I can't believe we've lived in Costa Rica for 5 years and hadn't been to Volcan Poas or La Paz- not even once. *Our VIDEOS of La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Volcan Poas are BELOW.
I'm a BIG fan of volcano's and although I believe the Arenal Volcano in our neck of the woods, (La Fortuna), is hard to beat with it's magnitude, sheer beauty (especially at sunset) and ever-erupting ways, Volcan Poas is also worth a look see. But like the Arenal Volcano, the Poas Volcano isn't always 'out' and is often covered over in a misty fog and/or cloud coverage. I would say go to Poas first, the chances of a decent VIEW are better in the morning and then venture over to La Paz for rest of the afternoon. If you hike over to the 'other' lagoon at Poas, I think you'll be impressed with the trail, the foliage is VERY mossy-COOL there, so don't miss out if you're into vegetation and lushness. Actually, it's almost sp@@ky.
TIP: the souvenir shop at Volcan Poas National Park is stupid expensive, go elsewhere for your wooden toucan, 'Made in Columbia' and magnetic tree frog.
We were pleasantly surprised by La Paz Waterfall Gardens. A little 'zooey' for our taste, but they also mix 'zoo-like' with the 'natural' and it's a convenient place to go if you don't have a lot of time in Costa Rica to see the animals or perhaps you're older and need a more senior citizen friendly place to visit.
I particularly liked the hummingbird garden... and the ocelots... and the toucans... and the waterfalls... and for about 10 minutes we even discussed (and rationalized) why we should steal the kinkajou and take it home with us.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Volcan Poas are worth it, especially if you're stuck in San Jose with nothing to do or you just don't have enough time to see the animals in their natural habitats.
Here's our VIDEOS:
And not to far away from the La Paz Waterfall Gardens is the Poas Volcano aka Volcan Poas. *Great thing is, you can visit them BOTH on the same day and ENjoY a nice day trip out of San Jose.
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