La Paz Waterfall Gardens

After getting a feel for the local pace over the last couple of weeks, Karen and I decided to do a touristy outing. Karen found a destination nestled up in the mountains on the way to the Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This is a great attraction for seeing some local sights and learning a bit about the locale. We were able to make arrangements via the internet to be picked up in the nearby town of San Isidro de Heredia and be transported there and back. We went through San Jose in both directions to pick up another group. Our driver and tour guide was Olman Arce Meji and he was outstanding. We reached him at waterfallgardenstour@gmail.com. Olman speaks excellent English and is a very safe and conscientious driver. As it is approximately a two hour drive each way, this makes for a relaxing trip.

La Paz Waterfall gardens is a combination of hotel, wildlife reserve, and nature park. They say all the animals that you see on the grounds have either been injured or confiscated by the government and handed over to them. For one reason or another these animals have been deemed unable to survive in the wild. Whatever the reason they have done an excellent job of presenting them in a very interactive manner.

We spent a few hours wandering through the displays of animals and examples of life in rural Costa Rica.

And birds, big and small.

As well they have displays of ocelots, monkeys, and Jaguars.

It was an excellent day spent walking and learning with a delicious lunch served half way through. If you are ever looking for a destination within Costa Rica I would recommend it.