San Jose and Around!

In my time, I have stayed in a number of hostels throughout the world, but I have to say that Mi Casa Hostel will definitely be hard to beat in terms of perfection.

Located in the affluent neighbourhood of La Sabana, a stone's throw away from La Sabana Park, Mi Casa Hostel is close to more or less all the facilities you could possibly need, including the airport (approx. $12 by taxi), bus stops, museums, nightclubs, and bars. There is also a huge selection of restaurants, where you can find anything from a typical British pub to the more exotic Lebanese cuisine. The city centre is just a short bus journey or taxi ride away. Expect to pay around $4 or 2000 colones.

Even though the location is ideal, it was the hostel itself that impressed me the most. Dormitory prices start at $8 a night, while a private double room with ensuite is only $25 per night. The double room I stayed in with my girlfriend was enormous, with air-conditioning, cable TV, hot showers 24/7, and patio doors opening onto the well-manicured lawn and gardens. The room, like the whole hostel, was immaculately clean.

Breakfast is included (I think it consisted of bread, eggs, and jam, but I was always out too early to have the chance to try it!) in the price, and there is also free Internet, a pool, table football, and, most importantly, a kitchen and communal living room where you can meet fellow travellers. The reception is staffed for 24 hours, service always seems to come with a smile, and nothing seems to be too much trouble.

Another positive point to mention about this hostel is that it can also arrange tours for you throughout Costa Rica, and there seems to be a never-ending variety to choose from, which are priced exactly the same as if going directly through one of the tour companies. If you do choose to go on a tour, the hostel also provides security boxes and luggage storage, which can be accessed at any time of the day.

The hostel can be easily reached by taxi or by bus, with a bus stop right at the end of the road. As with all places in Costa Rica, as there are no exact street addresses, it can sometimes be a little tricky to find. If you travel by taxi, you can tell the taxi driver to take you to the ICE building. From here, with La Sabana Park on your left, walk past the ICE building and take the first road on your right. If you continue down this road, Mi Casa Hostel is a blue-and-white building on your right-hand side about 150m down the road.

More information on Mi Casa Hostel can be found at www.micasahostel.com or by phoning (506) 231-4700. For price, location, and facilities, I find it hard that this hostel can be beat in San Jose.

Poas Volcano is an active volcano located in Parque Nacional Volcan Poas, a 47km trip from San Jose. The park measures 5600 hectares and the basaltic volcano stands at an altitude of 2708 (8200 feet) a.s.l. and is one of the few places in the world where you can see straight down in to an active volcanoes crater.

The active crater measuring 1.5km in diameter and 300m deep is the largest active volcanic crater in the world. At the bottom of the crater is an aqua-blue lagoon, contrasting in colour to the surrounding dense tropical forests and spewing out poisonous sulphuric gas into the atmosphere. I found it very hard to believe upon peering down into Poas Volcano, that this was still active! Saying this though the volcano erupted as recently 1954 and in 1989 the park was closed for safety reasons due to high levels of gas emissions.

If you are really lucky (unlike me!) you may even get the chance to see a geyser-like eruption of muddy water and steam from the lagoon, which has given the volcano the reputation as the world’s largest geyser.

Parque Nacional Volcan Poas also boasts four different habitats highlighting the rich biodiversity, which can be found in Costa Rica. These habitats include cloud-forest, stunted forest, areas of scarce vegetation and an area of arrayans. There is also a wide array of wildlife including 79 different bird species and the very rare Poas green-yellow squirrel, found nowhere else in the world. For me the stunted forest areas (due to the high levels of acid rain) of the park were the strangest and most interesting to view.

Depending on your itinerary, there are a number of short trails around the crater, although many tour groups don’t stay here too long. Most people only walk the ‘Crater Overlook Trail’, taking only 5 minutes to walk from the car park along the tarmac road. More interesting and less used by visitors are the ‘Side Trail’ taking you to Botos Lake and ‘Escalonia Trail’, which goes through the humid cloud-forest.

Inside the park, the weather can change in an instance from humid to cold and wet to dry, so dress sensibly and bring waterproof clothing and sturdy footwear, especially if using one of the less frequented trails around the crater. After 10am, the clouds start rolling in. Obscuring most of the crater, so arriving early is a must for a good glimpse of the crater and lagoon in all its glory.

The best way to view Poas Volcano is through one of the many tour companies that visit here. Tours can be found easily in most accommodation and throughout the city. Using taxis is too expensive and public transport doesn’t go near to the park. Expect to pay anywhere from $30-$70 for a guided tour, depending on the itinerary chosen. Entrance costs $7 (included in most tour costs), with the park opening from 8am to 3.30pm. For more information call the Poas National Office on 442-7041.

During my time in Costa Rica, I have to say that La Paz Waterfalls was one of my favourite destinations. The name is a little misleading as well. If you think La Paz Waterfalls Gardens is all about the waterfalls then think again. Not only do you get to see five impressive waterfalls, you also have the chance of walking through the worlds largest butterfly sanctuary, a dart frog exhibit, hummingbird gardens and to cap it off there is an excellent buffet restaurant, which received the highest rating possible off the Costa Rican Tourist board. I would definitely recommend splashing out on the buffet lunch. Through the gardens you will also find 3.5 kilometres of walking trails. There's really so much to do that you need a whole day if not longer. If in fact you do require longer than just the day, then there is the rather luxurious Peace Lodge located at the entrance to the gardens.

To view the five waterfalls it means a nice hike through the lush rainforest. I was very impressed with how the paths had been set out in order to keep slips and accidents to a minimum with all of the rain. So much so that people of all ages shouldn't have a problem descending down them. As you pass each waterfall, including Encantade and La Paz, each of which seems more impressive than the last. For me the most impressive though (and the largest) was Magia Blanca, a quite spectacular spectacle.

Although I have to say that the waterfalls, the main attraction of the park are impressive, it was the butterfly sanctuary that impressed me the most. The size of a football pitch, it shows the whole life-cycle of a butterfly, from caterpillar, through cocoon, to finally butterfly. The variety of butterflies on show is immense (there are 4,000 in total), and there are plenty of excellent photographic moments. Sadly for me though it was during the visit to the butterfly sanctuary that my memory card decided to die, sadly meaning I lost all of my photos from my 3 weeks in Costa Rica. Luckily I was enjoying myself here so much; it didn't affect my enthusiasm or good spirits. Other attractions include the hummingbird gardens, which attracts 24 different varieties, and the open enclosure dart frog exhibit. Luckily none of them are poisonous!

La Paz is located on the slope of Poas Volcano, about 1 hour from San Jose. It is open year round from 8.30am to 5.30pm. It is recommended not to enter the park after 3.45pm, as there won't be enough time to see everything. Entry to the park costs $25 for adults and $15 to students and children under 12. If you want a lunch buffet then add a further $12 to the entrance price. More information can be found at www.waterfallgardens.com/lapaz-waterfalls.html, by calling the La Paz Waterfall Gardens on (506)-225-0643, or by email on wgardens@racsa.co.cr. All in all, there is enough here to keep anyone happy.

While in Costa Rica, I had the pleasure of volunteering on Finca Grandilla Silvestre, a coffee farm on the edge of cloudforest in the tiny village of Quizzara, a 1 hour bus ride from San Isidro. This was an excellent experience, not only to learn the daily struggles of coffee farm work, but also the joys of being woken every morning to the cries of monkeys.

Typical jobs that you are required to do include coffee-picking, pruning, weeding, fertilizing, farm animal care, vegetable and flower gardening, building projects, although during my 3 weeks here, all but a couple of days was spent coffee picking. If you thought coffee-picking was an idyllic dream job, I am sorry to say that it is not. In fact, thanks to all the insects, especially the ants who like to make coffee plants their home, it can be quite a painful business. Also a little demoralising, is comparing the amount of coffee beans you pick to that of other farm workers. Although the work at times can be a little hard, you are only expected to work for 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, which leaves ample time to explore the local area and see the huge diversity of wildlife. You can also use the free time to practice your Spanish in the local community.

Horse-back riding is also offered, for $2 a day. For this you can trot to nearby rivers, into the cloudforest or just sit back and marvel at the amazing views of the Talamanca mountain range. You can easily see these by foot as well, although riding a horse is far more fun, although a little more painful!

Costs of volunteering here is $5 a day per person, and this includes accommodation, and basic food supplies including rice, beans, oil, sugar and whatever fruit and vegetables are available from the farm, which can be picked for free. The accommodation although a basic wooden cabin, offers gas, electricity, toilet, shower, refrigerator, cooking facilities and a washing machine. At nights it can be fairly humid and with the hovering insects, a mosquito net is a must. Otherwise you will be nursing a fair few bites the next morning. You can also live here for $10 a day per person if you do not want to participate in any farming activities.

To reach the farm you can take a taxi from San Isidro to Quizarra ($15), where you will be dropped outside of a bar, aptly named Bar Carambola. From here it is a beautifully scenic 2km walk to the farm. There is a sign outside of the farm, showing the farms name, and is easily viewable. There also 2 buses a day from San Isidro to Quizarra, at 10am and 4pm, both costing $0.60. This also drops you outside of Bar Carambola. More information on volunteering and working on Finca Grandilla Silvestre can be found at www.members.shaw.ca/coffeefarm. For more specific questions and requests, you can email the farm at coffeefarm@shaw.ca

While living in Costa Rica, I was lucky to live several kilometres from La Finca Escondida, a locally owned Eco-farm dedicated to protecting biodiversity. The farm allows the opportunity of either day visits, or if you prefer you can volunteer and stay for longer.

Created in 1998, Escondida is located in Quizarra, in the mountainous cloudforests directly alongside the world-renowned Parque Nacional Chirripo and Parque Internacional La Amistad. Not only does it offer tremendous views, but you are guaranteed to see such a diversity of species that for me I doubt I will see again in a long time. There are over 400 bird species, 250 butterfly species, 50 mammal species (including my favourite the sloth!) and of course numerous insects, spiders, and snakes to stop anyone from sleeping!

Also impressive is the owner (Luis Angel), who's very willing to guide you around, first taking in the butterfly gardens, before moving to the coffee plantation, all of which is organically grown. You finish off with a steep walk down to a scenic river that borders the farm. On my visit here they were planning on putting a refuge shelter on a huge boulder next to the river. The owners are full of useful information and by the end of a visit here you will no doubt get an idea of how easy it is for humans to live side by side with nature. Even if you miss some wildlife, it will for sure be pointed out by Luis who has eyes like a hawk. There are so many opportunities for things to do here and with the scenery, it is impossible to get bored.

Entrance to La Escondida costs $5 for the day, or $15 including a nights accommodation and food, with the rate becoming cheaper the longer you stay. The accommodation is in the form of simple rustic cabins, which cover all your basic necessities and gives inspiring views. If you look across the valley from the cabins, the damage caused by a recent tornado can still be seen. This surprised me as I never thought of Costa Rica as suffering from such natural phenomenons. You also have the opportunity to volunteer here, as well as a carrying out a wide variety of research work, which has gained this farm an international reputation.

Finding La Escondida is remarkably simple. You can either catch a taxi from San Isidro to Quizarra ($12), which will drop you off at Bar Carambola. From here walk for 1km past the bar where you will come to a signpost for La Escondida. Turn right at the sign and follow the road until the end (around 1km). You can also use public transport. Buses for Quizarra leave from San Isidro at 11am and 4pm, and cost $0.60, taking an hour. They also drop you at Bar Carambola. If you email beforehand, then they are also willing to pick you up in San Isidro. More information can be found by visiting www.laescondida.org or by emailing info@laescondida.org.