Laguna de Hule is part of Bosque Alegre National Wildlife Refuge that is located in Los Ángeles Sur, Río Cuarto, in Alajuela Province.

There are three lakes divided by a volcanic hill: Hule, Congo, and Bosque Alegre. Laguna de Hule is 400m AMSL, with a surface of 98.8ac (40ha) and a depth of 246.06ft (75m)- it’s the deepest lake in the country.

How to get there To get to Laguna de Hule, you should go by the road to Poas Volcano. You’ll  pass by Vara Blanca, Chinchona, Cariblanco (37.90miles or 61km). Then, you head to Los Angeles. You go 4.03miles (6.5km) through an unpaved road –sometimes of dirt, sometimes of stone. SUV is required if the road is wet.    

You leave your car at Mirador Bosque Alegre parking lot. Then you walk 500m to some guava trees. Turn left and the road will guide you to the lake. 

Using Waze

What to take Waterproof jacket or raincoat if it rains.

Comfortable tennis shoes to walk or run.

Insect Repellent

Extra clothing if you get wet.

Inflatables (rubber tubes) to enjoy the lake… we didn’t bring and we regretted it.

And it is free!!!!!!

On our way to Laguna de Hule, we stopped at a supermarket in San Jose to buy food for a picnic: sandwiches, cookies, snacks, and something to drink. After some time in the car, we passed by La Paz waterfall that looks awesome and you can see it from the Bailey bridge. We also saw San Fernando waterfall in the distance, but it is really cool because it is surrounded by mountains, so it was inevitable to stop by and take a selfie. The truth is that all the road has amazing landscapes with view to mountains, pastures, towns, and the city. We passed by Nueva Chinchona that surprised us since none of us had visited it since the earthquake. It looks really pretty. The fire station and police department have a contemporary design; they are by far the prettiest we have seen. 

After seeing a sign saying “Laguna de Hule”, we realized that we were in the right direction. We arrived to the restaurant Mirador Bosque Alegre where we left the car and decided what to take. We packed what we were going to eat and drink. We walked for about half an hour by a thick forest where we heard frogs and birds. When we arrived to the lake, we put the picnic blanket and –as we thought-took all the food out, but we forgot the cooler with ham, cheese, and juices ;( so we had to make it with Doritos and some cookies. 

After a while, it started raining so we put everything under a car that was parked there. We decided to get in the lake. We heard that its water was warm and it truly was; it was better to be inside than outside. At the beginning you are afraid of getting in because of the marsh grass. You can’t see where you step and you feel weird while walking, but once you’re in the lake, it is amazing. We swam, floated. At the end, we stayed for around an hour. We could stay more; however, we were starving and decided to go back. We do want to come back with some things: rubber tubes or anything that floats. We walked back to the car to prepare some sandwiches that were super delicious. We changed our clothing and got ready to go back.   

In our return, we went to a restaurant; the sandwiches weren’t enough. We had an Olla de Carne (beef stew with vegetables)…it was perfect for the cold weather!