Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tuna. There is also one daily bus to Tilarán (three hours, departs 7:30pm) via Nuevo Aren-
al, and three daily buses to San José (five hours, departs 8am, 11:30am and 3pm).
From Guatuso, a rough gravel and dirt road covers the 21km to the entrance of Parque
Nacional Volcán Tenorio, and onward to Bijagua. For this route, a 4WD is required in the
rainy season and recommended year-round.
WORTH A TRIP
VENADO CAVES
Four kilometers south of Venado (Spanish for 'deer') along a good dirt road, the
Venado
Caves
(Cavernas de Venado; 2478-8008;
cavernasdelvenado@hotmail.com
;
adult/child under
12yr US$22/12; 9am-4pm, last admission 2pm) are an adventurous excursion into an eight-
chamber limestone labyrinth that extends for almost 3km. A bilingual guide leads small
groups on two-hour tours through the darkness, squeezing through narrow passes, point-
ing out the most interesting rock formations and encountering bats and bugs.
The cavern system, composed of soft, malleable limestone, was carved over the millen-
nia by a series of underground rivers. The caves were discovered by chance in 1945 when
a farmer fell through a hole in the ground and found himself in an underground chamber
surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites.
You'll be provided with rubber boots, headlamps and helmets, as well as a shower after-
wards. You'll definitely want to bring a change of clothes. There's a small onsitesoda, and
a few restaurants in Venado, but no lodging.
This popular rainy-day attraction can be organized as a day trip from La Fortuna for
US$50 to US$80 per person (including transportation and lunch). Alternatively, visit with
your own car; the caves are well signed from Hwy 4. We don't recommend coming by bus;
the 'early' bus from Ciudad Quesada drops you off a steep 4km slog from the cave en-
trance at about 2pm, too late to make the last admission into the caves. A taxi from San
Rafael de Guatuso will cost about US$30 to US$40.
Muelle de San Carlos
This small crossroads village - locally called Muelle - was once an important dock as it's
the most inland spot from which the Río San Carlos is navigable. These days it is sugar-
cane country and it serves as a rest stop for truckers and travelers. It's also only 27km east
