Guayabo Lodge
Turrialba Volcano
Guayabo Lodge has very good location on the slopes of the Turrialba Volcano, and the Turrialba Valley, so expect picturesque views from your balcony.
Come discover this beautiful place, the second highest volcano in Costa Rica. Where vegetation was burned by the last eruption en 2016 and by acid rain. You will be able to enjoy the impressive Bosque Quemado del Silencio, the lava flows, rivers of minerals, and incredible calm that you won't be able to find anywhere else.
During these 5 kilometers walk accessible to all and accompanied by a guide, you can discover the volcano, its history, and its beautiful landscapes.
It's located 45min from the lodge
Guayabo Nacional Monument
Guayabo National Monument is the most important place with archaeological structures preserved in Costa Rica.
It was created to preserve those, as well as its flora, fauna and water resources. The archaeological site extends over an area of approximately 20 hectares. Researching as revealed that it was occupied from 1000 BC to 1400 AD by an indigenous group, whose economy was based on agriculture, hunting and fishing.
It's located 30min from the lodge.
Coffee, cacao or cheese tour
Surrounding farms invite you to discover their production through guided tours. During the experience, you will enjoy seeing the plantation, learning how works the farm, meeting the animals and taking part in the transformation.
At the end of the tour, you could taste the product you've just discovered.
Coffee tour : Hacienda Aquiares
Cheese tour : Le Chaudron , Finca La Diana (+506 8797 5274), Finca Miravalles (+506 8803 6666)
Cacao tour : Nortico Farm
Cataratas Las Trillizas
The Turrialba Valley offer a lot of beautiful waterfalls due to its many many rivers present like Aquiares river or Pacuare river. Guayabo Lodge is located in a place from which you can easily reach many of them.
Las cataratas Las trillizas is located 30min from the lodge. With its three waterfalls, you'll enjoy a refreshing break.
Paragliding
Are you looking for a thrill ? Come and discover by yourself the Turrialba Valley from a new perspective. No experience needed, professional guide will accompany you.
You can reserve a wonderful experience at Finca Miravalles.
Rafting in Pacuare River
The Turrialba Valley is home to the famous Pacuare River, regarded as one of the top ten rivers in the world for white water rafting. The Pacuare river provides class III and IV rapids and during your trip you will enjoy breathtaking sceneries of rainforest, waterfalls and wildlife such as sloths, monkeys and many different bird species. People from all over the world travel to Turrialba just to experience the rapids of this unique river.
Although no previous experience is necessary for white water rafting on the Pacuare, you might prefer a less wild (rapids class II and III) but also very scenic trip. Ask information for tours on the Reventazón or the Pejivalle rivers.
You can reserve at Explora Nature
Canyoning Adventure
The “canyoning” in Turrialba which also includes zip lining and rappelling, is unique in the country.
This popular sport is a 3 to 4 hour adrenaline adventure. It involves rappelling trees, descending cliffs, waterfalls and zip lining through the treetops. Rated as the best canyoning experience in Costa Rica, the Turrialba canyoning site also includes walking across a 132 feet (40m) hanging bridge.
You can reserve at Explornatura.
Irazu Volcano
The Irazú Volcano rises at 3,432 meters or 11,260 feet above sea level and is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. However, it displays little activity since its last major eruption in 1963. It is located northeast of the town of Cartago, in the Central Volcanic Cordillera.
Besides its impressive craters, the views to the Atlantic and the Pacific are spectacular. And with luck, you see the smoking Turrialba volcano at close range.
From the Guayabo Lodge it is at a distance of 1 h 30.
You can reserve at SINAC Irazu.
Horseback Riding
All horse back tours will lead through a varied landscape and will have panoramic sceneries. Two of the main routes are : the surroundings of the Turrialba Valley, with its main crops and exuberant natural surroundings ; and the more tropical and hilly coffee and sugarcane area of Atirro. Both tours are recommended.
You can find more information at Hacienda Monte Claro.
CATIE Botanical Collections
The Tropical Agricultural Center for Research and Higher Education (CATIE) has become the leading regional research and higher education institution in the fields of agriculture, agro forestry and natural resource management. CATIE has been the source of key innovations used in national and regional programs that include sustainable options for agriculture (agroforestry, valuation of environmental services, participative research…).
Its scientific botanical collections include tropical fruit trees and useful plants and crops from mainly from the American Tropics. These are combined with beautiful tropical flowers and exotic curiosities.
The tour can be done as a morning tour or afternoon tour and can be complemented with a visit to the campus area and around the lake, where you can observe many resident and migrant bird species.
You can find more information at CATIE.
Picture from https://www.catie.ac.cr
Lankester Botanical Gardens
If you are an orchid lover, you will enjoy a visit to the Lankester Botanical Gardens, that primarily house a world class collection of orchids. Many of the species are native to Costa Rica and form a scientific collection managed by the university of Costa Rica.
The Lankester Botanical Garden’s mission is to promote conservation of the tropical epiphytic flora of Costa Rica, especially the orchids through research, educational and horticultural programs.
You can find more information at Lankester garden.
Picture from https://jbl.ucr.ac.cr
Orosi Valley
For lovers of scenic beauty, the Orosí Valley and the Turrialba Valley are considered the most beautiful valleys in Costa Rica.
In the Orosí Valley, you can visit to the ruins of the Ujarras church (the oldest still standing ruins of a church in all of Costa Rica), a trip to “La Casa del Soñador”, a rustic place where local woodcarvers carve coffee wood, trout fishing (if desired) and various panoramic views.
Picture from https://costarica.org/cities/orosi-valley/
Mountain Biking and Hiking
Biking through the CATIE Collections : The topography of the trails can be adapted to any level of bike rider. Your guide will explain the diversity of forest and fruit plantations, which can include coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, bananas and macadamia. Thanks to the diversity in flowers and fruits, the plantation is also an ideal site for the observation of birds, mammals and some reptiles.
Hiking in the Rural area of Santa Cruz (Turrialba Volcano) : This option gives you a chance to establish your own route in the vast area surrounding the hotel. Again, the topography of the trails can be adapted to any level. You can visit the Guayabo National Monument, The Aquiares coffee plantation or the rural areas on the volcano.