Costa Rica

Hummingbird Paradise

Hummingbird Paradise

June 2023

Lago Arenal is the largest lake in Costa Rica, with its surface beening increased to 85 square kilometers by the construction of a dam. From Monteverde, the road wound its way through a hilly landscape and the quality of the road was by far the worst we had experienced for many weeks. Fortunately, the beautiful landscape made up for it and we marveled at the lush green of the hills, fields and forests around us. We enjoyed the far-reaching views and could see as far as the Pacific Ocean in some places.

At some point we reached the western side of the lake, but unfortunately the Arenal volcano was nowhere to be seen due to the low clouds. We drove along the coastal road to Nuevo Arenal, where we set up camp for the night in a park right on the shore of the lake.

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Lago Arenal

It rained the next day . So we could take our time. After breakfast, we made our way to a second cup of coffee, in the German Bakery in the village. We had already seen the advertising signs along the lake several times yesterday. We were promised bratwurst and sauerkraut, beer and sauerbraten. We couldn’t pass that up. It doesn’t have to be bratwurst at 9 o’clock in the morning, but there must be something tasty from the bakery. We are greeted warmly in German and the accent seems somehow familiar. Yes, from Leipzig, close to Romy’s home. We enjoy our coffee, accompanied by strawberry cheesecake and apple pastries. Mmmh, delicious. We chat a bit about Costa Rica and life here and get a few good tips for the rest of our time in the country.

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Our next destination was La Fortuna, the tourist center on the Arenal volcano. The clouds slowly began to disappear and suddenly we could see the volcano. There was still a small “cloud cap” on the summit. Until 2011, the volcano was still considered active. After its last eruption in 1968, it had spewed ash and lava for decades and an eerie rumbling and explosions could be heard again and again. The volcano has now been silent for 20 years, but its perfect cone is still a major tourist magnet. We were once again amazed at all the greenery around us, even the volcano was covered in green.

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Volcano Arenal

When we arrived at the parking lot of the Rio Fortuna waterfall, the “cap” had also disappeared and we were able to admire the Arenal in all its beauty. The waterfall is a good example of the tourist commercialization of really everything in Costa Rica. The entrance fee is 20 USD per person. We were prepared for this and didn’t even want to go in. We had read something on the iOverlander app about a “free” waterfall nearby that you could hike to. The path was quickly found, but ended just as quickly at a huge gate with a big sign saying “Private area – no entry”. Well, there was a little loophole and we weren’t the first to use it.

We hiked along an increasingly narrow path through the jungle until we reached the river. We had to cross it, but what looked relatively easy at first turned out to be a little more difficult. We were up to our knees in water and the stones and current made the whole thing a wobbly affair. In the end, Eddy stayed behind with his camera equipment and I walked the last 300 meters to the waterfall alone. It was simply wonderful to be alone in the middle of this indescribable nature. On the way back we were able to spot some beautiful birds and then we drove the last 6 kilometers to Camping San Carlos in La Fortuna.

A sloth was already waiting for us here. We were able to observe it really well this time and it was also quite active for a sloth. Something seemed to be itching, it was certainly scratching a lot. An even better observation was the Plumed basilisk (Stirnlappenbasilisk), which seemed to have found food right in front of our car. He quickly moved to the next tree at a safe distance, but what a great basilisk. They are also called Jesus Christ lizards as they can run across water when fleeing from enemies.

From La Fortuna, we made our way further east. The route was winding, but we made relatively good progress until our navigation system once again made a decision that, in hindsight, we didn’t agree with at all. We turned off the main road to the right. After about 3 kilometers, the narrow asphalt road became a gravel road, and then one of the worse kind with large stones and lots of potholes. The 8 kilometers really dragged on and we couldn’t do more than 10 km/h. There were lots of farms to the right and left, and the landscape didn’t look much different to a ride through rural Germany. If it hadn’t been for the volcanoes in the background.

At some point, we were back on tarmac again and slowly made our way into the mountains. We gained height and the clouds in front of us got darker and darker. Then it turned completely black and the sky opened up. Water poured out of it like we hadn’t seen for a long time. The windshield wipers had to work hard on the highest setting. 

Fortunately, we soon arrived at our destination for today, the Soda y Mirador Cinchona. This is a restaurant with a viewpoint of the San Fernando waterfall. Even more impressive, however, are the huge numbers of hummingbirds that fly around here. They are fed here and do not let themselves be disturbed by the many spectators. We were also able to see other birds while we enjoyed our coffee and lunch. We spent the night in the parking lot in front of the restaurant.

After we had breakfast in the restaurant the next morning and were able to admire the many birds again, including various toucans, we left for to San Jose. However, we still had some time for a detour to Sarchi, where we wanted to see how ox carts are made. Sarchi and the surrounding area are the center of wood and furniture production. The locals seem to come from all over the country to buy fine Sarchi furniture. Sarchi is also famous for the traditional hand-painted bullock carts, the carretas. There are a large number of carreta factories. The craftsmanship that goes into the manufacturing of the carretas is incredibly beautiful.

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We visited the Eloy Alfaro factory. On entering the premises, we immediately spotted the dilapidated timber factory built in 1923. The machines here are powered by a water mill inside. The water flows down the hill and drives a huge wheel. This has been done in the same way for almost a century. The workshop is spread over two floors. As today was Sunday, no one was working. However, the workplaces looked as if the workers had only left for a short lunch break and were about to return. It was unimaginable that a visitor would be allowed to walk through a workshop like this. Everything was lying around, wood, tools and unfinished workpieces.

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No glue, nails or bolts are used to make the cart wheels. The design of Eloy Alfaro’s oxcarts is one of the most striking in the city. The Alfaro family is proud to have produced the largest oxcart in the world, which weighs one and a half tons and is supposed to stand in the town square of Sarchi. However, when we parked near the square shortly afterwards, there was no sign of this largest oxcart anywhere to be seen. We could only admire the beautiful green-colored church and the equally beautiful green-colored Veragua parakeets, which made quite a lot of noise.

Parroquia Santiago Apóstol

It was just under 30 kilometers to Alajuela, a suburb of the capital San Jose. Here we had an appointment with Marta. We wanted to park our car with her for the next 4 weeks while we were on vacation back home in Europe. When we arrived at the fancy housing estate, we were wondering where our car could fit in, though. Most of the houses had their own parking lot behind a fence with a gate, but these were more suitable for cars. When Marta’s sister showed us the driveway to her house, we knew it would be tight. Eddy had to maneuver quite a bit so that we could fit through the driveway at the right angle. Next to the house, it was a matter of centimeters and when we finally put the handbrake on, there was only half a meter of space left and right. 

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Parking in the narrow alley
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It felt like parking in the living room

Now we just had to pack and then Marta would take us to the closeby airport tomorrow morning at 6.45 am. Then we would fly to Amsterdam via Montreal in Canada.

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Montreal Airport
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