Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
insula is still off the grid. Getting in and out via public transportation is possible, but slow
going.
Major towns in the southern zone are serviced by regular buses, though public transport-
ation can get sporadic once you leave these major hubs.
jumping-off point for the southern zone. Prices vary according to season and availability,
but usually you can expect to pay a little less than US$75 for a flight from San José or
Liberia.
THE ROAD TO CHIRRIPÓ
Traveling south from San José, the road to Parque Nacional Chirripó passes through gor-
geous countryside of redolent coffee plantations and cool, misty cloud forests. The first
major area of interest is the Zona de los Santos (Zone of the Saints), a collection of high-
land villages that famously bear sainted names: San Pablo de León Cortés, Santa María de
Dota, San Marcos de Tarrazú, San Cristóbal Sur and San Gerardo de Dota. Further south
in the Valle de El General, family-run
fincas
(farms) dot the fertile valley, though the ac-
tion tends to center on San Isidro de El General, southern Costa Rica's largest town and
major transportation hub.
Santa María & Valle de Dota
Centered on a green, grassy soccer field and surrounded by lavish plantations, Santa María
de Dota is a picturesque Costa Rican town that merits at least a quick stop if you're driving
(on bus, the detour would likely cost you a whole day). It's a quiet, sleepy place where
mist rolls across the mountains and coffee production is the economic lifeblood. It seems
as if the Coopedota processing facility employs half the town.
Coopedota
( 2541-2828;
www.coopedota.com
;
7am-5pm Mon-Fri, 7am-4pm Sat & Sun)
can give you the complete picture of where your caffeine fix comes from: the Coffee Ex-
perience is a half-day tour (US$32) that takes guests to a coffee farm, visits the production
facility and offers tastings. Harvest season (November to March) is the best time to visit.
Coopedota is the first coffee co-op in the world to be certified carbon-neutral by the Brit-
ish Standards Institution. It's on the south side of the Coopedota building, across from the
soccer field.
