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ACTIVITIES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF OUR VILLA
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Hike to the Bijugual Falls
Just three miles up the mountain from our villa, you will come to a small cinder block booth on the right side of the road where you begin a hike to the base of the tallest waterfall in all of Costa Rica! The hike is fairly short but very strenuous. Going down to the falls takes about 45 minutes and it is truly an awesome sight when you get there. There are three pools where you can swim. But beware! The hike back up to the road can be tough. Ninety percent of it is not too bad, but ten percent is VERY steep. Take sufficient water and give yourself plenty of time.
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Tarcoles River Bridge
You will drive over it the Tarcoles River Bridge to get to our Villa. This is the famous . You will see dozens of huge crocodiles sunning on the sand bars and swimming in the river.
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CROCODILE MAN TOUR
The Crocodile Man Tour on the Tarcoles River is located a little more than a mile from our Villa.You will probably meet the owner and head tour guide, Jason. Jason and his tour was the subject of a special documentary on the Discovery Channel a few years ago. You will board a boat, and Jason will give you a tour of the Rio Tarcoles and the mangrove swamps. You will see dozens of species of birds as well as crabs and other residents of the mangrove swamps.The highlight of the tour is when Jason steps out of boat to feed by hand the wild crocodiles of the Rio Tarcoles.
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SKY WAY AT HOTEL VILLA LAPAS
Villa Lapas located a mere 500 yards from our villa, is home to several attractions worth seeing. At the top of the list is the Villa Lapas Skyway. This is a guided tour through the rain forest which takes you over five suspended bridges. The scenery is unbelievable and the area is home to hundreds of birds including Scarlet Macaws and Toucans.
Villa Lapas also has Santa Lucia, which is a quaint replica of a traditional Costa Rican village. The village includes a beautiful chapel, a cantina, a restaurant, three souvenir shops with local arts and crafts and lovely gardens. You will likely see several Iguanas sunning themselves along the walkways and even swimming in the river.
http://www.villalapas.com/pagina%20tours.html#sky
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PURA VIDA GARDENS & WATERFALLS
About 4 miles up the mountain from the villa you will arrive at Pura Vida Gardens and Waterfalls. Pura Vida Gardens has over 40 acres of spectacular tropical flora and fauna located in the beautifully manicured gardens. It also has views of the Pacific Ocean and the Bijuagual waterfall.
http://puravidagarden.com/
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RAIN FOREST AERIAL TRAMS AND CANOPY TOURS
Rain Forest Aerial Trams and Canopy Tours is located just outside Jaco. The Aerial Tram is an eco-tourism project with 222 acres of forest. The property offers not only one of the most interesting and exuberant forests in the Americas, but also showcases small waterfalls and scenic views of the Pacific Coast, which visitors can enjoy during the Tram ride. It also features a zip line canopy tour. On the Aerial Tram tour you will enjoy Nature trails with various difficulty ratings, visit the Medicinal Plants garden and Heliconias Gallery and the Snake Exhibition.
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JACO (town of)
About 20 minutes south on the coastal highway you will find the bustling small city of Jaco. In past years, Jaco was a town frequented by surfers, drawn by the miles of beautiful beaches and great surf. Jaco is now a rapidly growing city with dozens of high-rise condominium projects recently completed and under construction. Jaco is somewhat touristy, but nevertheless is a great place to spend the day walking along the beach or in the souvenir shops, arts and crafts shops, and galleries. Restaurants, bars and nightclubs are not in short supply in Jaco. Be careful at Jaco Beach, riptides are abundant in the surf.
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MARTA’S “RANCHO SHADDAY” (adventure and food)
Have a REAL Costa Rica experience. We recommend a small family owned eatery (known as a “soda”) located at the very top of a 3000 foot mountain with an amazing 360 degree view. You can watch Marta cooking over a wood stove, preparing totally authentic Costa Rican food. Simple, but delicious. Don’t be surprised if a chicken or two wander by on the dirt floor, followed closely by a feisty rooster! Take time to enjoy the view.
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DAY TRIPS
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VILLAGE OF QUEPOS (South of Jaco)
Quepos is home to approximately 14,000 people. Quepos is the gateway to Manuel Antonio National Park. The town is named for the native Indians Quepo that inhabited the place in the colonial era. A picturesque town with a small bit of the colonial era wall left. Quepos offers fishing for numerous varieties of fish, especially bill fish.
http://www.puertoquepos.com/costa-rica/quepos.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quepos
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MANUAL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK (South of Quepos)
South of Quepos, Manual Antonio Park has expansive white sand beaches backed by an evergreen forest that grows right up to the high tide line. The principal habitants are primary forest, secondary forest, mangrove swamps, lagoons and beach vegetation. There is quite a varied fauna with 109 species of mammals and 184 of birds. The park includes 12 little isles just off the coast.
http://www.manuelantoniopark.com/mapk/default.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Antonio_National_Park
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Tortuga Island
Tortuga Island is the most popular of Costa Rica's islands. It actually consists of 2 uninhabited islands, situated in front of the Curu Wildlife Refuge. The clear, turquoise waters afford excellent snorkeling and diving, and the white sand beaches lined with swaying palm trees provide the most sought-after setting in the world: a tropical island paradise. Besides local operators, tour companies offer day trips from Jaco and Puntarenas to the Tortuga Island. Some of the tour companies will pick you up directly at our Villa and return you at the end of the day.
http://www.tortugaislandcostarica.com/
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Midworld
Midworld is located 20 minutes outside of Manuel Antonio/Quepos, at the base of the area’s surrounding mountains. It is bounded by the Rio Cañas, and forms the beginning of the region’s pristine primary rainforest.
http://www.midworldcostarica.com/index.html |
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DESTINATIONS A LITTLE FURTHER
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ARENAL VOLCANO
Positioned within Costa Rica’s fertile northern lowlands, the Arenal Volcano is an unavoidable presence. It is tall and majestic. Arenal’s perfectly symmetrical shape makes it a sightseer’s dream.
http://www.arenal.net/
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MONTEVERDE
Monteverde is set atop the spine of Costa Rica’s continental divide. It is a place of cloud forests and coffee plantations, monkeys, mist. The rainforest hosts a remarkable amount of biodiversity. The complex and far-reaching ecosystem, harbors over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, tens of thousands of insect species, and over 2,500 varieties of plants, 420 of which are orchids.
http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/
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MONTEZUMA (West of our villa on the Nicoya Peninsula)
This adventure is usually a two day journey. Take a boat from Herradura beach (about 10 minute drive from the villa) across the bay to the small village and artist colony of Montezuma.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montezuma,_Costa_Rica
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DOKA COFFEE PLANTATION – near Paos Volcano (north of our villa)
The Doka Coffee Estate owned by the Vargas family is located on the fertile slopes of the Alajuela Poas Volcano, the rich soil and the ideal altitude and climate have made the Santa Eduviges farm famous because of it's excellent coffee.
http://www.dokaestate.com/
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POAS VOLCANO (approximately 19 miles North West of the Capital City of San Jose)
Poás Volcano is a powerful symbol of the geothermal forces that formed Costa Rica. When the mist and clouds part you'll see the sulfuric, bubbling, green rain fed lake at the bottom, surrounded by smoke and steam rising from fumaroles. Water from the lake is constantly seeping through cracks in the hot rock, evaporating and building pockets of steam. The crater is 1,050 feet (320 meters) deep and almost a mile (1.6 km) across. It is the largest active crater in the world.
http://costa-rica-guide.com/parks/poas.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po%C3%A1s_Volcano
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATED TO COSTA RICA
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Golf at Marriot Los Sueños
The golf course at the Marriott Los Suenos will actually put you inside the jungle. The Marriott Los Suenos is about a 15 minute drive from our villa.
http://www.golflaiguana.com/golf/hotels/hotel-information/travel/sjols-los-suenos-marriott-ocean-and-golf-resort/
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