Known as “the city of fruit,” the small town of Orotina abounds with vendors hawking locally grown mangos and melons. Despite its bustling streets and abundant produce, Orotina has never been a major stop on tourist itineraries; instead, its central location along the route from San José to the Pacific makes it a convenient stop for locals buying cheap and tasty treats on the way to the beach. The town itself is quite pleasant, and the parque central is relaxing, filled with towering palm trees and and small benches perfect for watching the activity on all sides. Orotina also makes for a convenient base from which to try the Original Canopy Tour or visit Turu Ba Ri eco-park; it is well worth a short stop on the way to more heavily-touristed destinations such as Puntarenas or Jacó. Interestingly, none of the roads have names, and nothing has an address. The only way to give directions or send mail is to describe a building’s relationship to a major landmark and approximate distance. This makes finding things a little harder than normal.
The main bus terminal run by Transportation H.R.C. is located 200m south of the southwest corner of the parque in a large yellow building (☎2427 9146). Buses to San José via San Mateo leave from the main station (3hr.; 6, 7:15, 10am, 2:50, 4, 6pm with an additional bus at 1pm every day but Su; ¢710). Buses to Jacó leave from the same station (2hr.; every hr. 5am-5pm; priced around ¢1000, but ask the driver). Buses to Puntarenas via Esparza leave from a stop 150m west of the northwest corner of the parque (1hr.; 5, 6, 7, 8, 10am, 12:30, 3, 5, 7pm; ¢600). Direct buses to Esparza leave from the northeast corner of the parque between the church and the Red Cross building. (Daily 9am and 12pm; ¢400.) Schedules change often, so check with locals for up-to-date times.Taxis wait on the north side of the mercado municipal . Alexis Jimenez is recommended by many people in town (☎2888 0706).
Orotina is located 66km west of San José and 42km northeast of Jacó. Major centers of activity are the parque central and the mercado municipal, located one block north (open M-Sa 6am-6pm, Su 6am-noon). Orient yourself by putting the church on the east side of the parque and the railroad on the north.
The cheapest place to get a bite to eat is at one of the soda stands behind the main bus station in the mercado municipal, where you can snag a good plato del día or casado for just ¢1200. Several more sodas scatter the highway. To stock up on your own, Perimercado, north of the mercado municipal. (☎2428 8683. Open M-Sa 8am-9pm, Su 8am-6pm. AmEx/MC/V.) The Megasuper Orotina is located on the highway at the corner of the turnoff to Orotina. (Open M-Th 7am-9pm, F-Sa 7am-10pm, Su 7am-8pm.)
Original Canopy Tour At Mahogany Park. It was the very first, and it still claims to be the best in all of Costa Rica. When Darren Hreniuk fulfilled his childhood dream of creating a rainforest zipline in 1994, people said he was crazy. Hreniuk remained confident in his forest-spanning creation, and today, copycat tours are offered in nearly ever village and hamlet of ticolandia. The Original Canopy Tour at Mahogany Park, named for its location in one of the only mahogany reserves in Costa Rica, is right off the highway and is accessible by bus or taxi from Orotina. Just meters from the highway, the adventure begins at the main office, where thrill-seekers are outfitted with harnesses, helmets, and gloves and given a tutorial on zipline hand-braking techniques before heading out into the park. The 11-platform, nine-line journey allows viewing of howlers, capuchins, scarlet macaws, and tremendous iguanas, with bursts of speed punctuated by platform pauses where groups catch their breath and relish the beauty and splendor of the canopy ecosystem. (From Orotina, take any bus headed toward Esparza and ask to be let off at the Canopy Tour near Jesús María village (30min., ¢400. You can also take a bus headed to Puntarenas, but make sure that the bus goes through Esparza (30min., ¢600). Tours last 2 hr. and leave at 8, 10am, noon, and 2:30pm. US$45 for adults, students US$35, under 12 US$25. All-inclusive tours can also be arranged. Puntarenas/San José: 2 people US$100 per person, 3 people US$95, 4 people US$85, 5 or 6 people US$80. Jacó: US$110/100/90/80. ☎2291 4465; www.canopytour.com. Reservations recommended. )
Turu Ba Ri Eco-Adventure Theme Park. For 15 years, this majestic land between the Río Grande Tarcoles and Parque Nacional Carara was used solely for cattle production. In 1997, the decision was made to create a new breed of attraction in Costa Rica, and in April 2003 the new Turu Ba Ri Eco-Adventure Theme Park was opened. Besides the extensive tropical garden that dominates the park’s 583 acres, there is also a 12,400 sq. ft. butterfly garden with over 25 species, 12km of well-kept trails, and a botanical garden with over 500 types of bromeliads and orchids. The adventure begins at the park entrance, with a 10min., 80.7m-high aerial tram ride with views of the surrounding landscape including the Río Grande Tarcoles.
In addition to these attractions, Turu Ba Ri includes lunch and one complimentary adventure tour with the price of admission. Most notable of these tours is the Sensational Cable, an experience unique to Turu Ba Ri that is only for the truly adventurous. Participants opt out of the traditional aerial tram ride into the park, and instead enter the park by cable, flying through the canopy on a unique, Superman-style zipline that reaches speeds up to 80kph. The 1min. flight begins every hour 9am-3pm. Other activities include a 17-platfom canopy tour (1½ hr.), 75m climbing wall, horseback riding, and a Tarzan swing. (There are no buses to the park, so the easiest means of transportation from Orotina is a taxi. With any driver, the fare should be about US$10. Turu’s 1-day package tour includes lunch, tropical park or adventure tour, and round-trip transport to and from San José/Jacó/Puntarenas. US$80, ages 3-11 US$60, student discounts can be negotiated by phone in advance; with lunch and 1 activity only adults US$60. ☎2250 0705; www.turubari.com. Open daily 8:30am-5:30pm with the last entrance into the park at 3pm. AmEx/MC/V.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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