Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Day 5: Exploring San Isidro del General
Bosque del Tolomuco, Km 118 Cerro de la MuerteA sweet clay-colored robin (Costa Rica’s national bird) fed her young in the eves outside the dining area. Bosque del Tolomuco’s verdant grounds are home to 200 species of birds, including the emerald toucanet, sulphur-winged parakeet and silver-throated tanager.
The 40 hectare property is often visited by bird watching groups as it attracts a combination of middle and high-elevation species.
Breakfast was served al fresco and included homemade wheat bread topped with banana-mango jam alongside seasonal fruits. Multihued hummingbirds darted around verbena
plants, and cherry tanagers flashed their vibrant feathers as they flew overhead.It was a brilliant morning as I hiked a couple of the lodge’s trails, keeping an eye out for coatimundis or the odd tayra. The view from the top of the property was fantastic – a sweeping vista of the Talamancas and Cerro Chirripo, the nation’s tallest peak.
I wanted to loaf around the pool and play with Lise and Rolf’s
hilarious dogs – a Japanese Akita named Khouma and her sidekick, the rock-fetching Tula. A birding tour with local expert Noel Urena was in the works, but unfortunately had to be postponed for another time. Instead, I explored the booming metropolis of San Isidro del General, the gateway to southern Costa Rica.Commonly referred to as Perez Zeledon after the county where it resides, San Isidro del General is your typical blue-collar town, with activity centered around a nicely remodeled parque central. The city is flanked by coffee and sugar cane farms and is often a point of transit for
travelers en route to Chirripo National Park or the South Pacific Coast.Modern hotels, restaurants and internet cafes are plentiful, and travelers can stock up on food and sundries in the town’s supermarkets and pharmacies.
It was decidedly hotter in the valley, so after surveying the better part of San Isidro, I headed skyward again to Las Quebradas Biological Center on the outskirts of town.
Set amid 750 hectares which encompass hiking trails and a butterfly garden, Las Quebradas is a community endeavor dedicated to preserving the environment. The reserve includes the Quebradas River, a crucial watershed for San Isidro and its surrounding communities. The center offers environmental workshops for local students and encourages volunteer participation.
A sudden downpour cut my visit short, but I managed to squeeze in a stroll through their medicinal plant and butterfly gardens before heading back up the mountain to Bosque del Tolomuco.
It was my last evening on Cerro del la Muerte, and I savored each minute of fresh mountain air. A Canadian family had just arrived from Dominical and joined the dinner table for another home-cooked meal. A fresh vintage was uncorked, but I slipped away to my cabin for an early night, having enjoyed the best of Bosque del Tolomuco – a private mountain retreat with wonderful hospitality.
The cool highlands of the Southern Zone are one of the country’s last frontiers – a region frequently overlooked by travelers in lieu of beaches and volcanoes. Ethereal cloud forests and river valleys offer exceptional bird watching, and one of the few places where the resplendent quetzal can be seen year-round. From fly fishing scenic rivers to chilling out in cozy mountain hideaways, Costa Rica’s highlands are a unique alternative to the tourist trail.
Contact Info:
Bosque del Tolomuco
Tel- 506-8-847-7207
Email: bosquedeltolomuco@gmail.com
www.bosquedeltolomuco.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Day 4: Hiking the Savegre Waterfall and Bosque del Tolomuco
San Gerardo de Dota to Km 118, Cerro de la MuerteExcluding the single treacherous portion, the serpentine path to the Savegre waterfall proved a pleasure to hike. It was my final morning in San Gerardo de Dota, and I intended to make the most of it. The two-kilometer trail meandered under thickets of cypress and pine, interspersed with rolling hills draped in wild flowers. I crossed the river on a sturdy suspension bridge, breathing in the cool, peaty air.
Towering some 30 meters, the pristine Savegre waterfall was a fairy-tale vision. Clear waters crashed over boulders, sending a fine mist into the air. On my way back to the lodge, the blue sky faded behind thick clouds as a soft rain began. The steep road out of San Gerardo is notoriously slick in the rainy season, and my 4WD saved the day on one particularly muddy section.
I slowly climbed out of the valley and continued south on Cerro de la Muerte, crossing the Interamericana’s highest point at 3491 meters above sea level. The mist cleared and the rains let up as the highway gradually threaded down the mountain. My home for the next two evenings was just an hour up the road, at Km 118. I was visiting the tranquil mountain retreat of Bosque del Tolomuco, a lovely B&B run by Lise and Rolf Zersch.
Located 14 kilometers north of San Isidro, the retreat frequently attracts travelers en route to the South Pacific Coast from San Jose (or vice versa). The lodge is named after the clever tayra,
or tree otter, that inhabits the surrounding forest, where a series of well-marked trails offer incredible views of the Talamanca Mountains.It was obvious from the start that Lise and Rolf love what they do. The five spacious cabins and main house at Bosque del Tolomuco were built over several years with painstaking attention to details. My cabin overlooked the pool, gardens and orchid gallery where Rolf cultivated a few dazzling species.
The grounds were green and lush, with fragrant lemon trees - a rarity in Costa Rica - growing on a hillside behind the cabins. Gourmet dinners, prepared by Lise with a little advance notice, are shared family-style in their communal dining area where guests gather to swap stories and socialize over a glass of wine.
While enjoying a dinner of spiced shrimp and vegetables over pasta, I savored a glass of Rolf’s
handcrafted grape-blackberry wine. The flavor was robust with just a hint of berry, a colossal success for homemade vintage! I appreciated the effort, as my fiancé and I had tried our hand at making beer (a winner) and cheese (total disaster) at home using various kits. The evening passed with great food and
conversation along with multiple glasses of Rolf’s red wine. By 10 p.m., we were all ready for sleep. I thanked my gregarious hosts and nipped out to my cabin, anticipating a restful night’s sleep.Contact Info:
Bosque del Tolomuco
Tel- 506-8-847-7207
Email: bosquedeltolomuco@gmail.com
www.bosquedeltolomuco.com
Monday, April 28, 2008
Day 3: Trout Fishing in the Savegre River
San Gerardo de DotaI think it was my bumper sticker that caught their eyes. It reads “Yo quiero la pesca” (I love fishing) and has inspired numerous trips across the country for both freshwater and deep-sea adventures. The small group of Ticos tossing back Imperials at the ripe hour of 10 a.m. had waved me over to their truck. Clad in oversized cowboy hats, they looked to be tailgating on the river’s edge and stopped me en route to a nearby waterfall.
They had driven down from Cartago to fly fish the river, and their cooler revealed the spoils of a triumphant morning – eight fat rainbow trout. I wished I had joined up with them earlier, as I always wanted to learn the graceful art of fly fishing. Besides Wyoming or perhaps Montana, I couldn’t imagine a better place to do it.
After leaving the group of fishermen, I was surprised to see that MINAE (the Costa Rican ministry of environment) had posted “no fishing” signs along the river, as the trout are so prolific.Catch and release is permitted, but the reality is that most anglers are largely ignored by authorities. Visitors are encouraged to try the area’s stocked trout ponds, many of which are fed from the Savegre.
Savegre Hotel de Montana rents out fishing gear, but didn’t have any fly fishing guides available, as there isn’t much of a demand these days. So instead, I pulled out a couple of medium trout from one of the ponds, using a conventional rod and fish eggs as bait. Guests are asked to pay for what they “catch” and the hotel restaurant will gladly cook the fish with advance notice.
Nearly the whole village of San Gerardo de Dota raises trout in artificial ponds. In addition to supplementing the family dinner table, the fish are sold to hotels and restaurants throughout Costa Rica, bringing in a steady income. The delicious meat is pink and flavorful, and tastes more like salmon or an arctic char than your typical freshwater trout.
I later met up with a group of birders that had befriended me earlier, and joined them for a walk along one of the lodge’s trails. Savegre Hotel de Montana sits on a private reserve of more than 400 hectares of forest, 80% of which is virgin. The reserve
is home to 170 species of birds, including the magnificent quetzal, several of which the birders had already spotted that morning.Someone pointed out a few known quetzal nesting trees, so I parked myself under the shade of an aguacatillo (wild avocado) and waited for the mating pair to return. Forty minutes went by without incident, and my patience was wearing thin. I had to give it to this crowd – they were an uncomplaining, tolerant lot. Most had been up since 5 a.m., patiently trailing the melodious calls of trogons, woodpeckers, finches and other highland species.
The group ambled on in search of a volcano hummingbird as I waited for my quetzal. I decided to hike another trail and returned late that afternoon just in time to view the male quetzal revisiting his nest. Still amazed by their shimmering jade and crimson colors, I watched him and his mate take turns feeding their young.
A newly arrived group of birders happened by the trail, completely unaware of their good timing. We greeted each other with smiles and I motioned them over, by now feeling like a bit of a quetzal expert, to share the ultimate birders’ prize.
Contact Info:
Savegre Hotel de Montana
Tel: 506-2-740-1028
Email: savegrehotel@racsa.co.cr
www.savegre.co.cr
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Day 2: Enchanted by San Gerardo de Dota
Cerro de la Muerte, Km 80If asked to describe my vision of paradise, I would depict something akin to the emerald valley of San Gerardo de Dota – truly one of Costa Rica’s best kept secrets. This is a place where daytime temperatures hover around 70 F, and where anglers can cast a line for plump rainbow trout in the frothy waters along the high-elevation Savegre River. Simple wood houses hug the green mountainsides, and life moves at a gentler pace.
At 80 Km along Cerro de la Muerte, the road veers off and steeply descends some 500 meters into the spectacular valley of San Gerardo de Dota. Roughly 150 people inhabit this river vale and, as I soon discovered, all are family or friends on a first-name basis. Rows of peach and apple trees line the gravel road which snakes through the tiny village. There are no supermarkets, banks or gas stations, just a couple of sodas and a handful of cabins and lodges. I was staying at Savegre Hotel de Montana, the granddaddy of all lodges and a kind of legend among birders
who have been visiting this hidden valley for years. Undoubtedly, the area’s main draws are highland birding and trout fishing, both of which became popular with travelers in the 80’s. Tourism in the valley today can largely be attributed to the Chacon family, owners of the Savegre Hotel de Montana.
Don Efrain Chacon and his brother first visited San Gerardo in the early 1950’s when it was little more than steep tracks of heavily-forested land. Realizing its potential, they returned and began clearing portions to plant fruit orchards. They traveled by foot over grueling terrain, as the road had yet to be constructed, and lived in primitive conditions with their families for years. After the introduction of rainbow trout to the
Savegre River in the 60’s, word got out, and fisherman along with the odd curious traveler began to visit.Although still a family-run endeavor, the Savegre Hotel de Montana is no longer the mom and pop operation known only in birding circles. The lodge now has 30 comfortable cabins and attracts both passionate birders and the occasional angler. I considered myself more of the latter, but I would soon be initiated into the world of birding.
My junior suite had all the basic amenities in addition to an inviting fireplace and sitting area. The region sits 2200 meters above sea level with a perpetual spring-like climate. However, evenings are at times wintry enough to warrant a toasty fire, at least for a Central Valley girl like me.
The Chacon family is quite unassuming; you will often see the 80-something Don Efrain on a rigorous morning hike. I spoke with his wife while she tended her peach trees and recounted the old days when she first visited San Gerardo on foot. They began with a couple of rustic cabins run by generator, and slowly expanded as eco-tourism spread throughout the country.
Thankfully, tourism in the valley remains minimal, and visitors like me can still enjoy the beauty that initially attracted the Chacons. Healthy meals are served buffet-style in the restaurant, where guests gathered to compare notes on their day’s discoveries. I joined a group of birdwatchers around the lodge’s hummingbird feeders, and watched several photographers with huge telephoto lenses twitter excitedly (much like the birds they were photographing). I assumed that with such expensive cameras they were with National Geographic or some other publication, but I was mistaken – these were die-hard birders, and they wanted that perfect shot.
Before dinner, I wandered around the outskirts of the lodge, and spoke with a few locals about the fishing. They were some of the friendliest, most cheerful Ticos I had ever met. Between the fresh mountain air, fabulous fishing
and idyllic setting, I could understand why.Contact Info:
Savegre Hotel de Montana
Tel: 506-2-740-1028
Email: savegrehotel@racsa.co.cr
www.savegre.co.cr
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Day 1: In Search of the Resplendent Quetzal
Cerro de la MuerteIt was a warm April morning when I departed the Central Valley and began climbing skyward along the Pan-American Highway, a network of scenic roads that stretches from Alaska to the tip of Argentina. I was driving through a section known as Cerro de la Muerte, the height of land along Costa Rica’s towering continental divide that, on the rare cloudless day, offers views of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Armed with scribbled directions, I managed to find and lose my way several times on the outskirts of San Jose, distracted by merging lanes and a serious lack of signage. Each time I stopped to ask the route, I’d get a cluck of the tongue before being told I had just missed the exit. The Interamericana, as it is locally known, is paved and in good condition although the occasional landslide, random repairs and heavy traffic can make traveling this stretch of road tedious at times. That morning, other than a couple of slug-paced eighteen wheelers, the highway was mine.
I threaded along countryside that reminded me of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Pine and cypress trees perfumed the noticeably cooler air as I ascended Cerro de la Muerte, the so-called “Mountain of Death” (a throwback to an era before the highway was built, when crossing the Talamanca Mountains implied a harrowing and sometimes fatal journey). As signs for trout fishing bobbed up, I knew I was nearing my destination: Jorge Serrano’s Cabanas Paraiso de Quetzal. Found just off kilometer 70, the half-way marker between San Jose and San Isidro del General, the family-run cabins are some 2700 meters above sea level, perched on a mountainside swathed in cloud forest.
I zipped up my fleece jacket, an item seldom used when you live nine degrees from the equator,
and marveled at the drastic change in temperature. That’s the beauty of Costa Rica – the climate and geography vary so dramatically, from sultry beaches to mist-covered mountains in just a few hours drive.Jorge and his wife were gone “in the city”, but I was well-cared for by their two sons. The family has eight rustic but spotlessly clean cabins overlooking the fertile pueblo of Tarrazu, where some of the country’s finest coffee is grown. Each cabin has a space heater and extra blankets for those chilly nights that occasionally dip below freezing. I was given a map of the area’s private trails, and took off for a light hike to some waterfalls.
The heat of the Central Valley seemed a distant memory as I plodded over patches of frost that lingered in the shade. While the cabins’ peaceful surroundings are a definite plus, the real attraction for most travelers is the phenomenal birdwatching. Hummingbirds, trogons, warblers, tanagers and finches all nest in the high-altitude forests. But I was hoping to glimpse one bird in particular, the resplendent quetzal.Over a home-cooked dinner of rainbow trout, Jorge junior assured me that I would spot a quetzal or two, as April-May is the nesting season for the typically elusive bird. The next morning at 6 a.m., warmed by hot cocoa and the lodge’s wood-oven stove, we set off with a spotting scope in tow. The entire reserve was covered in aguacatillo trees (a relative of the avocado), the favorite food of the quetzal. Within fifteen minutes Jorge had identified the quetzal’s call and pointed out a regal male perched on a limb above.
I admit I’ve never been much of a birder and always wondered what all the fuss was about. I
knew only that the quetzal was a relative of the trogon, once worshiped by Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Looking at his long streamer-like tail, iridescent green feathers and scarlet breast, I suddenly had a clue. The male was soon joined by his mate, and we watched as they swallowed aguacatillo fruits whole and then regurgitated the seeds, continuing their symbiotic relationship with the trees. We quietly walked under cypress and oak trees more than a thousand years old, and spotted six more quetzals (4 males and two females) feeding on wild avocado. One male clung to the edge of his nest, a cavity in a tree, feeding his hatchlings an appetizing mixture of regurgitated tadpoles and insects.
Jorge’s excitement over the quetzals rivaled mine, even though he lives alongside these brilliant creatures. We hiked back to the lodge for a hearty breakfast and coffee, content in our quetzal quota for the
day. Note: December through May is peak quetzal season, though they can be spotted less frequently year-round. Small digital cameras are best for taking pictures through the spotting scopes, which give excellent close ups of the birds and other wildlife.
Contact Info:
Albergue de Montana Cabanas Paraiso del Quetzal
Tel- 506-2-200-0241
www.paraisodelquetzal.com
Km 70, Cerro de La Muerte
