San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

Last stop of the trip, and this one is so different from the rest. The temperature dropped by at least 30 degrees, and the oxygen level dropped, too. At first glance, you would think you were in Colorado, but then you see glimpses of rain forest life. This area is a famous bird watching Mecca. People come from all over to see the Resplendant Quetzal.



This is as close as we got to seeing one. We heard a female calling during our hikes but we could never spot her. We didn't have binoculars. I guess we would have had more luck with a guide. Oh well, we are not birders so we weren't too disappointed.

Our main goal for our hikes were 2 waterfalls. The trail was crazy narrow and covered in roots and rocks. It was only 1.5 miles to the second waterfall, but it seemed so far. The hike was worth it in the end.


Catarata Las Piedras



Catarata Savegre

It started raining at the end of our hike and continued to rain throughout the afternoon. The boys were content sitting in the bar/lounge where they could get wifi on their devices. Brian and I took turns with them. Brian got a nap in, and I got a massage.

It was an early morning again for our trip to the airport. We were told that today is a very important holiday for the Catholic Church in Cartago. Millions of people from all over Central America walk to Cartago on August 2nd. Since we were passing through Cartago on our way to the airport, they recommended that we leave early to avoid traffic.



Here we are waiting for the Spirit ticket counter to open. We made it with plenty of time to spare. We have loved every minute in Costa Rica, but we are all ready to get back to Texas for a while. Poor Boyd misses his Nestle Quik chocolate milk. :)

San Gerardo de Dota pics

Dominical, Costa Rica

On our way to our next stop, we stopped at Manuel Antonio National Park. This is the park that is famous for sloths and has a beautiful beach just a 30 minute hike from the entrance. We saw a sloth in the first tree by the entrance. :) My day was made! It was very hot and humid so the beach was a welcome sight.



Our hotel was not too much further down the road. We made it just before the rain started. I have to make a correction. In the last post I said that we had the most beautiful view from our room. The Villas Alturas had a gorgeous view, too. This was a different kind of view, so secluded and tropical with a view of the ocean from the hillside. I could sit on the porch all day for a week and be perfectly content. So I didn't mind the rain that came in the evening and ruined our sight-seeing plans.



The coolest thing about this resort was the wildlife sanctuary that is housed in the property. I will spare you all of the pictures. You can look through the album below if you are interested. Most of these animals came to the sanctuary because they were illegally traded. Usually the mother is killed and the babies are taken and sold. The fines for owning one of these animals is so high that most of the Ticos will turn the animals over to a sanctuary to avoid fines.



Day 2 was spent at Playa Dominicalito attempting to surf and boogie board. Then we made a quick trip into Uvita to find the Uvita waterfall. We got there after it closed but we were allowed to go down anyway. Brian and Scotty got one slide down the waterfall and then we headed back to the resort again.
Day 3 was an early morning. We packed the car and headed back to Dominical for our Savegre rafting tour. It was a class 2 and 3 river, which was perfect for me and Boyd. The coolest part of this trip was the break at a waterfall. While we played in the water, the guides made a snack of pico de gallo, guacamole, bean dip, and fruit. It was a beautiful spread.
As soon as our rafting tour was finished, we got in the car and headed up the mountain for our last stop of the trip.
Dominical pictures

Los Suenos, Costa Rica

We stayed 3 nights at the Marriott Los Suenos. It was a very relaxing time, but we also had something planned each day. The beach was nice for the kids. The surf was low and they could walk out pretty far. I loved the pool that curved in and out around the property. It seemed to go on forever.



Here is a run down of our activities. Driving in, we stopped on the Tarcoles bridge, home of hundreds of crocodiles. We counted at least 44.



That night, we hung out at the hotel and found a nice sports bar for dinner at the marina.
The next morning we went out on a deep sea fishing trip with Costa Rica Dreams. We caught several fish right off the bat, and then the fishing slowed down. Brian asked the captain to take us closer in for some bottom fishing, and we had some luck pulling in some unusual catches. Scotty caught a tuna and a moray eel. The deck hands were very nervous about the eel. They can bite! Boyd caught a wahoo and a trigger fish. I caught a Bonita. Brian let us reel in so many that he only gets credit for a very tiny red snapper that we threw back. The boys enjoyed their catch at a local restaurant while I went to bed with a miserable heat induced migraine. Stupid headaches!
The next morning we got up and drove to Carara National Park. We paid a guide to show us around and we were very glad we did. We saw several different species of birds, two types of bats, Capuchin monkeys, a cute little rodent called an Alguti, and a lot of poison dart frogs and centipedes. We also had a good time finding different types of fungus. The forest was so beautiful.
We went back to the hotel and found some fried chicken along the way for lunch. Fried chicken is a big thing in Costa Rica. Who knew? We laid around at the hotel pool and beach some more, let the boys play some Xbox, WII, and PS4, and ordered pizza for dinner.
Did I mention that our room had the most amazing view and Scarlet Macaws in the trees every morning?


Here are some more pictures if you are interested.
Marriott Los Seunos pics