We went to Cartago to visit 2 of the places to spend Sunday that caused the most sensation during this pandemic, they are the La Olla Crater and Cerro Pasqui.

How to get there?

Get to Cartago and after going down Ochomogo turn left towards Irazú for half an hour until you reach the Secret Garden or continue directly to the Olla crater.

Waze:

La Olla Crater: https://waze.com/ul/hd1u2eb6vd

Cerro Pasquí – Montenegro: https://waze.com/ul/hd1u2kp57f

Secret Garden: https://waze.com/ul/hd1u2e2t03

Distance:

Crater the Pot: Free

Cerro Pasquí: 3km

Difficulty:

Crater the Pot: Easy

Cerro Pasquí: Moderate

Accessibility:

Secret Garden: Yes

La Olla y Pasqui: Not accessible

What to bring?

Comfortable clothing, windproof/waterproof jacket, sweater, trail tennis shoes/boots, sunscreen, repellent, blanket, food for a picnic and an excellent attitude.

Vehicle: Automobile or tall car.

Parking: Yes

Pets: Yes

Camping: Yes

Contact:

La Olla Crater: 8315-6294

Cerro Pasqui

Secret Garden Lodge: 8385 1888

https://www.secretgardencr.com/

Cost:

La Olla Crater: 2,000 / person

Cerro Pasqui: 1,000 / person

Secret Garden Lodging: Prices from 50,850 / couple

We left on a Friday afternoon at rush hour to Cartago directly to our Secret Garden lodging at more than 2000 meters above sea level, super nearby the Irazú Volcano. The idea was to spend the night in one of the cozy cabins and the next day visit 2 tourist attractions starting from the pandemic.

When we arrived at night, the lights of the city of Cartago and San José were clearly visible. According to what the administrator told us, the place is also very beautiful for sunset since you can see where the sun hides on the horizon.

The cabins are made of wood, warm and very tasteful... they also have an electric heater perfect for the cold of the night. After settling in the room we went to have a delicious dinner at Babarama, this is about 10 minutes from the Secret Garden. In Babarama the specialties are made with potatoes, so do not hesitate to ask for any of the recommendations.

The next day we woke up around 7am and went down to have breakfast in the dining room that the lodge has. Breakfast is self-service, with coffee, juice, cereal, bread and yogurt.

After breakfast we went to our first destination less than half an hour away, the famous Crater la Olla. To get there, the road is gravel, you can get there by car but the tall car is preferable... the views are beautiful, and it is worth stopping to take photos every so often.

In the Cráter la Olla we parked in the newly made parking lot and paid the entrance fee. Here we walk around the old crater that was without water, according to the owner it takes a lot of rain to fill with water. We were here for just over an hour, it is a perfect place to have a picnic, run with the dogs and vegetate.

After the crater we went to look for Cerro Pasquí. It is about 10 minutes from the crater and the car is in front of a house where they sell homemade bread and coffee. We paid the entrance fee and walked up the mountain.

The trail is well marked with handmade signs and Costa Rican flags, it's quite steep and you have to climb quite a bit in the sun...so don't hesitate to brush up on your sunscreen. We lasted about 25 until we reached the sign at the top, above there is a cross with a little virgin and also 2 benches to rest with that great view.

When we came down from the hill we went to checkout at the lodge and then went down to have lunch at the Sonrisas restaurant (located on the ground floor of Babarama). If you are going to have lunch here, we recommend the Sonrisas omelette, the rib and the pot of meat…so yummy

*DATE OF TRIP: October 2021