LA PAZ WATERFALL GARDENS  is located thirty fives miles north of Alajuela in the central valley of Costa Rica.

An indescribable, beautiful experience

This story is written by Ron Poggemoller. He and his wife spend three weeks traveling all around Cost Rica in a rental car. The itinerary was designed by Ann, “the costa rica travel expert”  Ron states: “My wife, Maria and I took a tour bus from our Hotel Buena Vista in Alajuela to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a pleasant one hour drive through the hills and rain forests. When we arrived the driver dropped us off at Registration and said to look for him in the parking area when we were through. I asked the attendant how much the fee was to go into the Gardens and when he told me it was $40 per person I was rather shocked. He told me that we would find the journey well worth the admission as it is a once in a lifetime adventure. He gave us a very descriptive brochure which included a map of the facilities. Then, the entry into the Gardens is rather overwhelming. There are over 70 acres of wildlife and forest to explore including 3.5 kilometers of paved trails.
The Aviary is a bird watchers paradise with Toucans, Scarlet Macaws, Grosbeaks and many more birds flying freely. Then the Butterfly Observatory has over 20 species of butterflies that are free to fly throughout the structure. A separate structure with Spider Monkeys and White Face Monkeys is adjacent. There is also a Serpentarium (which we avoided) a Ranarium for many different type frogs and a Jungle Cat Exhibit. One of the most interesting was the Hummingbird Garden which has 26 humingbird species in an open area which allows visitors to enjoy these beautiful creatures all around and some will feed from your hand.
There are 1.3 kilometers of paved path and stairs on the Main Trail that take you from the Garden Level past 5 waterfalls winding along the La Paz River to the lowest level below the La Paz Waterfall. It takes time and a lot of energy to make your way along the trail. All of the waterfalls are a sight to see but the La Paz Waterfall is spectacular and falls 120 feet to the bottom. There are several platforms that allow you to enjoy the waterfall and take great pictures for proof of you presence.
When you are finished with the 3 to 4 hour sojourn through the Garden, there are busses to take you back to the entrance, thank God, because you surely could not climb it again at this point. I would like to state that it was well worth the price of admission and was a once in a lifetime adventure.
I would like to thank our Vacation Planner Ann Cabezas Creed, for insisting we see this as one of the first things we had to do on our 21 day vacation in Costa Rica.

You can learn about Ann, “the Costa Rica Expert” and how to contact her.  She is a vacation planner for Costa Rica who does individualized itineraries for families, individuals, and groups. So if you want help planning a perfect vacation to Costa Rica  contact “the Costa Rica Learn Adventure Travel Agency” www.costaricalearn.com

click here is view the La Paz Waterfalls web page  http://www.waterfallgardens.com