Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ive, especially if you're interested in seeing the country's tallest waterfall and some of its
biggest crocodiles.
About 2km south of the
Carara ranger station
is the Tárcoles turnoff to the right (west)
and the Hotel Villa Lapas turnoff to the left. To get to Tárcoles, turn right and drive for
1km, then go right at the T-junction to the village. Local buses between Orotina and Bijag-
ual can drop you off at the entrance to the Parque Nacional Carara.
Sights & Activities
Catarata Manantial de Agua Viva
WATERFALL
( 8831-2980; admission US$20; 8am-3pm)
This 200m-high waterfall is claimed to be the highest in the country. From here, it's a
steep 3km hike down into the valley; at the bottom, the river continues through a series of
natural swimming holes. The falls are most dramatic at their fullest, during the rainy sea-
son, though the serene rainforest setting is beautiful any time of year.
Keep an eye out for brightly colored poison-dart frogs as well as the occasional pair of
scarlet macaws. A 5km dirt road past Hotel Villa Lapas leads to the primary entrance to
the falls.
Jardín Pura Vida
GARDENS
( 2637-0346; admission US$20; 8am-5pm)
In the town of Bijagual, this private botanical garden offers great vistas of Manantial de
Agua Viva cascading down the side of a cliff, and there are some easy but altogether pleas-
ant hiking trails. There is a small restaurant on the grounds, and you can also arrange
horseback riding and tours through the area.
At the time of writing the Jardín was up for sale, so its future is uncertain.
Tours
This area is known for crocodile-watching tours, and travelers anywhere near this part of
the coast will be bombarded with advertisements and flyers for them. Although it will be
hard for adrenaline junkies to resist, these tours have a dubious impact on the natural hab-
itat of the magnificent animals who lurk in the mudflats of the Río Tárcoles. Although
