Alajuela Things to Do

The Ojo de Agua is the Disney World for the Ticos. Its an easy taxi from Alajuela, but the bus back was much more interesting. We did not see any fellow North American tourists here at the Ojo de Agua near Alajuela. We did see lots of Costa Rican families, just as Loretta and Dick had 19 years earlier. This time we are a family and the Ojo is even more of a delight with the swimming pools, the park and picnic areas.
There is something about the place (including the modest entry fee of 600 colones - $1,50 Cdn each) that is so much nicer than the lineups and expensive rides at Disney World.
This is a real gem too good to miss!!!

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Book through Hotel Santo Thomas! Great all Day tour with 2 meals, guide and entrance to the Hot Springs.. You get to stop in several other cities and see some amazing things- an ox cart that took 6 guys, 6 weeks to hand paint- pretty cool. The really cool thing was an all metal church. Also some beautiful landscapes that you wont forget

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Just one tip for things to do in Alajuela - although I'm sure it has much more to offer!! If you've already read my intro page then you've probably already made a safe bet that this is about our trip to the mall..

$2 in a taxi from the airport and about 5 minutes drive (if that) and you can go to the local Mall. It's really only worth it if you have a lot of time to kill at the airport but not enough time to see San Jose - we had a seven hour wait so this was perfect for us.

The Mall has plenty of boutique shops ranging from cheap and cheerful to cheekily over-priced to downright extortionate! The only brand names I saw were Roxy and Billabong (Not that I'm a brand freak - I just thought I'd mention it!). Other than shops there is a huge food hall with about 15 fast food resaurants serving burgers, chips and pizzas in different varieties and combinations, a supermarket for beer and cigarettes, and a cinema. I'm a bit of a shopaholic at times but I wasn't mega impressed by the shops at this mall. Still, worth a look if you get stuck at the airport and want to get out for a bit.

Well, we were lucky but still decided to stop by the zoo in Alajuela, killing some time on an empty afternoon. And we had a blast!

It could be very sad to see all those wonderful creatures behind bars, after traveling through the country and beautiful ecosystems, but it feels right when you know that the zoo is foremost a conservation and restauration foundation. I've seen walls of birds drawing, boards and signs to explain conservation and preservation and games and experience to do the same with kids.

But what you really come for is the animals you can't miss. Here, you WILL get that quetzal picture! The ones we liked the most: 3 kinds of ara, laughing parrot, big green iguanas, many kind of monkeys, 2 kinds of toucan, quetzal, turtles, tayra and big cats. Only the tapir were missing...

We toured the place in 2 hours, but could have taken at least an hour more (they were kicking us out at closing time...). Very small gift shop and restaurant.

Entrance fee 8$ per person
Taxi from Alajuela 5$

See my Alajuela travelogue for my best pics.

At almost 3500m, Irazu is the tallest volcano in Costa Rica. The perfect cone overlooks the city of Cartago in the Central Valley and the top of it peaks through the clouds.

Ascending the slopes of irazu, through field patchworks and colorful farms, feels like going back in time and allows to discovers the old days of the tico countryside.

And reaching the top is like landing on the moon. Gray rocky flat ground, almost no vegetation and no sight since you are above the clouds, the experience is unique. It's also very cold and very windy.

Irazu has 5 craters and 3 can be easily visited: the Principal, the Fiego de la Haya and the Playa Hermosa. A little dwarf forest also surrounds the area and you can spot local birds like volcano junco and the volcano humminbird (there's a variety unique to the Irazu).

Count about 30-60 minutes over there, maybe a pit-stop at the cafeteria/gift shop to get a hot coffee and a little souvenirs. Not much more to expect from this expedition. I would suggest pairing an irazu volcano visit with something else in the area. I would also strongly suggest you don't go with an organised tour (see the Tropicales Expeditions in my Tourist Trap).

6$ entrance to the park, 2.50$ for parking
35$ per person on organised tour
Bring warm clothes and windbreaker.

See my Alajuela traveogue for pictures of this expedition.

I guess if you are really unlucky, you could end your trip with a visit at the zoo. For sure, you'll see the animals you've missed during your expeditions!

We were lucky enough and didn't had to go!

The Nature Restauration Foundation owns the zoo and while allowing you to see numerous animals, educate and helps restaure the fauna by introducing birds species. You could see more than 100 birds species, including toucans, parraquets, eagles and quetzals, the 4 species of monkeys of Costa Rica and many more mammals and reptiles.

On our last day, we couldn't leave without seeing inside a volcano. Our driver took us a little outside Alajuela to see the Poas volcano. Although I was this close to putting this experience in the Tourist Trap category (because it's really touristic, crowded and paved!), I'm enchanted and more than happy I made the trip.

A little walk will take you up on the volcano's edge to see this beautiful turquoise water in the crater of Poas, above the clouds. Magical! The terrain is rocky and dark, the lake is whimsical, the vegetation scattered to luxious, surrounding unbelievable!

You can take a walk to the Botos crater, a smaller one on the side of the volcano, or attend the museum and giftshop (expensive!) at the entrance.

Go early, as the top of the volcano clouds up quickly some day. If you missed it, wait a little bit as it often clears up in 5 minutes. Or come back later. When we arrived, there was nothing but a sea of clouds. It was quite impressive to see the crater appears before our eyes (and so close!) in a mater of seconds, as the clouds disappeared.

I have to admit, it's worth the trip!

About 6$ to get in. Bring your camera (raincoat if you think it's going to rain, not necessary to have walking shoes). More details and pictures in my travelogue on the alajuela page.