Biannual Idioma Internacional Retreat Trip – May 2018

It may seem like meeting up on a Sunday morning at 6:45 am is cruel and unusual. But when it is to meet up with your coworkers to head up the slopes of a volcano to an amazing place like La Paz Waterfall Gardens, it’s neither cruel nor unusual.

On May 13th of this year, our entire company (teachers, supervisors and office and support staff) met up for a gallo pinto breakfast at our office before enjoying a half day at La Paz Waterfall Gardens followed by lunch in the folds of Volcán Poás.

We arrived close to 9:15 am and once we got exchanged our passes for our bracelets, we organically split up into a few different groups and headed into the conservation area.

My group first hit the aviary and got to hang with toucans, scarlet macaws and more! One toucan actually got a little ‘too close for comfort’ with one teacher and was looking for not just a snack, but a friend too! And we’ve got a picture to prove it!

We strolled through the area with monkeys and sloths before entering another area with flying things; this time, they were horned beetles and butterflies! Well, perhaps I should explain.

First, there was an entrance with glass cases full of really incredible insects, all pinned to a board like the ones in those laboratory drawers where they count and keep species. After walking the ramp flanked with all kinds of creepy crawly and flying things, there was a glass door that opened to a multi leveled enclosure full of plants and greenery and butterflies!

This butterfly sanctuary was my second favorite part (we’ll get to my favorite). It was warm and humid in there and I would venture to guess several thousands of butterflies flittering and floating about. And they are not shy! They will land all over you and even pose for a selfie!

Several employees supervise this area to ensure that everything goes smoothly and also educate the visitors about the entire process from cocoon to chrysalis to butterfly! Oh, and you can see probably two dozen butterflies in every stage of their development, wiggling about in their cocoons, emerging from them, and flying away. I only gazed in awe for about 15 minutes but I could have stayed all day.

There are also snakes and reptiles, an open area for hummingbirds (and you can feed them by hand at 9am each day!), big mountain cats and poisonous frogs to meander past as you head to the trailhead, which leads to my absolute favorite part of the park: the waterfalls!

A well-maintained trail winds down from the main property along the rocky cliffs that frame a series of five—count them, five—gorgeous waterfalls. The last one, and most famous, is the Peace Waterfall, or la Catarata La Paz.

If I could spend all day in the butterfly sanctuary, I could spend an eternity gazing at, listening to and feeling the spray from those massive waterfalls. Neither pictures nor words can relay the beauty and awesomeness of those waterfalls. I would simply recommend that you visit some time to experience them.

Alas, after a half-day of adventure we were ready for lunch! We headed to Freddo Fresas near a small town named Frailes and had a great meal as a team and lots of strawberry juice and strawberries and cream to boot!

What could be better than an adventure to a beautiful conservation area, that only accepts rescued or injured animals, set amid the tumbling folds of a volcano in Costa Rica? Going with a great team of friends and coworkers perhaps.

Brendan Mulhall