Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [323]
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SANTA MARÍA & VALLE DE DOTA
Centered on a green, grassy soccer field and surrounded by lavish plantations, Santa María de Dota is a charming Tico (Costa Rican) town that merits at least a quick stop. As you’d imagine, coffee production is the economic lifeblood of Santa María, especially since the Coopedota processing facility employs much of the town.
Coopedota (2541-2828; www.coopedota.com) can give you the complete picture of where your caffeine fix comes from: the Coffee Experience is a half-day tour (US$10) that takes guests to an organic coffee farm, visits the production facility and – most importantly – offers tastings of several different kinds of coffee. The cofounder and manager of the cafe previously won third place in a national barista competition and is locally famous for her signature coffee drinks.
A great place to spend the night is at El Toucanet Lodge (2541-3131; www.eltoucanet.com; Copey de Dota; s/d from US$55/71; ) a lovely country lodge that is perched at 1850m and offers seven rustic hardwood cabins with wonderful views of Valle de Dota. The valley and the surrounding cloud forest are excellent for bird-watching and co-owner Gary leads daily tours – fruit birds are commonly sighted, as well as the resplendent quetzal and the namesake toucanet. The Flintstones-style hot tub is an excellent place to recover from the day’s activities. To reach the lodge, drive east from Santa María or turn off the Interamericana at Km 58.
If you are traveling south on the Interamericana, Café de los Santos (Interamericana Km 52; 10:30am-5:30pm), is a convenient place to stop and sample the fruits of the region, including fancy espresso drinks for less than a thousand colones. Incidentally, the gas station at this intersection is the last place to fill your tank before San Isidro de El General.
Most drivers from San José take the Interamericana south to Empalme, almost 30km from Cartago. Just south of the station a signed turnoff leads west on a paved road and turns to Santa María de Dota (10km away), San Marcos de Tarrazú (7km beyond) and San Pablo (4km further). Six daily buses (₡1500, 2½ hours) connect these towns to San José.
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SAN GERARDO DE DOTA
Bird-watchers from around the world flock to this small mountain town – no pun intended – as the area surrounding San Gerardo de Dota is famed for attracting rare high-altitude species. In fact, the elusive resplendent quetzal is such a celebrity in these parts that in 2005, the national government demarcated a national park in its honor. For anyone serious about catching a glimpse of the fabled Maya bird of paradise, there is no better spot in the country than nearby Parque Nacional Los Quetzales.
Since the national park lacks permanent infrastructure, the town of San Gerardo not only provides easy access to the trailheads, but also offers a wide assortment of tourist lodges. Beyond bird-watching, the surrounding countryside is famous for its abundant trout fishing, and locals are quick to point out that their humble little town may be one of the most beautiful spots in the whole country. With fresh mountain air, bountiful fruit orchards, heaps of bucolic charm and plenty of smiles to boot, we’re inclined to agree.
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History
The banks of the Río Savegre were long protected by the steep flanks of the Talamanca mountains, prohibiting settlement in this area. It was not until 1952 that Efrain Chacón and his brothers – driven by drought – made their way south from Copey de Dota, and established a farm on the western slopes of Cerro de la Muerte – which would eventually become the village of San Gerardo.
In the early days,