Volcan Poas and La Paz Waterfall Garden

On Thursday, August 28 (Happy Birthday, Mom) Hannah and I visited Volcan Poas (volcano) and La Paz Waterfall Garden.  We took the trip with friends from the language school.  We booked the trip with Ronnie, a guide/chofer that many students at the language school use for transportation needs.

We left around 6:30 AM and made our way to Volcan Poas. We arrived at about 8:30.  

The walk from the parking lot to the crater is about 1/2 a mile and it is very scenic.

On our way back from the crater I saw a map showing the name of the path: "Camino de sombrillas pobres", which means "Path of poor umbrellas".  Pictured below is us under the "umbrella".  These giant leaves are actually used as umbrellas.

There were many of these plants along the side of the path.

This time of year it's hit or miss on seeing the crater, fortunately we had a fairly clear morning and we could see it.  Really neat to see!

We left the volcano and headed toward La Paz Waterfall Gardens - about a 30 minute drive.  La Paz is a beautiful place with animals and 5 waterfalls.  Animal exhibits include birds, frogs, snakes, monkeys, and butterflies.  The staff is great and they let you interact with the animals when possible.

The flowers were left over from a wedding, good thing for us!

You can see 3 waterfalls in this picture.  The smaller one to the right is called "Escondida" ("Hidden").

We had a great time seeing both of these places and we would definitely recommend them if you ever visit Costa Rica.