This morning we woke up sore and exhausted from an entire day of hiking yesterday. We enjoyed one more breakfast at Iguana Lodge before getting back on the road. Today we have a big drive ahead of us as we make our way back inland (and eventually back to the San José) for our final week here in Costa Rica.
This time around we made our way out of Osa Peninsula taking a different route so that we didn’t have to drive through, and “ferry” to Sierpe again (check out Day 20’s post to see our unexpected “ferry” ride…it was a real doozy). Our route took us along the coast with really dramatic views!
Our next stop is Cerro Chirripó a.k.a. Mount Chirripó. We’re kind of using this as a little halfway point from the Osa Peninsula to the San José area, which would be a 6+ hour drive otherwise. From Osa, it’s about a 3-hour drive to Cerro Chirripó, which is the tallest peak in the country!
Our check-in wasn’t until 3pm, so we decided to stop for lunch at Antojos de Maiz on our way up the mountain. They specialize in traditional corn dishes from the region. We ordered a chorreada (corn pancakes), a cheese pupusa, an empanada, and chicken fingers with fries. We wanted to try a little bit of all the corn dishes, but the chicken fingers goes to show just how hungry we were. By the time we were finished we still had some dedos de pollo left and were left with the simple fact that our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We finished all the different corn options, and were glad we tried each of them because they were all great!
We’ve heard and read amazing things about this 12,000-foot high national park, but the 20km hike with about 7,000 feet of elevation gain was a bit much for us. We decided to stay at about 5,000 feet above sea-level at an Airbnb in a small town called Canaán, just outside the national park. As we made our way up the mountain, the weather began to change and it got quite chilly…it’s pretty amazing to go from one climate to another in just a matter of minutes!
As we continued up the mountain, we were glad we stopped for lunch earlier.…because we began to notice civilization decreasing…seemingly exponentially. We finally arrived at our Airbnb, The Bird House, which was one of the most unique homes we’ve ever stayed at! The house itself was perched atop the Cliffside with a river running right under us that we could hear throughout the night! There were windows all around the house that brought all the natural light in…they could even swing open so we could listen to all the birds nearby. It really felt like we were up in the trees…as if we were in our own little birdhouse! We actually ended up keeping the windows open all night to let the fresh air in and be lulled to sleep by birdsong…it was quite magical.
The hosts were as lovely as ever…they actually built most of this home themselves and you can really see all the love they put into it.
We spent a few hours just enjoying the property…sitting perched in our birdhouse and following the winding stairs down to the flowing river. By the time we were ready to venture out, it was a bit later than expected. Also outside the national park is the Cloudbridge Nature Preserve, so we hopped in our car and made our way there. This area has over 700 acres of preserves primary and secondary forest that is open to visitors and volunteers. We were super excited to explore, and based on the proximity, we thought we were pretty close to it from our Airbnb…but don’t forget about the elevation gain, it can be deceiving!
The drive up to Cloudbridge was unpaved and pretty steep, so we definitely recommend a 4×4 car, though we did see a pair of local guides in a smaller sedan (mind you they were local guides). As we made our way further up the mountain, we saw the trail entrance to the 20km Cirro Chirripó trail which is quite the strenuous hike for those that want to reach the peak! If you’re interested, it’s worth noting that tent camping is prohibited and a permit is required. There are two shelters (called “refugios”) along the trail…the first refugio is about 7km from the trailhead (called “Refugio de Llano Bonito”), but is only for emergency situations. The second and more developed Crestones refugio (Centro Ambientalista el Paramo) is near the summit of Cirro Chirripó Grande.
Both refugios have access to water, but make sure you bring enough to last you to at least the 7km mark. Centro Ambientalista el Paramo has staff that will check your permit and provide rentable stoves and blankets. We’ve heard differing accounts about meals…some say they are on weekends only via advanced reservation, but others have said they ran out of food, so it’s a good idea to have your own (though potable water and stoves are consistently available). There are solar powered lights that will last a couple hours in the evening, but there is no thermal protection, so be prepared for freezing, or even sub-freezing temperatures at night.
As we arrived to the Cloudbridge Reserve, we decided that it was a little too late to really complete a hike before the park closed, so we stopped at The Garden House for some light bites and refreshments. It was a quaint café with a beautiful little garden that was home to numerous insects and pollinating birds. Even though we weren’t able to go into the Cloudbridge Reserve, we were still able to enjoy the mountain views from the restaurant as we enjoyed our local lemonade and coffee. Besides, we were both still pretty achy from our Corcovado hike yesterday…
We made our way back to the Airbnb and decided to have dinner at what seemed like one of the only restaurants in town, a really awesome place called Batsù (which was conveniently located right next to our Airbnb). They had a GREAT craft beer selection and the food might’ve been even better! After such a long few days, we felt right at home.
After dinner, we walked back to our treetop birdhouse to get a good night sleep. Tomorrow we make our way to the San José for the final week of our Costa Rican adventure…so stay posted!