PRIVATE TOURS WITH LA Q –  IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

Poas Volcano and Waterfall Gardens - Nearly every visitor to Costa Rica will make a pilgrimage to Poas Volcano and Waterfall Gardens and many tour companies can take you in a group setting to these exhilarating places.

I believe I offer a better experience. I’ve guided Poas since 1991, and my real estate interests on its slopes encourage me to constantly monitor its activity.  The General Manager of Waterfall Gardens has been a personal friend since 1993, and shares news about that property. Why not consider letting me show you an insider’s view of these two spectacular destinations? Breakfast will be served at 6AM (not as early as one might imagine, as our near-equator latitude means daylight arrives shortly after 05:00) so that we can depart at 7:15AM. We’ll drive through an area of coffee and past a thundering waterfall, then higher still through small towns involved in growing tropical ornamentals.

We will arrive at the park as the gates open, long before the tour bus hordes, and will have the best chance of viewing the mile-wide crater of active and smoking Poas Volcano before the obscuring clouds arrive. Unlike the time constraints imposed by large-scale operators, we’ll stay crater-side as long as you like. An interpretive nature walk through this cloud forest habitat will follow, then an opportunity to sort through the treasures at one of the countries best souvenir shops.

Driving through spectacular natural beauty, we will precede to La Paz Waterfall Gardens where I will guide you over the hanging catwalks and through the world’s largest butterfly atrium. You will then sit and relax among more free-flying species and numbers of hummingbirds than you have likely ever seen before. A well-prepared “tipico” Costa Rican buffet lunch will follow.  

On this adventure, shoppers, hikers and birdwatchers will be happily accommodated as we take the road less traveled to make your visit special. We will return at your leisure, stopping for photos, fresh strawberries or more souvenirs, but will generally arrive back at La Q around 4PM. 

On Poas, we will be hiking at 2,800m/8,300’ and the altitude, coupled with some short, steep slogs on well-prepared trails, will leave some people breathless. As we will also walk at the Waterfall Gardens, we can soften or forego this part of the journey. Bring a water bottle, camera, binoculars and wear long pants. Sunglasses, light jacket, umbrella and sturdy shoes will ensure your personal comfort. This program is an excellent first immersion into the ecology of the tropical rainforest.

Braulio Carillo National Park – Braulio Carillo was created as a result of a compromise between ecologists and developers that allowed a road to slice through this pristine wilderness. For most people, the drive to our hiking site through one of the world’s largest rainforest areas located near an urban area is unforgettable. Leaving La Q by 8AM, we will drive through the city of Alajuela before passing the airport on our way into (and out of) San Jose. Once free of the city, our road rises with remarkable views of dormant, forested volcanic cinder cones to our left. As we enter the National Park, we will be surrounded by eerie scattered cloud debris, reasonably impenetrable forest and mountainous rock slide areas with numerous small waterfalls. We can stop for photos wherever it is safe to do so, but you will likely want a shot of the Rio Sucio, where vivid green and yellow rivers converge. A little later, parking at a ranger station, we will hike into two different areas. The first, a dryer and warmer lower-elevation eco-zone, will take us on an out-and-back trail across a couple of small streams (wet shoes are likely) while walking in the dense shade of extremely tall, wild palm trees. We can hope to see “life list” birds, colorful insects, butterflies and… well you never know. The ocelots and margays are here but rarely seen. The second trail is a circular route that will take us uphill, then down, through cool and damp primary forest with numerous trees over 40m (125’).  Absent noise from any fellow hikers, it’s quite possible to see Howler Monkeys, Coral Snakes, Crested Guans or toucans. But again, you never know what might reveal itself, so please be satisfied just to revel in the luxurious, flamboyant rain forest.  Returning to the Ranger Station, we will enjoy a picnic lunch. We should arrive back at LaQ around 2PM.

As this is all a bit strenuous- no one else is even doing this tour - one must be in reasonable athletic condition to enjoy Mother Nature’s living room. The distance covered is an undulating three miles. Bring a water bottle, an umbrella, binoculars to see the neo-tropical colors of those otherwise unremarkable LBB’s -“little brown birds”- and your camera. Long pants and sturdy shoes are the uniform of the day.

ONE DAY IN SAN JOSE – Most tourists can safely maneuver around this busy metropolis by taxi and on foot, even finding their way to a few interesting places despite the absence of numbered addresses and street signs. But if you want to avoid the chance of getting lost and would like to see this city through the eyes of a (semi) native, let me share with you a day you will never forget.

We will catch the 9:15AM public bus to Alajuela that passes just outside the walls of La Q, then transferring quickly to another bus bound for San Jose, arriving there in about an hour. Friendly and safe, these bus rides will give you a taste of Costa Rican Pura Vida (“pure life”) After a short walk down the country’s widest boulevard, our first stop will be at the century-old national opera house Teatro Nacional, built to 19^th century European standards. A very short distance away is the Gold Museum with examples of pre-Columbian art. Window shopping as we walk across town for twenty minutes past shops that sell things like leather jackets and authenticate Cuban cigars, a visit to the Jade Museum is next with its many world class examples.  Breaking for lunch, we’ll taxi to the superb food, service and ambiance awaiting us at the Asian restaurant Tin-Jo (entrees are $7-$15). We’ll take another taxi to visit a special market area unknown to most tourists that offers a one-stop offering of well-priced Costa Rican souvenirs. With treasures in hand, we’ll walk for ten minutes to the bus station for our ride back to Alajuela where I will hail a taxi for our return to La Q after this very full day lasting until around 4PM.

GOING BEYOND THE REST – EFFORTLESSLY ACCESS TWO INDEPENDENT TRAVEL AGENCIES – I have partnered with two of Costa Rica’s best agencies to provide travelers with problem-free hotel reservations, unique adventure possibilities and safe transfers throughout the country and beyond.

- Visits to always-erupting Arenal Volcano, the deep forest preserve of Monteverde, and the Caribbean or Pacific beaches of Costa Rica are easily arranged.

- Is golf part of your holiday routine? We can schedule your tee time and arrange club rentals at the spectacularly “Hawaii-beautiful” Valle del Sol in nearby Santa Ana.

- Interested in a few days in Guatemala, Nicaragua or Panama? We have the experience to make your trip safe and interesting.

La Q is a great location for those seeking attractions of the day-trip variety. Zoo Ave (Zoo Ah-vay) is an interesting afternoon’s diversion with gardens and birds. Gardeners will want to visit one of the tropical nurseries just across the street to see incredible examples of palms and common house plants. In the artisan town of Sarchi, 45 minutes north-east, one can shop for souvenirs and hand-crafted furniture to ship home. 

Share your ideas with us prior to arrival and let us make it happen.