Sarapiqui to Canó Negro

It is about a 3 hour drive to Canó Negro but we think it might be good to make a detour to Poas Volcano. It will add a couple of hours to the journey but will add some interesting landscapes and the Poas Volcano crater looks amazing and is still active.

We pass through some truly stunning scenery and encounter a large temperature range from 30C down to 10C. It is always surprising to see how manicured the verges are.

We pass huge lorries carrying sugar cane and can see fields where the cane has been cleared. The cane is black and I guess that is the reason that where we are going is called Canó Negro.

We then catch our first glimpse of Poas Volcano and start the hour ascent to the crater.

We cross several narrow bridges….

and are treated to a surprise viewing of La Paz waterfall, which is adjacent to the bridge we are about to cross.

The temperature has dropped markedly. We are now in the cloud forest and are driving through fog and rain as we continue our ascent

We eventually reach Poas Volcano Park and see signs saying we need to buy a ticket in advance. We were unaware of this so ask to buy one when we reach the entrance gate. We are told we must do it online. There is a hut opposite with Wi-Fi and we can do it there. The lady in the kiosk is very helpful and also shows us the current view of the crater on the webcam. It is a white out. She advises that we save ourselves $50 each and drive back down. We take her advice and although it was disappointing not to view the crater the drive was still very worthwhile. We stopped for a coffee on our descent at something very reminiscent of an alpine restaurant. The weather felt alpine too at that stage, so I grabbed my fleece from the boot to find that my water bottle had leaked all over it. To wet to wear. Grrr….

The views on our descent were also stunning.

The drive from the crater to Cano Negro was 3 hours. Longer than we expected but that was because the last 20 km were on terrible roads with numerous potholes. We had to weave from side to side to avoid them and every so often a huge truck would come towards us, which made life very interesting indeed.

We are staying at the Natural Lodge. It looks like there has been some recent new investment here with a new reception and pool area and refurbished rooms which are very comfortable. We swim in the new pool and then I have walk around the grounds with the camera. What a treat. Howler monkeys appear in the trees behind our room with their deafening calls. The light is poor so no decent photos I’m afraid but a treat for me nevertheless.

The staff are, as everywhere else in Costa Rica, lovely but there’s a bit of a problem with the pre-dinner drinks. We order G&Ts and they arrive in big glasses and look great. It ends there. They taste truly terrible. Really sour, loads of lime. We both nearly choke on the first sip. The waiter comes over to ask if the drinks are OK. I say no and the waiter says he will make me another one. Paul is more accommodating and perseveres with his. I should have done likewise. It took 20 minutes for my replacement drink to arrive and we think in hindsight that the hotel had no tonic and tried to improvise. Clearly someone was sent out to buy some, because the 2nd drink was fine… hence the wait.