The “Laguna de Hule” or “Rubber Lagoon”, as it would be translated to the English language, is one of the less known natural attractions of Costa Rica, but something definitely worth it to mention at least in the blog of a company in the travel industry like us.
This extremely beautiful lagoon is a huge ancient volcanic crater located very close to the Central Volcanic Mountain range of Costa Rica, more specifically just a few miles from Poas Volcano, the most visited touristic national park of our country. To get to this lagoon the visitors can access it from 3 different roads that go to it. For those departing from San Jose the easiest route would be via “Vara Blanca”, taking the same road that goes to the Poas Volcano National Park, which is being closed over the past few months because of the heavier eruptions of its main crater. After the intersection to Poas, the visitors would have to continue towards the town of Vara Blanca and then towards “La Paz Waterfall Gardens Park”. After La Paz, the tourists would have to take the road straight to “Nueva Cinchona”, where a left turn is done and the lagoon is just 6 kilometers from there (4 miles approx.).
For those coming from San Jose there is another scenic option to get to the Laguna de Hule by driving to the town of “Zarcero”, then to “Bajos del Toro”; then to “Rio Cuarto” and then to the lagoon. For those who are coming from Arenal Volcano-La Fortuna, Sarapiqui or Guapiles, the best way is to enter from the “Rio Cuarto” route and then to the lagoon, which is like a 30 minute drive on gravel roads.
As relevant information, the Laguna de Hule doesn’t have a park reception building or anything formal like that, as a matter of fact, it is not require to pay an entrance fee to access this reserve. When you get there you just basically look for the best look-out point to take pictures of the lagoon or you can go down to the edge of it, just take into consideration that the road is normally in bad condition on the last 2 kilometers (1.5 miles approx.) and more than likely you would have to hike down to it. Once you are down and close to the lagoon the beauty is impressive, mainly because of the contrast of the water of the lagoon with the lush rainforests that surrounds it. Speaking of rainforest, there is a very beautiful trail that goes next to the lagoon, where the visitors can walk for about 2 to 3 hours, depending on how fast you walk, and be able to get different views of the lagoon and views of the tropical rainforests where the trail goes, where some of the Wildlife of Costa Rica can be observed too.
For those more adventurous, sports can be practiced in and around this beautiful volcanic lagoon. For example, you could bring your own canoe or kayak to the Laguna de Hule and paddle for a while, the lagoon is big enough to keep you busy for a few hours... Fishing is another activity that can be done here, as a matter of fact, some of the biggest “guapote fish” caught in Costa Rica have been taken out of this lagoon. Other sports that can be practiced here are mountain biking, ATV’s, stand up paddling and cross country running.
So if you are visiting this beautiful attraction of Costa Rica just keep in mind that you would have to bring everything you need, because there is nothing around the Laguna de Hule, just a couple of typical restaurants, one of them by the way, with a great view of the lagoon.
