27 acres of trails and houses over 3000 plant species. Founded by British botanist and orchid-buff, Charles Lankester, it is now run by the University of Costa Rica. The gardens feature bromeliads, palms and cacti growing amid secondary pre-montane forest, but most visitors come to Lankester to view the more than 1000 orchid species.

March and April are the busiest months, as most orchids are in bloom then. We walked through hobbit-sized tunnels of bamboo, past gigantic epiphytes and a sea of purple bromeliads. Marcel thoughtfully mentioned that the bromeliads likely hosted over a dozen tarantulas. Just the mention of a hairy spider and I was out of there, hot on the trail to the orchid conservatory.

The greenhouses held hundreds of vividly-colored orchids, including some miniature species. Gazing at their seductive colors and shapes, I somewhat understood an orchid-hunter’s obsession with collecting such beautiful plants. We also saw several carnivorous pitcher plants, their well-adapted shape a deadly trap for insects. It was almost 4:30 p.m. and our visit to the gardens had come to an end.

During our hour-long return to San José, a couple of my tour companions expressed regret about their abbreviated stay in Costa Rica. Despite the foreboding weather, we had managed to escape the rain and see a beautiful part of the country that is often overlooked by visitors. Although I am the proud new owner of a 4x4, it was nice to sit back and let an experienced driver handle the poorly-signed backcountry roads and kamikaze drivers. The tour moved at a gentler pace than the “4 in 1” excursion I had taken a few days earlier and our knowledgeable Expediciones Tropicales guide, Marcel, was passionate about Costa Rica’s history and ecology.

Contact Info:
Expediciones Tropicales
www.expedicionestropicales.com
Email: info@expedicionestropicales.com
Telephone in Costa Rica: (506) 257-4171 or (506) 257-4133

One of the great things about traveling in Costa Rica is its compact size, enabling visitors to explore varied terrains in relatively short amounts of time. Costa Rica is known for its diverse ecosystems, including cloud and rainforests, rich farmlands, cool mountains and hot lowlands. Today, I had the opportunity to experience all of these environments on my tour with Expediciones Tropicales. Dubbed the 4 in 1 tour, our journey began in the mountains above Alajuela, at Doka Estate coffee plantation, followed by Poás Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens, before descending into the Caribbean Zone, to the town of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, for a tranquil boat ride down the Sarapiquí River. With an appetite for adventure, we set off at 7 a.m. with our trusty tour guide, Martín, for an action packed day that would end a full 12 hours later.

In chats with my tour mates, who hailed from South Africa, Australia and the U.S, I learned that most were on a tight schedule, some with just a few days vacation in Costa Rica. For them, the 4 in 1 tour with Expediciones Tropicales offered the most bang for the buck (or kick for the colon), but more importantly, the opportunity to see some of the Central Valley highlights in just one day, a sort of condensed Costa Rica. As we climbed up the mountain through San Isidro de Alajuela, to Doka Estate, our group asked Martín some thoughtful questions about Costa Rica’s economy. He explained that while Costa Rica still exports large amounts of coffee, bananas, sugar and pineapple, within the last decade, technology and tourism have replaced agriculture as the top industries. Driving past verdant coffee farms and large fields of ornamental plants, our thoughts were on our impending coffee tour and Tico-style breakfast at Doka Estate.

With perfect timing, the pea-soup fog that we had driven through for nearly an hour suddenly cleared as we arrived at Doka Estate. There, Martín gave our group of ten an abbreviated 15-minute tour of the coffee plantation where we learned about the Arabica coffee plant and the drying and roasting process of Doka’s award-winning Tres Generaciones café. We tucked into hearty helpings of delicious coffee, fruit, eggs and gallo pinto, Costa Rica’s version of rice and beans, in the plantation’s outdoor restaurant. After breakfast we had 20 minutes to roam the coffee fields or shop in Doka’s souvenir store. A couple of folks in our group purchased bags of freshly roasted coffee, so our tour bus smelled like a double shot of espresso for the remainder of the trip.

Already on the lower slopes of Poás, we continued north to Poás Volcano National Park, the 35-minute ride traversing small farming communities, past cattle and sheep ranches and a couple of trout farms. We climbed from 4500 feet to over 8000, through cloud forests and vegetation reminiscent of Jurassic Park. As the air was noticeably chillier, we dug through our bags and pulled out light jackets for the short walk from the parking area to the crater of the volcano. Once there, it was obvious why this is one of the most visited national parks in Costa Rica: close proximity to San José, wheelchair accessible, paved roads and a spectacular view of the second-widest crater (9/10th of a mile) in the world. Our guide informed us that Poás is one of Costa Rica’s five active volcanoes and had a minor eruption last September. In fact, Poás has erupted several times over the past century, sending huge ash clouds into the air.

The park was blanketed in giant ferns and poor man’s umbrella plants, their massive leaves nearly three feet in diameter. The acid rains generated by the volcano allow few other species to flourish in the area. As we approached the lookout to the crater, we smelled the eggy sulphuric gas that gurgled from the volcanic fumaroles. Undeterred, we arrived at the lookout and were relieved to see the crater, only partially obstructed by clouds. Inside the crater boiled a lagoon of aquamarine water. At a depth of nearly 1000 feet, it is the largest active volcanic lagoon in the world.

While the park offered several well-marked trails through cloud forests to other lagoons, Martín explained that we didn’t have time and would have to push on. Our hour-long visit to the park included a quick visit to its small museum, with old aerial photos and topographical maps. I learned that Poás is comprised of three craters, only one of which is active. One of the dormant craters has transformed into a cold-water lake which flows down the mountains and feeds the Sarapiquí River, our final destination.


From Poás, we traveled east for another 35 minutes, towards the Caribbean side of the continental divide, to the tiny town of Vara Blanca, home of La Paz Waterfall Gardens. La Paz is a mammoth place: a nature park, wildlife refuge, butterfly garden, and serpentarium all wrapped up in one. A hotspot on the tourist trail, La Paz has beautifully-landscaped grounds and nearly three miles of trails, lush with bromeliads and orchids. We spent over two hours at the park, exploring the football field-sized aviary, where scarlet macaws and toucans roamed freely. In a separate enclosure, a family of marmosets, known locally as star monkeys, vied for our attention. Their furry, mischievous faces reminded me of Gizmo, the gremlin. We moved on to La Paz’s new butterfly observatory, and got a closer look at some of the many species of butterflies native to Costa Rica. The enclosure had an onsite laboratory, allowing us to view the butterfly lifecycle.

Our next stop was the serpentarium, which exhibited 30 of Costa Rica’s snakes, including boa constrictors and the highly venomous eyelash pit viper. Our group had time to stop for photos; however Martín kept us on the move, as we had lots of ground to cover. We chowed down on a buffet-style lunch of salad, pasta, chicken and pizza, fueling up for the rest of our journey. I was happy to be visiting La Paz in the rainy season as there were fewer crowds and better opportunities to photograph the flora and fauna. We passed through the hummingbird garden, where the iridescent green birds zoomed just inches from our faces,their long and narrow bills designed to drink nectar from flower blossoms.

The Ranarium, or frog garden, housed several species of the minuscule poison dart frog and tree frogs, all climbing freely on trees and plants. The larger species were easier to spot, usually wedged in the crevice of a plant, almost like a prop frog as they always seemed to be next to their identification card. We finished our trip to La Paz with its real highlight, a series of five spectacular waterfalls. A somewhat slippery, vine-covered path led us to the first waterfall, known as The Temple. The water crashing down from 85 feet above created a fine mist in the air. The trail followed the La Paz River, through both cloud and rainforest habitats, carrying us first above, then next to and finally below the waterfalls.

In the interest of time, we skipped the hike down to the last two waterfalls which our guide explained we could see better by car on our way out. Although the sky was dark and cracks of lightning could be heard, the rains held off as we made our way northeast, to the Caribbean lowlands of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí.We descended into the flat lands of the Caribbean Zone, the landscape dominated by coconut palms, grown for both their fruit and tender hearts of palm, harvested from the core of the tree. The hour and 15-minute drive passed quickly as our group chatted away about the places we had just visited.

Our final voyage of the day was a boat trip down the Sarapiquí River. Our boat driver, Mr. Willy, had lived in Sarapiquí his whole life and knew the water and its animals so well he seemed like kin. We trawled slowly down the river and almost immediately saw a couple of baby howler monkeys frisking in the trees. A splash alerted our guide to a river otter, slipping quietly below the surface of the dark water. We spotted herons, waterfowl and large male iguanas, but my favorites were long-nosed bats, the tiniest I had ever seen. The bats clung to the side of a tree in a long, snake-like formation to scare off predators. Mr. Willy turned off the boat’s motor and we spent a few quiet moments idling along the river. Every now and again he would rev-up the engine, exciting the monkeys, who howled back at us. Nearing the end of our trip, we saw a juvenile three-foot crocodile, common to the Sarapiquí River. One of my tour companions was particularly worried about the small children we saw swimming in the river, just a few hundred yards away. When asked about the danger, Mr. Willy just shrugged and said “no worries, Pura Vida.”

Our day had come to an end, and although happy, we were all a bit tired and hungry. I was relieved to see cookies and pineapple juice waiting for us at the dock. While cramming butter cookies into my mouth, I thought about all that we had done on our tour and how it would have taken me several days to cover so much ground on my own. We boarded our comfortable bus, bound for San José, via the scenic highway through Braulio Carillo National Park. The last person to be dropped off, I said goodbye to our friendly Expediciones Tropicales guide. It had been a long and fun journey, but I was ready to head home to share my exciting day before crashing out and dreaming of waterfalls and volcanoes.

Contact Info:
Expediciones Tropicales
www.expedicionestropicales.com
Email: info@expedicionestropicales.com
Telephone in Costa Rica: (506) 257-4171 or (506) 257-4133

Costa Rica is often synonymous with adventure, pristine beaches and active volcanoes: in short, a paradise for the eco-tourist and wildlife enthusiast. While rainforest treks and canopy tours are commonly recounted, you seldom hear visitors raving about the souvenirs or handicrafts they picked up on their journey. For those in search of traditional woodworking and true craftsmanship in Costa Rica, a visit to the artisan town of Sarchí is a must. Located in the Central Valley among rolling hills and sugar cane plantations, Sarchí is the arts and crafts capital of the country. Less than an hour’s drive from San Jose or Alajuela, Sarchí’s rich artisan history attracts tourists and Ticos alike.

I had visited both Grecia and Sarchí nearly seven years ago with my ESL students on a field trip and remembered the large quantities of furniture on display, all hand-crafted by local woodworkers. Having recently moved to a new home, I was in the market for some unique furnishings. The sun was shining as I hopped into the car, eager to re-visit the agricultural and artisan towns of Grecia and Sarchí. I was hoping to find some rustic pieces, a style common in the furniture workshops of Sarchí.

I left early to make the most of the sunshine. The rainy season is officially here, which typically means brilliant mornings and sporadic afternoon downpours in the Central Valley. Hillsides turn a deeper shade of jade, landscapes are lush and the rains bring cool air; all in all, perfect weather for a day trip.

Following signs to Grecia, I exited the main highway, where backcountry roads snaked through coffee and sugar cane plantations, leading me to my first stop. I parked next to Grecia’s immaculate Parque Central and quickly realized how this village earned the award for cleanest Latin American town. Not so much as a scrap of paper could be seen on the ground and street cleaners were out in full force.

The east side of Parque Central is bordered by the vibrant Cathedral de la Mercedes. Made of metal in an unusual brick-red color, the church was built in Belgium in the 1890’s and shipped to Limon where it was carried by oxcart, piece by piece, to Grecia. The Gothic-style, twin-towered church was packed with Grecians participating in mass at 9:30 on a Thursday morning.

While I saw a few furniture shops scattered throughout town, I was saving my major shopping for Sarchí, just a few kilometers northwest of Grecia. Before continuing on, I stopped at a soda on the corner of Parque Central and indulged in one my favorite snacks, a picadillo-filled empanada: finely diced, perfectly spiced potatoes with bits of chicken or beef stuffed into a small pie shell and either baked or fried until golden brown. Top it off with some hot sauce and you have a pocket of spicy deliciousness.

Typical for rural Costa Rica, signs to Sarchí were nonexistent in Grecia. I asked directions from a friendly local and backtracked to the Grecia bus station where I followed the road out of town.

The five kilometer stretch between Grecia and Sarchí winds through even more beautiful scenery and is dotted with the occasional tipico restaurant, souvenir store and small supermarket. As I approached the outskirts of Sarchí, shops lined both sides of the road, each displaying colorful hammocks, hand-tooled rocking chairs and the hallmark of Sarchí, the oxcart. An important part of Costa Rican history, the oxcart was used in the mid-nineteenth century to transport coffee and other goods from the Central Valley to the port cities of Puntarenas and Limon. For many rural families oxcarts, or carretas, were their only means of transportation. A well-built, elaborately decorated oxcart was something of a status symbol in those days.

Today, Sarchí is still heralded for its beautiful oxcarts, some of the best of which are handmade in one of two factories in town. I stopped at the Joaquín Chaverri Oxcart Factory, where large oxcart replicas can be purchased for $300 to $450. Wall-to-wall with oxcarts of all sizes and colors, the factory also sells leather and wood rocking chairs ( priced around $100), beautiful bowls carved from guanacaste (Costa Rica’s national tree), traditional coffee makers known as coffee socks, along with the requisite coffee mugs, magnets and T-shirts. Just as I was getting that tourist trap vibe (a large tour bus pulled up), I came upon the factory’s workshop, where artisans patiently painted the wheels and bodies of the oxcarts, a tradition passed on from one generation to the next. I had to stop and appreciate the hard work that went into these cultural symbols.

Sarchí is spread out over several kilometers and lacks a real downtown area. Its Parque Central is dominated by a massive red oxcart which is a great spot for photos.

The town’s pretty church was undergoing renovation, its yellow and green paint chipped away, exposing patches of the older pink color that I remembered from my last visit. The candy-colored stained glass windows livened up the otherwise drab façade.

I moved on to the Plaza de la Artesania, where more handicrafts, mostly made from tropical hardwoods such as teak, mahogany and rosewood, were on display. I wandered next door where a small furniture shop sold everything from modern sofas to elegant seven-foot dining room tables carved from melina (also known as white teak). A full dining room set with five chairs sold for $500 to $600. The shopkeeper was pleased to tell me that most of the furniture was crafted in wood gathered from reforested plantations.
I stopped in several other furniture shops, and browsed everything from ornately carved headboards ($400-$800) to cottage style rocking chairs ($200) and contemporary sofa sets ($600-$1000). The stores were spaced apart in such a way that you could park your car and walk to several and then drive a half a mile and repeat the process.

I saw several signs advertising “muebles rusticos” and after searching a bit found a beautiful rough-hewn table and chairs made of eucalyptus. At $300, it was a fair price and perfect for my new kitchen.

A big fan of pre-Columbian art and pottery, I also picked up a couple of stylized animal figures ($8-$15) for future gifts. While Sarchí had its share of commercial souvenir shops, there were plenty of smaller, family-run workshops off the main road, where woodworkers were onsite, crafting furniture by hand and available for questions. In terms of styles, there seemed to be something for everyone, from rustic to French colonial. Patrons can also custom order specific upholsteries and styles in many of the larger furniture factories. Most stores will ship furniture within the country at a reasonable cost, and some of the smaller pieces can be shipped internationally.

Getting There: From San José, take the autopista (Highway 1) towards the airport and take the San Ramon exit. From Alajuela, take the La Garita Road towards Atenas and turn right at the San Ramon exit. For both: follow this highway for four miles and stay in the right hand lane, as the Grecia exit sneaks up on you. Continue and follow signs into Grecia. If going directly to Sarchí, turn left just after the Grecia bus station, before you reach Grecia’s Parque Central, and continue straight for four or five blocks until you reach an intersection. Turn left and follow signs the remaining three miles to Sarchí.

I had always heard wonderful stories from other travelers about The Butterfly Farm, located on the outskirts of Alajuela. The words magical and serene were frequently used to describe their experiences in the enclosed butterfly garden, housing some 52 species of butterflies. Although I am slightly biased when it comes to Costa Rica’s wildlife (furry creatures with inquisitive personalities have always topped my list), I was eager to visit The Butterfly Farm and take part in one of their two-hour guided tours. I was hoping to get up close and personal with a morpho, the rather large and cerulean blue butterfly endemic to Costa Rica and much of Latin America.

My journey to the Farm began at the Pacifico bus station in Alajuela. After asking around to see which buses departed for La Finca de Mariposas, I was advised to take the La Guacima “Abajo” bus as it would drop me off in front of the farm’s entrance. Lucky for me, the bus pulled right up and our 12 kilometer jaunt began.

There are times when I really love taking buses in Costa Rica and this was one of those days. Along the way, our driver stopped the bus and waited patiently for a passenger to hop off and buy a cup of coffee for the 40-minute ride. He later helped a woman unload her heavy grocery bags, all the while cheerfully shouting “Pura Vida!” out the window to friends and neighbors. Passengers grooved to the blaring salsa music as we chugged along. This was clearly a happy bus and the positive vibes put me in good spirits for the day.

As we neared La Guacima I noticed several houses and small stores adorned with colorful butterfly and garden murals. I wondered if this was clever advertising or simply evidence of a community’s passion for butterflies. I later discovered that it was a little of both. Diego, our tour guide and head of marketing for The Butterfly Farm, explained that the farm hosts annual mural contests throughout La Guacima. As the winner receives a whopping $1000 US dollar prize, it attracts skilled artists as well as school groups and amateurs.

Nearly every building at The Butterfly Farm was covered in vibrant paintings of butterflies, flowers and faraway scenes, adding to the magic of the place.

A bit early for my tour, Diego invited me to explore the enclosed butterfly area on my own. Once inside the garden, I felt like I had entered a different world, one that was inhabited by fairies and elves and the occasional gnome. Morphos and tiger butterflies danced around me, a couple landing on my arm and head. I followed the garden pathway and around each bend found more butterflies feeding on the nectar of flowers or slices of fresh banana. I could see their long butterfly tongues (proboscises) unrolled much like straws, drinking the sugary food. I was fortunate to have the garden all to myself for the moment, just hundreds of butterflies chasing each other in the sunlight and me.

This was not the largest butterfly garden I had ever visited in Costa Rica. In fact, it had a Mom and Pop feel about it, intimate and not brimming with throngs of tourists. As I headed toward the observation deck, I spotted a local kindergarten group on their way out, the children visibly enjoying the magic of their proximity to so many colorful, fluttering creatures.

After our group assembled and watched a twenty-minute video on butterfly metamorphosis, Diego explained that The Butterfly Farm has only been open to tourists since 1990. For over twenty-eight years it has functioned as a butterfly factory and is the leading exporter of live butterflies to 20 countries worldwide, which is understandable since over a thousand species of butterflies are native to Costa Rica (more than five percent of the earth’s butterfly species). The Butterfly Farm operates as a cooperative, employing 300 families throughout the country to breed butterflies at home.

The families receive training on butterfly rearing and, when ready, transport the butterfly pupae to the farm for exportation. Local families can earn up to $2000 US dollars per month raising butterflies, which begs the question, who buys butterflies and can I raise them too? Universities, zoos, museums, conservatories and gardens all buy live butterfly pupae, shipped overnight or two-day express from the Farm.

Diego, possibly the most enthusiastic tour guide I have ever met, spoke to our group in alternating Spanish and English, although no one really seemed to be listening. We were too busy vying for spots to film or photograph the morphos and swallowtails around us. When a spotted, brown butterfly landed on my leg, Diego asked us to listen for its tell-tale sounds. The male cracker butterfly pops and crackles (much like Rice Krispies) to attract a potential mate.

Walking through the garden, we could see all four stages of the butterfly life cycle: egg, pupa, larva and adult butterfly. Employees carefully monitor butterfly eggs under leaves and small amounts of larvae (caterpillars) are allowed to stay in the garden for the duration of their one-month lifespan. These blind and deaf caterpillars are fierce eating machines and will eventually destroy all the foliage if left in the garden. Most larvae are moved to holding areas where they can enjoy their favorite plants.

One of the highlights of our tour was holding a newborn butterfly, still weak and wobbly as it had just emerged from the pupa. Its wings slightly damp, we were assured that in less than four hours the butterfly would be ready for its first flight. Guests are not allowed to touch adult butterflies, as any damage to the scales on their wings could result in early death. In an effort to display his skills as a “butterfly whisperer”, Diego gently blew on an owl butterfly in mid-flight to calm it down before carefully holding it by the thorax. He explained that by blowing air on the body, the butterfly closes its tiny breathing holes (known as spiracles), in effect, holding its breath and staying still.

As our tour came to an end, we entered the souvenir shop and then the shipping area, where Butterfly Farm employees carefully sorted and packed live pupae for delivery around the world. Some were iridescent green or bright gold and silver, and looked more like earrings than baby butterflies.

A symbol of love, freedom, change or hope in many different countries, the butterfly has a universal attraction. Diego remembered a recent group to The Butterfly Farm. They were Japanese tourists who spoke neither Spanish nor English; they simply wanted to experience the magic of being surrounded by butterflies (and take lots of photos). I left the farm with a sense of happiness and a new appreciation for these remarkable creatures.


Getting There: From Alajuela, head towards the airport and follow signs to La Guacima de Alajuela and The Butterfly Farm. Most guests arrange roundtrip transportation to the farm for an additional cost (pickups can be arranged from most San Jose or Alajuela hotels). Public buses depart daily from Alajuela for La Guacima Abajo at 6:45, 8:30, 9:00, and 10:30 a.m., and at 12:30, 1:00 and 2:30 p.m.




Contact Info:
The Butterfly Farm
www.butterflyfarm.co.cr
Email: info@butterflyfarm.co.cr
Telephone in Costa Rica: 506-438-0400

I woke up early today, excited about my morning tour of Doka Estate, one of the oldest and largest working coffee plantations in the country. A longtime fan of their Tres Generaciones coffee, I was eager to learn more about the source of this caffeinated gold. Coffee has been an integral part of the Costa Rican economy and culture since the early 19th century when it was first planted in the rich volcanic soils of the Central Valley. Having grown up in a strict Maxwell House (with the occasional Folgers), I now appreciate the bold flavors of real café, and Costa Rican coffee is arguably some of the best in the world.

My coffee adventure began with a 40-minute bus ride from Alajuela to La Sabanilla, located near the slopes of Poás Volcano. Our bus traveled via the narrow Fraijanes Road, winding gently up the mountainside. As we climbed to 4500 feet, past coffee farms and spectacular valley vistas, the plants seemed greener and the air fresher and cooler. The bus dropped me off at the coffee plantation entrance where I boarded the Doka Estate transfer for the remaining one-kilometer journey. The minibus was packed with bags of fresh roasted coffee, bound for souvenir shops across Costa Rica. The smell was so heavenly that words escaped me. I breathed in the heady aroma, ready to begin the day.

While waiting for the next tour to begin, I sampled some Italian espresso (Doka’s darkest and richest blend) for an extra caffeine kick. Overlooking acres of coffee plants, the coffee station was set up in a rancho-style restaurant where guests can have an authentic Costa Rican meal either before or after their coffee tour.

After our group of eight assembled, tour guide Ricardo introduced himself and gave us a bit of Doka history. A working coffee farm since 1908, the estate has changed hands several times and is now run by the Vargas family which has been growing coffee in Costa Rica for 90 years. The estate uses a century-old water mill, imported from England, to power their processing plant; a rustic building that was recently designated a historical and architectural heritage site by the Costa Rican government.

We began our tour with the baby coffee plants, dubbed “little soldiers” by staff, their eight-week old stems standing straight and tall. Only Arabica beans are planted at Doka Estate. These plants produce a smooth, high-quality coffee but, unfortunately, yield low quantities over time.

To compensate, Doka plants two seedlings together, so they eventually yield twice the amount of coffee using a single plot of land. Ricardo explained that Doka is working on becoming a fully sustainable coffee plantation, meaning they re-use, recycle and are environmentally friendly. Banana, lime and lemon trees are planted among the coffee plants to increase nitrogen in the soil, create shade and to attract wildlife to the area. The discarded coffee cherry skins are recycled as a natural fertilizer and water used in the fermentation process is cleaned naturally in lagoons before returning to the watershed. Workers use pheromone traps to kill off coffee plant pests and avoid any direct insecticide.


For this ecological practice, Doka Estate is paid five percent more by Starbucks, one of their biggest buyers (60 percent of their exports). Other major importers of Doka coffee are Peet’s and Seattle’s Best.


Our group kept Ricardo on his toes with thoughtful questions throughout the tour. They were clearly serious about their coffee and knew a lot about gardening. We learned that the Arabica plant has a lifespan of 25 years, of which only 18 to 20 are coffee-producing. In ideal weather conditions, a coffee plant will produce a mere 20 pounds of coffee in its lifetime. I suddenly felt guilty about my daily two cups.



As harvesting season runs from November through February, most of the coffee plants had either new white blossoms or green cherries. Someone in our group spotted a cluster of ripe red cherries, which started a discussion on global warming and early ripening, a problem when you don’t have enough labor to pick the cherries. Hoping to combat this, Doka has hired engineers to research fertilizers to slow down the ripening process.


As our tour progressed to the water mill and processing plant, we learned how the cherries were separated, peeled, fermented and dried. I noticed that my group was laughing a lot, mostly at Ricardo’s dry wit and funny remarks. Having been on a lot of tours, I was pleased at how fresh and fun this one was, lacking that rehearsed feel.


We moved on to my favorite area, the roasting room. Here, small batches of coffee beans are roasted anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes, to achieve desired levels of rich, toasty flavor. As we took turns smelling the seven varieties of coffee, Ricardo showed off their bestseller, the Peaberry bean. A mutant variety of Arabica that is spherical in shape, the Peaberry grows singly in the cherry unlike the usual two beans. My group dubbed this mutant the Frankenberry and wondered how it differed in taste. (After sampling some, we concluded it had fruitier flavor than the rest).


As our tour ended, we were invited to shop in the souvenir store, where nearly all of us purchased a few pounds of coffee. I chatted with Ricardo a bit longer before tucking into a hearty lunch of salad, rice, beans and chicken served on a banana leaf-covered platter. Not completely caffeinated, I had another shot of coffee, this time the milder house blend. If I had one complaint it would be the lack of milk on hand; powdered creamer really takes away from the true coffee flavor, a small detail important to coffee purists.


Doka Estate is not a marketing giant, in fact, many have never heard of their brand. Their coffee is not yet available in Tico supermarkets, only souvenir shops, Doka's online store and a few cafes scattered around the Central Valley. The coffee tour lasted a little more than an hour and, although fun, was more educational than touristy. At roughly $5 a pound, Doka coffee is not cheap by Tico standards. Picked by hand and dried in the sun, it is well worth the extra cost; the flavor is phenomenal!

Getting There:
Many guests drive themselves to the coffee tour, or arrange private transportation with Doka for an additional cost. I found the public bus to be a cheap (less than $2 roundtrip) and relatively easy way to get there, if you don’t mind crowded buses. Note that a taxi or transfer is necessary for the last leg of the trip. Buses run between Alajuela and La Sabanilla every hour.




Contact Info:
Doka Estate Coffee Tours
www.dokaestate.com
Email: info@dokaestate.com
Telephone in Costa Rica: (506)-449-5152 or (506)-449-6765

Greetings from Ali in Costa Rica. I am excited to be a part of the costarica.com travel team and to share with you my continuing adventures in this amazing country. Originally from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, I've been traveling and living in Costa Rica for three years and now call Atenas my home. In the upcoming months we'll be hitting the road- exploring Costa Rica's beaches, volcanoes, countryside and everything in between. Check back to read more about our travels to destinations both well-known and off the beaten path.