Durika
The Panamerican Highway leads south from San Jose via San Isidro de El General, sometimes downhill, sometimes uphill, at times over long stretches of straight road, sometimes in hairpin curves. Most of the villages are not directly on the road, but are rather a few kilometers away. This is also the case of a tiny town, located 65 kilometers southeast of San Isidro, Buenos Aires.
The town with the same name as the capital of Argentina is reachable from the north via Volcan and Canas. The route is full of reminders of the terrifying catastrophic consequences of the massive clearing of the forests that once covered the area. Deep erosion fissures and landslides are the result. Unscrupulous business people ordered hundreds of hectares of forest to be cleared for their pineapple plantations. Even today, Ticos know Buenos Aires first and foremost as a center for pineapple cultivation. A tour of the pineapple plantation and the adjacent factory are possible.
Just 20 kilometers north of Buenos Aires on the slopes of Mt. Durika in the Cordillera de Talamanca, there is an unusual private nature preserve called Durika. It is where some 50 people have started a project that makes it possible for them to live independently. They give courses in meditation, yoga and healthy nutrition (whole grain products and vegetarian dishes), and dedicate their leisure time to the protection of plants and animals. Visitors are welcomed heartily and can hike the paths of Durika and observe the birds.
Buenos Aires is also the starting point for visits to the Boruca Indian Reservation and the gateway to the seldom visited and hardly developed La Amistad International Park. A 10-kilometer dirt road leads from the town to Ujarras, which lies directly to the north.
