Fossil Land, which opened this year in Desamparados a southern San José district, gives new light to adventure tourism. Those who dare can stretch both their physical and psychological limits, as they learn about preserving the environment. The park resembles a rain forest with its wide variety of flora and fauna, but it is also host to the only fossils that are embedded in limestone in Costa Rica (there is one other known place where fossils are embedded in clay).
"Fifteen million years ago, plate tectonics shifted," said Fossil Land owner Otto Von Schroeter. "Now what was the ocean floor is a mountain. When they come to visit, people can see these fossils up close." Von Schroeter was born in Costa Rica. His mom is Tica and his dad is from Germany. Von’s father bought the mine 50 years ago, and the Fossil land entrepreneur has spent most of his adult life managing the mine. He opened the attraction just last month.
The theme park, which is 12 km. south of San José’s Central Park, offers a wide range of excursions. Participants can climb to the top of a cliff and then rappel down the mountain on a three-hour adventure called El Camino al Cielo (Reaching Toward the Sky). The adventure costs $45 for foreigners and $32 for residents, businesses and students (see related story). The brave can explore the caverns, which Von Schroeter calls El Abismo Oscuro (The Great Abyss), either by day or by night.
The spelunking adventure begins as participants are lowered by cable down a dark narrow tunnel to a platform, from which they descend further into the caverns.
When people reach the largest cavern, all the lights are turned off for two minutes and people are engulfed in complete darkness. Von Schroeter suggests that only those who are not claustrophobic and are physically fit should attempt this adventure. The unforgettable three-hour experience can be done by day or on Saturday by night at a cost of $45 for foreigner and $32 for residents.
The Explorador (Explorer) package combines the hiking, rappelling and spelunking adventures into a rigorous five-hour outing. The adventure costs $60 for foreigners and $42 for residents and students. Visitors can also rent mountain bikes and explore a wide variety of trails on the 60-acre property with or without a guide for $55, which includes bike rental.
For families, Fossil Land offers an interactive option called Percepción (Perception), an educational tour of Fossil Land emphasizing the history of fossil formation.
Actors make this tour fun and interactive for kids of all ages. Von Schroeter developed this part of the theme park because he believes that every adventure has a bit of “perception” or educational value in it. "I built Fossil Land to teach people to preserve the environment because if we don’t we too will end up like the fossilsgone and lifeless," von Schroeter said. Fossil Land, however, is only a part of von Schroeter’s entrepreneurial endeavors. The other side of the mountain is host to explosions from the limestone quarry, the Calera Patarrá Plant.
Limestone has been mined from the area for almost 100 years, and Fossil Land was created as a way to protect the other side of the mountain. "We have to exploit one side of the mountain, where we excavate limestone, to protect the other," said Von Schroeter. Reasons and justifications aside, Fossil Land is a new and exciting way to get out of San José for a day of adventure. Reservations should be made 24 hours in advance and lunch and transportation from anywhere in the Central Valley is included in all tours.
Tours can be in English or Spanish, when making reservations specify your preference. To participate in the "Reaching Toward the Sky" or "The Great Abyss" tours, persons must be at least 1.2 meters tall and 80 pounds. All minors must bring written permission from parents or be accompanied by an adult.
Take It Personally: One Fossil Land Adventurer's Rappelling Report
When Manuel and I hopped out of the pick-up truck in the middle of a dirt road, no one offered to take Polaroids of us and stick them in those little key chains. Standing in the early morning drizzle, we could already tell that Fossil Land an educational and adventure-based theme park was not going to be your ordinary funnel-cake-and-french-fry experience.
Instead, our guides José and Cristian, armed with helmets, harnesses, and ropes, approached us with big handshakes, asking us if we were ready for some adventure. Claro que si! (of course) we eagerly replied. Thus began my first rappelling experience. After putting on and securing our harnesses, the seven of us Manuel, Esteban, Diana, Otto (Fossil Land owner), our two guides, José and Cristian, and I started our hike up the fossil-laden mountain on a drizzly Tuesday morning. Manuel, Esteban, Diana and I were all first-time rappellers.
We were a bit nervous and very excited. And we were all still a little surprised that we were just 20 minutes outside the center of San José. The hike to the top of the mountain was the first part of the Camino al Cielo (Reaching Toward the Sky) experience. I won’t lie the hike wasn’t easy. Manuel fell several times; at one point Diana’s right foot and ankle were attacked by an army of biting ants. And as she shook her body to fight back, she almost slid down the slope and took the rest of us down with her.
Eventually we made it to the top the top of the 75-meter drop-off that we were about to descend. The view was spectacular, we saw all the way to San José and beyond.
Teetering on the brink of adventure, Esteban was the first to take the plunge, and after learning the basic rappelling motions, he slowly disappeared over the cliff’s edge. All we heard were José and Cristian’s guiding words: Left. Left. OK. Right. Now take a big step to the right. Así vamos (That’s how we do it). Eso es. (That’s it).
When it was my turn, and I was all harnessed up and ready to go, I paused briefly to look over the edge. At that point I realized that I was not about to whirl around in the teacups (my favorite Disney ride) until I was nauseated. I was instead throwing my body over the side of a mountain. The approximately 10-minute descent was a blur of fear, exhilaration and delight. The physical challenge, combined with the trust you put in the guides above and below you, made for an awesome time.
We worked as a team, cheering each other and applauding as one-by-one each rappeller hit horizontal ground. We also worked together when a boulder-sized rock started to cascade down the mountain. Piedra! Piedra! we all yelled to Manuel as he rapidly ducked and avoided collision, escaping instead with just a shin bruise. Being aware of the natural elements, Otto had told us, is an important part of the experience.
After we had all descended with our various scratches and bruises and near hits from falling rock we marched hungrily to the dining area, where we devoured arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), salad, fruit and cookies (included in the price of the package).
We were wet, shivering, and muddy. And we were all talking about when we could come back and do it again.
Ecotourism and Nature 
