A couple of weeks ago we hung out the winners of the surprise trip contest. What made it all more mystical and exciting was that we didn’t know the final destination either.

How to get there? Take Route 32 towards Guapiles, pass the bridge of the Toro Amarillo River and in the restaurant La Trocha turn right there the bridge goes on there and the first entrance on the left and then the first on the right and there continue to the house of Hugo. Mister Hugo’s house: With Waze Soda Onde Thimbu: With Waze

Vehicle: Automobile Parking: Yes Distance: 13km Difficulty: High and technical

What to bring? Comfortable clothes, fast drying, trail tennis shoes, waterproof jacket, repellent, swimwear, sunscreen, towel, snacks, couple of bottles with beverages and an excellent attitude.

Pets: No

Camping: ¢ 2000 X person camping night. ¢ 5000 X person in the room of the house.

Contact: Hugo Durán cel: 8405-9220

Cost: ¢ 5000 per person

The thing is that we went for a walk with the best attitude ever, heading towards the unknown, we passed the Zurquí Tunnel and started to pour ...Tavo sang so much during the ride to San Isidro Labrador that the rain stopped and the sun came out just in time to start the walk, an almost miraculous event.

We went to park the car with Don Hugo to a soda (delicious) where we got our stuff and started walking. The place where the trail begins is in the water tank that supplies the surrounding community, the trail starts to go down a bit until you reach the first of the 2 rivers.

The route is hot, humid and incredibly muddy, so do not worry too much about jumping puddles, because sooner or later they will end up stuck in one. In addition, there are several walls of stone and mud to climb, some have ropes and others only with some roots and pieces of logs, which make the walk a complete adventure.

When you reach the first river, you have to cross a rope bridge at least 100 meters long. You have to take it easy to avoid dying in the attempt, even so take your time to snap some photos and enjoy the heck out of it since it’s not everyday you feel like Indiana Jones.

After that, there are several more technical sections, until you reach another, much smaller, refreshing and cozy river with a nice pond. We didn’t stop since we had a little more to go.

After passing this river we got to a big steep path that later became a flat one that went meandering through the jungle to reach a peak. Here, the local guide began to tie the ropes that loaded all the way to trees and began the most difficult but also rewarding part since the waterfall was seen sideways.

Then, we started to lower that mud wall, loose stones and trees. Each step was an advance and so one by one we went down to reach the giant stones on the river Elia. Here the adventure does not end, because you have to climb several slippery stones, pass under a giant stone and then from here you can see the waterfall about 100 meters away.

The waterfall is large but not giant, with a well distributed fall that creates a shower over a perfect pool. There are no dangerous currents like in other monstrous waterfalls that are really just to see and not touch. Another thing is that you can go around and discover new spaces, in addition to a stone from which only the brave ones dive head first.

After jumping into the water, we took out the sandwiches, chips, cookies, seeds and had a picnic with everyone in this place. We got ready quickly and went back along the road until we reached the restaurant, minutes after it started pouring again.

In the restaurant Onde Thimbu we devoured some pork rinds and a creole chicken soup, and to top it all off we had a plantain with yummy melted cheese..

Getting there is an experience on another level, not only because the place that is virgin, exotic and wild, but because we know it is a new place that has the whole package, an unexplored corner hidden deep in the mountain of Costa Rica. Something that reminds us that our country has a lot to discover and we we hope you will do it with us.

DATE OF THE WALK - August 2016