The Chirripó Valley – Exploring New Heights in Costa Rica
January 15, 2023
Cerro Chirripó - Costa Rica's Highest Mountain
Cerro Chirripó stands at 3821m, that’s 12,532 feet! Let me put that into perspective…pretty much 4 times higher than England’s highest, Scafell Pike. 8,000 feet is the starting point for altitude sickness, so Cerro Chirripó is one big mountain. Did we see it? Er, no, unfortunately it was always in cloud.
Although we love hiking, we did not climb to the top of Cerro Chirripó. There are several reasons:
- Unless you virtually want to run up and down the mountain, a 2-day trip is needed.
- There is a “base camp” where you can stay in a dorm for the night. Not something that appeals.
- You need to book months in advance to be able to get the half-way accommodation, especially in high season, as we are.
All of this leads to a pretty good excuse not to climb the mountain on this occasion. What we did discover though, is that the mountainside and cloud-forest below Cerro Chirripó offers plenty of opportunites for hiking and wildlife spotting. We had more than enough to keep us occupied.
Where to stay in the Chirripó Valley
There are a few pretty villages in the Chirripó valley. We stayed near San Gerardo in the village of Canaán de Rivas. It sits at just under 4000 feet in elevation (1200 meters), so for a change we are treated to a slightly cooler temperature than we usually get in Costa Rica (a lovely high of 23 Celsius every day). We stayed in a really lovely and unique holiday let in the centre of Canaán:
What a special place. In the centre of the village but tucked away in a garden, the Birdhouse sits at the top of a slope above the Chirripó Pacifico River. The sound of the river was a constant roar that made for a very good night’s sleep and with those lower temperatures and a super comfy bed, we were in heaven. We had an amazing little balcony looking over the ravine, but even better was the window seat with fully opening windows to the jungle. The perfect spot for reading, bird-spotting, photo downloading and posting. We even had a shower that was open to the elements. All-in-all a true jungle experience.
The hosts went above and beyond with a bowl full of local fruits, yoghurt from the local dairy, eggs, a freshly baked loaf of bread and home-made jam and marmalade. Then there’s the quirky build of the property, with mismatched up-cycled windows, some that looked like they were from an old bus (or aeroplane…still up for debate). One of our favourite places so far.
The places we explored in the Chirripó Valley
The Secret Gardens (Jardins Secretos)
After a lovely walk from Canaán, we stopped in The secret Gardens. Planted with a myriad of tropical plants, none of which I know the name of, and dotted with ponds and a path that winds around the gardens. We spent a couple of hours slowly wandering through the paradise, enjoying the opportunity to take photos of the flora and fauna. The photos are the only description needed:
The steep partially paved/partially dirt road to Cloudbridge is well-worth the effort, ideally with a 4*4, but we did see tourists in a Sedan determined to make the trip…they succeeded after a bit of wheel-spinning. Cloudbridge Nature Reserve is on the slopes below Chirripó, in rainforest and cloud-forest. For a mere $8 entry we were able to hike over all of their trails as ever looking for wildlife. The bonus here is that several of the trails lead to waterfalls, tucked away in nature and without crowds. In fact we never saw anyone else at the waterfalls.
The paths to the waterfalls vary in their length and gradient, but all were worth the detours and made us eager to make sure we didn’t miss any of the trails (FOMO much?). Each waterfall was special and so natural in its surroundings.
Join us for our walk among the waterfalls:
Los Gigantes Sendero
This literally translates as ‘The Giant’s Trail’, but is named for the very large trees that are passed during the walk. A little faith was required when trying to find the location (trust Waze) as the entrance fee is paid at a small house in the village, with no obvious signs. At the house there is a hand-drawn map and a lady indicates the direction to the start of the trail, some 10 minutes walk away. Once on the trail we really couldn’t go wrong. It’s a proper forest trail that follows the river upstream, passing small waterfalls along the river and then up through the forest. It culminated way up the hill-side with fantastic views over the Chirripó valley. At the end there is a restaurant of sorts, but regrettably it only opens at the weekend….peanuts had to suffice for the walk back.
San Gerardo's Birds (Jardin de Colibris)
We absolutely loved our morning of bird-watching. San Gerardo’s Birds is such a non-commercialized, un-touristy spot. We were the only 2 there the morning we visited (it’s actually quite hard to find as it only says Jardin de Colibris outside the property). Literally a small property with a garden looking over the Chirripó Valley. The owner has a large covered veranda to observe birds and has perfectly positioned logs that he places bananas on to attract them. Clark said it’s the perfect setting for taking photos, with the natural perches for the birds, great morning light and a distant backdrop across the valley, which allows for crisp photos with a blurred background. All I can do to conclude is share the amazing photos:
A little culinary heaven
Whilst staying in Canaán, we found some surprising foodie delights. Opposite our temporary abode there was a cheese shop ‘Quesos Canaán’, which produces hand-made Swiss-style cow and goat cheese (very random in a small village up a mountain in Costa Rica, but hey, no complaints). A few doors down is ‘La Estrella’, an artisanal bakery with the most amazing bread baked fresh every day. On top of this there are 2 great restaurants not far away:
Kapi Kapi Chirripó
Kapi Kapi Chirripó eco-market and cafe was just a 5 minute drive from our abode in Canaán. Their organic, local produce ethos translates into amazing food and drinks. I was quite excited to see Kombucha on tap. Offered natural, hard (alcoholic…why would you?), and with CBD (another way to get your high?). Our first visit was on a Sunday and Oh, Joy! Sushi Sunday..it would be rude not to partake. I know we’re in Costa Rica and it isn’t exactly local cuisine, but the ingredients are local and it’s Sushi Sunday! I need say no more. It didn’t stop there either, as we thoroughly enjoyed local trout burgers, salads and some great poke bowls. Everything was so beautifully presented, a feast for the eyes and the taste buds.
Batsu Gastropub
OK, a gastro pub in a small village in the middle of Costa Rica? The image I had was of a chic interior, a bar with plenty of micro-brew beer choices and a menu of fancy burgers. Batsu however, is more a local restaurant that happens to have some craft beer choices. The burger was on offer, but also local ceviche, tortilla dishes, grilled meats and the local rice and beans, plantain and accompaniments. The restaurant also has frequent live music and so our evening had a lovely backdrop of guitar and singing.
Where next?
In Batsu, we saw some stunning jaguar masks hanging on the wall. How do I acquire one of those? On enquiring we were told they were made by a local indigenous tribe called Boruca. Totally in love with the masks, we decided to make a detour when we left Chirripó. What a great decision. The village is small with a museum and shop for buying the masks, but we chose to walk around the village and find the locals who hand-made them, and I’m so glad we did.
Hand-carved from Bolsa wood, which is incredibly light, the masks are made for an annual celebration called ‘Fiesta De Los Diablitos’. One of the “artists” told us how they originally made the masks to scare the Spanish away during the Crusades over 500 years ago. He was very proud to tell us how they kept the Spanish from conquering their land. So every year they have a “festival of the devils” between December 30th and January 2nd to celebrate, wearing their masks. I believe it would be quite the spectacle to see. An added bonus were the far-reaching views we had on the roads to Boruca.
Next, onto the Osa Peninsula.
Sounds amazing!!!
Lovely read , love the bird pictures