TÁRCOLES

Twenty-five km south of Orotina, Hwy. 34 crosses the Río Tárcoles. The bridge over the river is the easiest place in the country for spotting crocodiles, which bask on the mudbanks below the bridge: (don’t lean over too far). Several tourists have been victims of armed robberies near the bridge. There is now a police post here, but caution is still required.

Crocodiles gather in even greater numbers at the rivermouth, five km west, where the fishing village of Tárcoles is deriving new income offering croc-spotting trips. The estuary is also fantastic for bird-watching: more than 400 species have been identified here. Gulls, terns, and herons congregate on the sandbars. Frigate birds wheel overhead, while cormorants and kingfishers fish in the lagoons. Roseate spoonbills add a splash of color. And scarlet macaws fly overhead on their way to and from roosts in the mangrove swamps that extend 15 km northward.

The turnoff for Tárcoles is signed five km south of the bridge; the dirt road leads north about two km to a Y-fork where you should go right for the river and safari departure point, and left for the beach and Tarcol Lodge.

At the turnoff for Tárcoles from Hwy. 34, a dirt road leads east and climbs steeply to the hamlet of Bijagual. About two km above the road is the Villa Lapas Sky Walk a canopy tour with bridges and ziplines and fantastic views down over the coast. You must buy tickets at the Villa Lapas Hotel.

Continuing uphill, about five km from Hwy. 34 you pass the Catarata Manantial de Agua Viva (tel./fax 506/661-8263, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., $10 admission), where a three-km trail drops steeply to this spectacular 183-meter-high waterfall. There are miradors and benches for wildlife viewing. Best time is rainy season, when the falls are going full tilt. They don’t cascade in one great plume but rather tumble down the rockface to natural pools good for swimming. There are scarlet macaw nesting sites, and poison-arrow frogs hop along the paths. The trail is a stiff 45-minute hike. Camping is permitted. A bus from Orotina to Bijagual (departs 11 a.m.; returns from Bijagual at 5:30 a.m.) will drop you at the front gate. You can buy snacks and drinks

Another two km brings you to Pura Vida Botanical Garden (tel. 506/200-5040, pvgardens@racsa.co.cr, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.). Manicured gravel trails offer dramatic views over mountain ridges toward the Manantial de Agua Viva waterfall and the coast. A self-guided tour ($15) takes about one hour. It has a delightful restaurant and a gift store.

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Crocodile-Spotting Tours
Jungle Crocodile Safari (tel./fax 506/637-0338 or 506/241-1853, info@costaricanaturetour.com, www.costaricanaturetour.com) offers a two-hour croc-spotting trip upriver aboard a pontoon boat ($25). It has an office in the village. Also in the village, Crocodile Man Tours (tel./fax 506/637-0426, crocodilemancr@hotmail.com) offers similar tours, as does J.D.’s Watersports (tel. 506/257-3857, jdwatersports.com).