Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Upala
(Empresario Unidos del Norte) US$5, three hours, 5:30am, 10am, 1:30pm and
4:45pm.
Venecia
East of Muelle de San Carlos and Ciudad Quesada, the highway traces the northern limits
of the Cordillera Central as flowering vines scramble down the mountains and threaten to
overtake the road. In the distance, the northern lowlands appear as a patchwork quilt of
cane fields and rice paddies. The road momentarily straightens out as it enters the affluent
rural town of Venecia. There's a lively square and a maze of almost suburban streets
stretching into the surrounding hills.
If you're looking to break up the driving, spend the night here in a 'medieval castle',
Torre Fuerte Cabinas
( 2472-2424; s/d US$24/28; )
. It's a sweet, kitschy hotel,
family run, with lots of homey touches like silk flowers and plants. It's a perfect roadside
cheapie. And yes, there's a turret.
About 3km from downtown, set 700m down a steep dirt road in a seething rainforest is
Recreo Verde
( 2472-1020;
www.recreoverde.com
;
pools adult/child US$12/8, cabins adult/
child US$30/20)
, a family-friendly lodge with mineral baths. This is a Tico favorite; and
though it's not exactly luxurious, it is affordable and fun. It has three pools set just above
the roaring river, as well as hiking trails and a campground. Spacious polished-wood cab-
ins have full kitchens and a pair of rockers on the porch.
Boca Tapada Area
Here's an off-the-beaten-track destination for adventurous souls. The rocky roads and lack
of signage (even less than usual!) could mean a few unintended detours, but it's worth the
effort for a glimpse into the ecological extravaganza of pristine rainforest. On the roads
that pass pineapple fields and packing plants, your fellow travelers will be commuting
caballeros
(cowboys) and
campesinos
going about their day-to-day business. And at the
end of the road, you'll be rewarded with a luxuriant bit of rainforest replete with the song
of frogs and rare birds, and an inkling of the symbiosis that can happen when humans
make the effort. Local lodges offer rainforest tours into the Refugio Nacional de Vida Sil-
vestre Mixto Maquenque.