Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [471]
Cabinas Maleku (2470-0142; s/d with air-con US$22/26, with fan US$16/22; ) Though it’s a few dollars more, this is the best option in town. Big, high-ceilinged rooms with colorful cartoon murals have folksy furniture, including cheery Sarchí-style wooden chairs in front of the rooms. All rooms have a bathroom and a large TV with cable.
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Eating
The busy market, just behind the bus terminal, opens early with several nice sodas dishing up good gallos (tortilla sandwiches), empanadas (corn turnovers filled with meat, cheese or fruit) and just about everything else. There are also a few Chinese restaurants and produce vendors.
Restaurant Buena Vista (2470-0063; mains ₡1700-4300; 11am-9pm) This breezy spot serves a good mix of typical Chinese food. It’s also aptly named (Good View) as the river views are wonderful, although customer service leaves much to be desired.
Soda Norma (8819-7048; mains ₡2320-3500; 6:30am-9pm) With outdoor tables overlooking the park, this is a seriously top-notch soda, serving some of the most beautiful casados (with all the trimmings) you’ve ever seen.
Rancho Don Horacio (2470-0905; mains ₡3500-5220; 11am-10pm) Right off the plaza, and far more atmospheric, is this romantic restaurant with red tablecloths, mood lighting and a nice bar. The specialty is steak, and chances are it was born, raised and slaughtered right here in Upala.
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Getting There & Away
Upala is connected to the Interamericana north of Cañas by Hwy 6, an excellent paved road, and also to La Fortuna and Laguna de Arenal by the somewhat more potholed Hwy 4. A rough, unpaved road, usually passable to all cars, skirts the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro on the way to Los Chiles, the official border crossing with Nicaragua.
Other dirt roads cross the Nicaraguan border, 9km away, but these are not official entry points into either Costa Rica or Nicaragua.
The bus terminal is right off the park; a ticket booth (4:30-5:15am, 7:30am-1pm & 6:45-8pm Mon-Sat) has information and can store bags for ₡580. Taxis congregate just outside the bus terminal. The following buses depart from Upala:
Los Chiles, via Caño Negro ₡2200; two hours; departs 5am, 11am and 4pm.
San José, via Cañas ₡3500; five hours; 4:30am, departs 5:15am and 9:30am.
San José, via Ciudad Quesada/San Carlos ₡3500; five hours; departs 9am.
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SAN RAFAEL DE GUATUSO AREA
The small town of Guatuso (shown on some maps as San Rafael) is 19km northeast of Nuevo Arenal and 40km east of Fortuna (not to be confused with the town of La Fortuna), and is the main population center of this predominantly agricultural area. Although the town itself is rather unremarkable, it’s a good base for exploring the fantastic Venado Caves and Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio. The area is also home to the few remaining Maleku (see boxed text), one of Costa Rica’s indigenous groups, and Guatuso makes a good base for visiting the nearby palenques (indigenous settlements).
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Venado Caves
Four kilometers south of Venado (Spanish for ‘deer’) along a good dirt road, the caves (2478-8008; admission US$17; 7am-4pm, last admission 2:30pm) are a popular rainy-day attraction that can be organized as a day trip from La Fortuna, San José and many other cities for US$45 to US$70 per person (including transportation and lunch). It’s cheaper and easier to visit with your own car, as bus service is inconvenient.
The caves were discovered by chance in 1945 when a farmer fell through a hole in the ground and found himself in an underground chamber surrounded by stalactites (hanging tight to the ceiling) and stalagmites (that might reach the ceiling…get it?). The exploration that followed uncovered an eight-chamber limestone labyrinth which extends for almost 3km. The cavern system, composed of soft, malleable limestone, was carved over the millennia by a series of underground rivers.
A BRIEF HISTORY