Travel Blog Costa Rica

The Tarcoles River is one of Costa Rica’s biggest rivers and flows in the Pacific Ocean between Orotina and Jaco in the Province of Puntarenas. The river collects the rainfall of a wide and heavy populated area. Its watershed covers 50% of the population of Costa Rica and includes a big part of the Central Valley. It might come as no surprise that this makes the Tarcoles the most contaminated river of Costa Rica. Besides from sewage of the main cities it also suffered from the damage of an oil leak in 2000, when almost half a million litres of diesel flowed in the Tarcoles, because of an accident in Costa Rica’s state owned refinery. Despite the pollution the Tarcoles River hosts one of the world’s biggest populations of American Crocodiles, with an average of 25 per square kilometre. You can book a boat tour that will take on the Tarcoles River and enables you to observe these prehistoric reptiles that can measure up to 4 metres. Another more easy way to observe the crocodiles is from the bridge crossing the Tarcoles River when travelling on Route 34 from Orotina to Jaco. On both ends of the bridge you can park your car, walk on the balustrades towards the centre, from where you have a good spot to observe and photograph the humongous crocodiles in the water and sunbathing on the river banks. The Tarcoles River forms the northern border of the National Park of Carara, a more than 5,000 hectares protected area that contains in interesting transitional zone from the dry rainforest to the wet rainforest on the coastal plains. The meandering Tarcoles River forma a marsh delta with a unique ecosystem, and has many more interesting wildlife besides the crocodiles. The Carara National Park also has a rich pre-Colombian history. Archaeological finds traces of Indigenous inhabitants, occupying the area from 300 BC to 1,500 AD, making a living of agricultural activities.

In the Province of Heredia the small rural village of Horquetas offers extreme experiences. Horquetas is located on the road from Guapiles to Sarapiqui. Coming from San Jose in the Central Valley you will have beautiful drive through the mountains of the Braulio Carillo National Park. The winding road offers magnificent views over the dense green virgin rainforest. Just before entering the crossroad of Rio Frio close to Guapiles you have a view of the Caribbean lowlands and the planes of the Sarapiqui region. By then it’s only a 30 minute drive to Horquetas. The town itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s central location makes it a perfect starting point for tours to the Braulio Carillo National Park, the Aerial Tram or to jungle reserves around Sarapiqui. For the more adventurous there is white water rafting on the Sarapiqui River and there are various canopy tours. If you prefer luxury Horquetas has a perfect destination in the form of the Sueno Azul Hotel and Spa. Peacefully situated on a former hacienda (ranch) the hotel with 55 rooms offers all the commodities for the spoilt traveller such as a good restaurant with local and international food, pools, spa, meditation and yoga room. The other extreme that Horquetas offers is the Rara Avis Jungle Lodge and Reserve. A rustic lodge in the middle of a thick rainforest. The lodge has an office in Horquetas from where the trip to the lodge begins. The rustic lodge is situated in such an isolated area, that the only way to get there is by a three hour long ride by tractor that will even take you past El Plastico, Horqeuta’s former penal colony where the inmates slept deep inside the jungle under a tarp. The lodge itself is close to a beautiful waterfall, making it one of the top sustainable destination in Costa Rica.

The village of Orosi is located in one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful valleys. Approximately 40 kilometres from San Jose and 8 kilometres from Cartago it is quiet area where around 11,000 people live in this part of the Province of Cartago. Orosi is named after and indigenous chief whose Huetar tribe inhabited the area of Orosi before the arrival of the Spanish colonists. At a height of 1,00 metres above sea level the region has wonderful climate. The artificial lake Cachi is close by, where water sports like windsurfing and sport fishing are favourite. The Orosi region is also known for its thermal baths, originating from the volcanic activity of the mighty Irazu Volcano. The church of Orosi is declared a National Monument and is one of the biggest in the country. The church was founded by Franciscan monks, who came down the Talamanca mountains in 1562 after unsuccessfully trying to pacify the Indian tribes there. In Orosi their efforts were more successful, since they introduced the at that time progressive so called ‘new laws’ of the Spanish Crown, which prohibited the colonists to use the indigenous population as slaves and miners. The Franciscans lived and worked peacefully with the indigenous tribes for centuries, aided by its isolated location, since the Orosi region was covered with dense virgin rainforest. In 1734 the church of San Jose Orosi was built which has a beautiful must-see wooden altar. Today part of the old Franciscan convent of Orosi is the modest museum of religious artefacts which has a small but fine collection of magnificent silver objects, a collection of old books from the monk’s library, statues and some beautiful paintings. The church of Orosi has a well documented history of the missionary efforts during the centuries and for the ones interested in religious history there is a lot to discover. Orosi itself is a very quiet town. Accommodations can be found spread around in the valley and there are some very nice lodges. The near by Reventazon River has thrilling white water rafting tours for the more adventurous visitors.