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Hola amigos,
One very beautiful valley , somewhat forgotten by most , is the
"Valle de Orosi", SE of Cartago and Paraiso. A winding mountain river, a grand lake , very rich flora is perfect for a day trip.

Great food at a most elegant restaurant on the north shore of the Lake Cachi: La Casona de Cafetal. If u like fresh river trout, this place is famous for it. Trout is plentiful, caught right there in the valley, and many smaller wayside places feature 'trucha de Cachi'.

I went there in my rental car while visiting one of my amigas who lives in Paraiso nearby.
Another worthwhile trip is to Volcano Irazu, north of Cartago by very good road. Highest active Volcanic peak in CR at 11,257 ft, so be sure to bring a sweater, it is verrrry cold up there , 41 deg F when we went up there.

Enjoy the Pura Vida,
Cygnus[list=][/list]

Excellent info cyg...guys dont realize how many beautiful wonders are a few hours drive from SJ...and great for that fantasy GFE getaway. Will really add to ones quality of life to get out of the gulch occassionally:)

Another suggestion that comes to mind is on the Caribbean side...Playa Cuauhita. NIcest beaches in CR and not far from the Panamanian border...about 3.5-4hrs drive from SJ. WOrth a weekend jaunt...

I agree that the area east of San Jose makes an excellent day trip. You can do it by going with a group tour, but you lose flexibility. For the same price you can rent a car or hire a driver. Public bus transportion is not a convenient option for the Orosi Valley.

One correction to your post. Irazu Volcano is not the highest point in CR. That distinction goes to Mt. Chirripo (elev. 12326' highest in Cent. America) which is bit farther to the East. Irazu is a great place to visit though. You can drive to the summit and it is one of the very few places in the Americas where you can see the Atlantic and Pacific (on a clear day) from the same spot. Cyg is right, it can be cool, so you might want to bring a sweater or jacket, and you should try to get there early before the clouds start to roll in around midmorning. Actually that can be kinda cool too, as you look down over a cloud shrouded valley.

My recommendation get up early and drive to Irazu. Grab breakfast near the summit at what is purported to be the worldest highest restaurant (great views from there). Drive back down and check out the church in Cartago. Stop by Lankester gardens on the way to Paraiso. And then circle the Orosi Valley and the Cachi Lake. I haven't eaten there but the Casona de Cafetal is supposed to be a good place to eat and also a good place to pick up some interesting wood carvings as souvenirs.

There are some other destinations in the area that I haven't yet checked out. Tapanti Nat'l Wildlife Refuge at the southern tip of the Orosi Valley is supposed to be one of the best places to see the beautiful elusive and extremely rare Quetzal, national bird of CR. Guayabo National Monument which is a bit further east from Cartago has what passes the the most significant indian ruins in CR - a city of 20K ppl dating back before 1400AD. I'm not sure how many around here are into this sort of stuff. But the area east of San Jose and Turrialba is the gateway for most of the WW Raft trips out of San Jose, which I am sure many of you have tried.

This thread should go in Non-Gulch Activities