Visit Orosi Valley in Costa Rica

When I was in the top of the Irazu Volcano, I watched a wonderful valley at the east. I asked one of the travel guides, and she told me that it was called Orosi Valley. I called my Costa Rica travel agency right after coming down from the Irazu, and they pointed me in direction to Orosi. It is at 10 miles from Cartago -25 miles from San José- and I wouldn’t need to book any hotel or lodge since I could make the trip in one day. After two of the best volcano tours in Costa Rica, Orosi valley seemed perfect for a spare day in my fast moving Costa Rica adventure travel.

Approaching the valley is an amazing experience, with astonishing views of the town, mountains and rivers. The weather is cool, with temperatures around 63F in the day. The valley is full of natural landmarks, and the town, called Orosi, is a small colonial town, where the main attraction is the 18th-century church, the first one in Costa Rica.

Once I went past the church and the small town, I took the road boarding the valley, being visually greeted with extraordinaire view of the Reventazon River, the largest in Costa Rica, and the exuberant vegetation of the area. I took the time to go to one of the thermal baths, called Los Patios, to relax in the hot, bubbly water. The entrance fee is cheap, and there is a restaurant with good food in case you want to eat. I, however, passed on the restaurant since the travel agency girl recommended trout fishing near the lake Cachí, where one can also boat around.

Lake Cachi is an artificial lake created by the Cachi dam, an impressive dam with falls over 300 feet high. You can bike-ride or horse-ride across the area. After Cachi, there’s Ujarras, another small town with more natural beauty, great waterfalls and the ruins of the first colonial church in Costa Rica, built in the late 16th century. I found that there’s more than it meets the eye in Orosi valley, and in case you want to extend your stay, there are a lot of cheap Costa Rica hotels to stay at. I’ll call my Costa Rica travel agency to book a Costa Rica rafting tour to the Reventazon, and I’ll let you know about the trip in the next days.