Day 2: The road to San Gerardo de Dota: I had a plan, but Waze had its own ideas

March 4 

What did we do?

As promised, the man from Alamo Car Rentals appeared at the hotel at 8:00 am with our 2020 Rav 4 4X4. Bernie, the owner of Pura Vida, had helped us book the car through Alamo. The rate he was able to get was significantly less than the rates I was seeing on my own with any other companies. It was still expensive. We paid $2,018 for 17 days which included full, walk away from any damages, insurance*

After breakfast, we packed up and plugged our destination at San Gerardo de Dota into our phone’s Waze app. I had looked at this route on Google maps many times and, perhaps naively, expected Waze to take us on a straight path to Route 2. But Waze was in charge and she had her own ideas. 

Turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right until I was sure we had driven down every street in central Alajuela. Finally, we got on a freeway, only to be directed off a freeway moments later. And so it continued, turn right, turn left, turn right, turn left, then drive 100 meters up that 25% grade hill through some random neighborhood and make a hairpin turn at the top. I was the navigator but had no real idea where we were, except we seemed to be heading in the right general direction. Finally, around El Tejar, we met up with Route 2 and from there it was an easy drive up into the mountains.

We arrived in San Gerardo de Dota in the early afternoon and after settling into our cabin we hiked down to the bottom of the property which bordered the Savegre River. The walk down was steep, but the walk back up was definitely steeper 😟. 

The steep and windy San Gerardo Road

Where did we stay?

We stayed in the 2-bedroom Casa 1 at Quetzal Valley Cabins in San Gerardo. Casa 1 sits at the top of the property with unobstructed views over the valley. The bird life is fantastic and we saw many species just from our front porch. The cabins are rustic, but clean and functional with plenty of space for the four of us and very good value. Being up in the mountains at about 2300 meters it gets coldish once the sun goes down, but the electric fireplace worked well and there were plenty of blankets on the bed. We would definitely book here again. 

Casa 1 at Quetzal Valley Cabins

A room with a view at Quetzal Valley Cabins

Where did we eat?

Our snack bag, overflowing with KIND bars, sustained us on the road trip, and we also had a simple but tasty casada dinner at Miriam's Quetzal's restaurant which is located just up the road from Quetzal Valley Cabins. If you are in the area make sure you stop here and enjoy the bird feeders that are best seen and photographed in the late afternoon. 

Travel Tip: *In Costa Rica, we always go for the full insurance package. This means that as long as you don't void the rental contract you can basically walk away from any damages. It adds several hundred dollars to the total cost, but the peace of mind it brings is worth it to me. Halfway through the trip, we noticed a small plastic piece missing from the front bumper, you know that tiny little bit of damage that probably means the whole bumper needs to be replaced. Was it that way when we got the car? Did we do some damage? The answer was “we're not worried, we have full insurance”!  The Costa Rica Trip Advisor forum has an excellent pinned post about all things car rentals including insurance.

Do I look a bit nervous? 

Crossing the narrow and rickety bridge over the Savegre River at the bottom of the Quetzal Valley Property

The birds and squirrels are friends at Miriam's feeders