(the largest in Costa Rica), which have even been recognized as
an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the
American Society of Civil Engineers; such recognition is only
shared with Machu Picchu and Tipon an ancient city in Peru. A
fact that adds interest to this place is that it covers an area averaging 15 to 20 hectares but up to date only an excavation of 4
hectares has been known and revealed to its visitors. The rest of
the story is still waiting to be explored and shown to the world.
La Marta
The "green paths" in Costa Rica are many. Each one of them displays its exuberant beauty of overflowing flora and fauna. After
visiting some of the paths crossing or bordering the archaeological site of Guayabo, we headed to "La Marta" Wildlife Refuge, a
true environmental conservation sanctuary located two hours
from San Jose at the Pejibaye district (Cartago). Its territory
limits with the Amistad and the Tapantí-Mountain of Death,
National Parks. It has an extention of 1,500 hectares of tropical
rainforest with splendid, well marked trails, that make your trip
a safe and very enriching experience, thanks the wonderful
attentiveness and explanations offered by the guides. During the
tour you can observe and cross suspension bridges that evoke
chapters from renowned adventure films, as well as cable-car
type carts (ski lift) which enable visitors to cross from one end to
another, over rivers, among the lush jungle vegetation.
TRAVEL GUIDE 01 /// Costa Rica
La Marta is a private entity that is under the management of the
Castro Carazo Metropoli-tan University, which has assumed the
mission of preserving its ecosystem for the knowledge, enjoyment and strengthening of environmental awareness of future
generations. Its facilities offer accommodation services in a
country house, camping area, hiking (including night hikes), bird
watching tours, among others that can be organized previous
contact with the staff.
LET’S GO RAFTING! To close the trip with a golden clasp
Without a doubt that Costa Rican phrase "Pura Vida" took more
relevance at this time of the ride, when we entered into the jungle on inflatable boats, navigating through the waters of the
Pacuare River, listed as one of the 10 finest in the world for the
development of this sport activity at a touristic and professional
standards.
This fluvial scene is crossed daily by several tour operators,
many with decades of service, but perhaps the most important
thing is the quality and expertise that is evidenced by the attentiveness of the tour guides, who will strive to serve its passengers
as best possible, this becoming by far the best advertisement in
the country and that region, through which they managed to tattoo the best memories of this adventure that represents and
allows, literally with effort and feeling, to perceive nature in one
of its purest and most primitive ways. During the fluvial trip you
could be transported to an ancestral time and feel on firsthand
what the first settlers and explorers of the American continent
could of seen: waterfalls, canyon pathways and in the middle of
the dense jungle, on a slope, with some luck it might be possible, to see a native settler still present on his ancestral lands. It
is also possible to watch and listen to many types of birds and
the loud echo of monkeys that get loud as we pass by.
The Pacuare River is not a place exclusively for rafting; it offers a
wide range of alternatives for visitors. There are several options
to stay secluded in paradise, from camping sites and rustic
rooms, to luxury and comfort. Some of them offer other adventure activities such as bird watching, canyoning (canyoneering),
canopy and hiking.•
28 Geo Adventure Magazine
No olvidar / Do not forget
- Cámara fotográfica (preferiblemente Waterproof) / Camera
- Protector solar / Sunscreen
- Botella con agua mineral / Bottle with mineral water
- Zapatos que se puedan mojar / Waterproof sport shoes
- Lentes de sol / Sunglasses
- Binoculares / Binoculars
- Repelente de insectos / Insect repellent
- Guantes tipo gym (para el rafting) / Gym gloves (for rafting)
DÓNDE QUEDARSE / WHERE TO STAY
- Hotel Guayabo Lodge
+506 25388400 | www.guayabolodge.co.cr
- Hotel Wagelia Turrialba
+506 25561566 | www.hoteleswagelia.com
- Hotel Villa Florencia
+506 25573536 | www.villaflorencia.com
- Hotel Casa de Lis
+506 25564933