San Gerardo de Dota is a village in the province of San José, Costa Rica.

Understand

San Gerardo de Dota was founded by the Chacon family, who established a dairy farm in the 1950s. The principal activity is now tourism, based on the cloud forest of the Reserva Florestal dos Santos.

Climate

Two more sweaters than in San José (city); the rain can stop for a couple of hours at any time of day.

Get in

"Indirect" buses between the cities of San José and San Isidro de El General will stop at Km 80 of the Interamericana. The village is strung out along a steep, rough road (4WD advised), between 4 and 8 km south of the highway. Locals will provide transport at ₡5000-7000.

See

• Observacion de Quetzales, about 6 km from the Interamericana, will give instructions on where to find a wild avocado tree (US$2 per person in November 2009).

Buy

• Dantica Lodge, about 3 km from the Interamericana, sells Central American and Andean handicrafts of good quality at high prices.

Sleep

• 1 Trogon Lodge (about 5 km from the Interamericana), ☏ +506 2293-8181 (Reservations), +506 2740-1051 (lodge), info@grupomawamba.com. 24 standard and 1 superior room. Standard rooms are spread along the property gardens, in modules of 2 (total of 12 modules). Heating in the bedrooms is by gas venting directly into the rooms, but you can ask for extra blankets. (The restaurant has wood stoves with chimneys.) The lodge has its own trails in the forest, well maintained, with a beautiful waterfall on the Rio Savegre. Reasonably reliable quetzal-viewing tours are available. Single US$117, double $140, triple $164, quadruple $199 - plus 13% sales tax, breakfast included. (updated Dec 2017)