Published on Feb, 2024
Ricardo was our amazing host for the Irazu tour. We picked a day with a bad accident in San Jose and traffic was crazy. As a result, the company split our group so as not to delay the tour. Two of us were lucky to get a private tour with Ricardo.
We started with a beautiful drive up to the Irazu volcano and National Park through beautiful countryside and farmland (once you escape the city).
The park is at high altitude and even in the sun it was cold - definitely requires a sweater/coat and ideally long pants. There is no ‘Green lake’ in the crater these days - just the volcanic ash/rock and grass growing in one of the 3 craters - but great views.
The next stop is the old capital city of Cartago with its stunning Catholic church. Spectacular detail inside which is a stark contrast to the clean, white, Byzantine exterior.
Lunch was in the Orosi valley which we stopped to take photos of on the way down and on our return. Stunning orange blooms on the poró trees made the views even more beautiful.
Great lunch - a very traditional Costa Rican dish of rice, vegetables, and plantains with fish, chicken or steak. The plantain ceviche starter was my favorite part and the Cas fruit juice was really good.
Final stop was the Lancaster Botanical Gardens - home to an array of plants including a phenomenal collection of or bids (Which Lancaster devoted his life to study and preserve).
A great day trip and you won't go wrong if you get Ricardo - he is a wealth of knowledge on CR history, geology, and plants.…. The list goes on!
