Bajos del Toro Christmas Rental

Since the kids are off from Dec. 7th-Jan. 8th, we decided to rent a vacation house in another area far from the beach...we chose a home in the remote mountain town of Bajos de Toro.  While it ended up being much more remote than we expected (we are a good hour from just about anywhere and two hours from the major spots), we have also found a beauty to the serenity of this location.  Here are some photos of this amazing house...Amarillo Toro...modern beauty in the middle of nowhere!

Beautiful Amarillo Toro

Amazing view from the back porch...looking at Poas Volcano

 

Location of Bajos del Toro...

 

Bajos del Toro is located in Costa Rica's province of Alajuela (two hours north of San Jose) and is in a valley between Poas and Viejo Volcanoes, Bajos del Toro is a typically damp, rainy town, which lends itself perfectly to the surrounding natural beauty and abundant wildlife and a big reason the area stays green all year long. Waterfalls and rivers are common sights here and we hope to visit many of them. 

Mountain pass coming from San Jose....

View from the pass descending into Bajos del Toro there in the valley...

Coming into town...

Local Catholic Church...

Tipico Restaurant....

Community Center...

 

Super Mini/Grocery Store...

Neighborhood.....newly paved road!

 

Perhaps considered the most spectacular waterfall in Costa Rica, Cataratas del Toro, is located within Bajos del Toro (about a 5-10 minute north of town).  Once at the base of the waterfall, travelers will be able to see plants that are often referred to as Sombrillas, or umbrella plants. At the waterfall's base, plants appear to be torched, which is a direct result of the water that is acidic because it flows straight from Poas Volcano.  There is both a primary forest, the tropical jungle and even an extinct volcano crater.

Access to Bajos del Toro is difficult....think lots of hair pin curves, mud slides, one way narrow roads with no lighting or reflectors (so no driving at night!), but at least it is paved the whole way.  Bajos del Toro sits looking at the backside of Poas Volcano National Park and one of Costa Rica's more impressive rivers, Rio Segundo.  So, if you wish to go view Poas, you have to drive all the way around (takes about an hour and most is on a very rocky, unpaved road, but doable).

Poas Volcano National Park, which covers an area of approximately 16,000 acres, allows tourists to get all the way to the edge of the crater, which is 950 feet deep. The park is also home to an impressive variety of birds, animals and vegetation, including the Poas Magnolia tree. The Bangs's Mountain squirrel, clay-colored robin, Resplendent Quetzal and toucan are other examples of wildlife that can be found within the park.

El Viejo Volcano is located in teh Juan Castro Blanco National Park, part of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range and 2K from downtown Bajos del Torro.  It is 2122 meters or 6,962 feet tall and El Viejo means "The Old Man" and was once a mine to extract pumice stone for manufacturing soap.  This volcano is dormant and its forests are full of cypress, cedars and heart of palm.