The first stop out of San Jose was in the hills at a coffee plantation. Coffee is grown
in Costa Rica from 3000-5000 feet - by law. The beans are aribica. Both rules ensure
Costa Rican coffee is of high quality.
The red coffee beans are the ones that are picked for coffee. Three percent of the world's
coffee is grown in Costa Rica. The coffee is wonderful. Eight percent of Costa Rican
GNP comes from coffee bean sales.
This lizard was a visitor to the coffee plantation.
This ox cart was pulled up for the tourists.
High in the mountains at 8,800 feet just outside San Jose is the Poas Volcano. The
crater is 1 mile across and 1000 feet deep. It is one of the largest active volcanoes
in the world.
Looking north along the mountains you can see several peaks in the distance.
Poaz Volcano has several smoking fumaroles leaving no vegetation around the crater.
We were fascinated by the many bromeliads - this one is on the trail from the Poas Volcano.
After the Poas Volcano we went to the La Paz Waterfalls Gardens. This little bird
was in the entry garden.
The La Paz Waterfalls Gardens have a butterfly garden. More snapping away at little
fast moving targets.
Hard to spot these butterflies on the yellow flower.
Another butterfly.
This is a transparent butterfly - you can see through him.
Another moth like butterfly.
Pretty birds feeding on banana.
La Paz also had a hummingbird garden with several very pretty birds floating about.
A blue hummingbird a little out of focus.
There are five waterfalls in the La Paz Waterfall Garden.
You walk along the river through the jungle to see the waterfalls. It is very
beautiful.
You can see the walkway on the left of the waterfall.
La Paz Waterfall river or stream.
La Paz Waterfall
This is the longest waterfall in Costa Rica and is quite a distance away.
On the Sarapiqui River Boat Trip there were many animals. But hard to photograph
because of the boat movement. This is a crocodile - one of two we saw.
The boat passed under several iguanas sunning on tree limbs.
These are little bats. They live on trees and when threatened they shake so that they
look like dead leaves.
A bird on the river bank.
Pink leaves of a plant near the river's edge.
Looking up into the hills from the river.
A bromeliad laden tree at the end of a very long day.
