Alvaro drove the first hour on yet ANOTHER dirt road, a "shortcut" that connected the Marriott resort with the highways headed south and east. The ride was uneventful, and we stopped once for a potty break at a small cafe. I'll have to say that Caravan has done an excellent job of finding pit stops with very clean restrooms. We've been to some very rustic locations, and all had perfectly clean toilets.
We stopped at an open-air restaurant for lunch--chicken fingers, rice & beans, fried plantains (our new favorite), and a nice coconut dessert. Yummy.
After lunch, we rode about 20 minutes to the Tarcoles River, about 20 miles north of Jaco on the Pacific coast. We turned off the highway and drove the short distance to the small town of Tarcoles. From there, we boarded yet another boat for a ride on the Tarcoles River. What a treat! The river was advertised as crocodile infested, and it certainly was. We saw about a dozen crocs in our 45-minute ride, and the boat driver even got out on the bank twice (for each side of the boat) to feed raw chicken to two of the giant crocodiles. What a brave guy! They are certainly ferocious looking.
After the boat ride, we had a short time to shop for souvenirs and be entertained by two men playing a marimba. We were back on the bus by about 2:30, and headed for our hotel in San Jose. It is about 1.5-2 hours from the coast at Tarcoles to the capital city. I'm sure we were all a little sad that our memorable tour of Costa Rica would be ending the next day.
Costa Rica Tour
- Costa Rica Cruises
- Arrival in San Jose
- San Jose - Poas Volcano and Coffee Plantation
- Tortuguero - Canal Cruise
- Tortuguero - Cano Palma Cruise
- Tortuguero to La Fortuna - Canal Cruise and Pineapple Plantation
- La Fortuna - Arenal Volcano
- La Fortuna - Rio Frio and Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge
- La Fortuna - Baldi Hot Springs
- La Fortuna - Hanging Bridges Hike
- La Fortuna to Guanacaste
- Guanacaste - Rest Day!
- Guanacaste to San Jose - Tarcoles River Cruise
- San Jose and Home
