Bijagua – Exploring Tenorio and Miravalles volcanoes
January 2, 2023
We’re so excited to be in an area of Costa Rica we haven’t explored before. The town of Bijagua sits in between two of Costa Rica’s volcanoes, Tenorio and Miravalles. This area is in the middle of Northern Costa Rica so not a beach in sight, and one of the less touristy places we’ve visited. We like to find the places that are a little less frequented by the masses and the main reason we come to Costa Rica is for the jungles and the wildlife. So, where did we explore during our 4 days in Bijagua?
Heliconias Hanging Bridges, Bijagua
It’s our first day and all we could think was “get me to the jungle!”. So we drove the short distance from Bijagua to Heliconias Rainforest Lodge. We prefer to pootle around at our own pace when in a jungle. This is stop-aholic at a new level. There’s no destination as such, just a path through a jungle and the possibility of spotting wildlife. We probably do more stopping than walking as every few steps we scour the trees for signs of movement from ever elusive birds and beasts. Any sound we hear we stop, hopeful to find the instigator. On this walk we were rewarded for our diligent listening as a troop of White-faced Capuchin passed overhead, giving us 20 minutes of fun observation. This included a mother who had her young firmly hanging onto her back as she jumped and swung from tree to tree above us.
As well as the jungle and wildlife spotting, the trail included 4 bridges that towered high above the jungle floor, giving us a canopy view of the jungle. Three of the bridges were suspension bridges, so provided some lovely excitement as we swayed and bounced our way across, stopping mid-way to scan for more wildlife.
Added bonus; before our walk we chose some lunch from the lodge menu. On our return it was already set up and ready for us hungry explorers. Washed down with a fresh blackberry smoothie we felt thoroughly spoiled with our local Tica meal of rice, beans, chicken, salad, and of course fried plantain.
Tenorio Volcano National Park and Rio Celeste waterfall
Rio Celeste is considered one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Costa Rica. It’s also a fairly easy walk to get to and as such is quite popular. Although we’re not a fan of crowds, we do love waterfalls and couldn’t resist taking a peek at this one.
On arriving we were parked for $2 and a guide offered his services (for only $20, not bad), but we decided to explore on our own. It’s impossible to get lost in this park. The main path to the waterfall is a mixture of concrete and jungle trail, with a hefty number of stairs going down to the waterfall. To explore further, it’s very well signposted on undulating nature trails.
Rio Celeste waterfall is stunning with a very turquoise pool at its base. The turquoise colour comes from some chemical reaction where a river with sulphur meets and mixes with a river that has calcium particles, t-dah…turquoise blue (I’m sure it’s much more complex than that, but hey, you get the idea).
Join us for some amazing views of the falls and the trails around the park:
After the waterfall we walked further up the river past views of the Tenorio peaks. We definitely noticed the strong smell of Sulphur along the way, coming from the “borbollones” – bubbling hot water from geothermal activity. Sudden craving for egg and cress sandwiches.
Finca Verde Garden and Sloth Tour, Bijagua
What a great little spot. There are so many signs for ‘Sloth Tours’ in the Bijagua area it’s hard to decide which one to chose. We decided on Finca Verde Lodge as I’d read good things about their Hummingbird Cafe.. We were shown around by a guide for a fee of $15. He explained the flora in the gardens; the cocoa plant, the difference between a banana tree and a plantain, sensitive plants whose leaves close when you touch them, the beautiful Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree (right) and coffee plants and their beans. He managed to find two sloths for us, various birds and even routed around to find a poison dart frog and a red-eyed tree frog. We couldn’t have been happier and at the end we were offered free local coffee. We opted to stay for a lunch, and as well as the local fare they had options of freshly made pizza and burgers. We still opted for a typical Tican dish called Casado – a complete dish of grilled meat, local vegetables, plantain, black beans and rice. Can’t beat it.
Cataratus Bijauga Lodge - walking in Miravalles
Miravalles Volcano lies to the west of Bijagua and for the duration of our stay its lofty heights remained in cloud. However, it’s possible to hike in the foothills of Miravalles volcano National Park. Cataratas Bijagua Lodge has land that abuts the national park, through which there is a jungle trail that leads to waterfalls (catarata means waterfall in Spanish). The lodge is only a 10 minute drive from town and for the bargain price of $6, we were shown where the trails starts and a map of the trails…
Okay, the map leaves a little to be desired in regard to details, but honestly there’s no getting lost on this trail. We followed jungle trails that meandered through primary and cloud forest all the time with the sound of the river never far away. The main trail ended at the view of the waterfall. I believe we could have climbed up the river to reach the base of the waterfall and the possibility to take a dip, but on this occasion we decided to just enjoy the moment with a foot dip and lunch spot with an amazing view.
On our return we continued past further waterfall views. We then took a loop to a viewing platform with lovely views looking over the town of Bijagua and Tenorio’s volcanoes.
Las Pumas Rescue Centre, Cañas
About 30 minutes away from Bijagua, situated just outside Cañas is Las Pumas. It was started to give homes to animals who have either lost their habitat due to deforestation, been kept as “pets” or been taken for illegal trade. We were only speaking to a guide this week who said that when he was a child, every household had a pet parrot. Now it’s illegal in Costa Rica to own a wild animal as a pet, so they get confiscated or rescued from households.
It’s a great way to see some of the indigenous animals up close and it’s good to support a centre that gives them good care. We saw monkeys, cats, sloth and many many parrots and macaws. We even learnt a new animal, the Greater Grison. A member of the skunk family, very handsome and fun to watch as two of them played in their enclosure.
The rescue centre was a bitter sweet experience. I enjoyed seeing the animals and some seemed to be very happy in their habitat. However, it felt sad watching the cats in their enclosures. Whereas in nature they would have miles and miles of terrain, here the space was generous, but still small in comparison. I appreciate it wasn’t possible to rehabilitate these animals, which is something the centre always tries to do.
This is Max. He’s an Ocelot who arrived in the centre when he was 10 months old. He was rescued from the side of a road and kept as a pet before Las Pumas took him in. He can’t go back to the wild because he is too used to human contact. Honestly, it just looked like he wanted to be petted and given some love. He didn’t leave the side of the cage while we were there and was doing all the things cats do when they want a stroke. Is this a better life? I only hope, when the gates are closed and no-one is looking, that the keepers give Max some of the affection that it looks like he craves.
Where next?
We’re moving on to another new area. The mountainous region in the centre of Costa Rica. Home to its highest mountain, Cerro Chirripó. As always, adding to our ever-growing RockingChairFuel.
Looks wonderful.