The first stop is Guapiles. Guapiles is the commercial and social center for local vegetable farmers and banana companies. It is located about an hour and a half North East of San Jose with an elevation of 1500 to 2000 feet. The ride from San Jose to Guapiles is in itself an adventure as you drive through one of Costa Rica’s largest cloud forests. Braulio Carrillo cloud forest houses 6,500 species of plants and animals (Greenspan, 1997). You will feel as if you are driving through a cloud as you wind around the mountainous road with spectacular views of seemingly endless vegetation. Ever so often you will catch a glance of a beautiful cascading waterfall through the fine mist.

For a closer look, you can take the 90-minute aerial tram ride which takes you through the tree tops of the rain forest. The tram travels along a 1.3 kilometer cable line through the canopy, affording a view formerly available only to birds, monkeys, and scientist brave enough to climb the treetops. Developed by researcher Don Perry, this is a great attraction for eco-tourists!

Besides the famous Rain forest Aerial Tram, there are lots of other activities for nature lovers and environmentalists. One of these places is the Agricultural College of the Humid Tropical Region (EARTH), which is located east of Guacimo, near Guapiles. The center has its very own rain forest reserve, banana processing plant, paper-making plant, and plastic recycling center which is open to visitors. The bananas that have been raised here are the second in the country to win the "ECO-O.K" award, which is awarded to those who find alternative ways to produce bananas in an environmentally friendly way.

Another important stop is the Centro Ecologico Morpho which is a 250 acre reserve that offers one-and-a-half to four hour hikes and sparkling waters for swimming and snorkeling. Workshops are also offered with topics such as medicinal plants and herbs, reptiles and serpents, birds, organic agriculture, forestry management, and scientific research in a biological reserve. Tours and camping are available on the reserve.

For plant and flower lovers, Guapiles offers two distinct choices. One is the botanical garden called "Las Cusingas". This is a small garden packed with medicinal plants, ornamental, bromeliads, and fruit trees. This garden is surrounded by tropical rain forest and the thirty minute trail leads to the chilly Rio Santa Clara.

The second garden is called "Costa Flores" and is located about 15 kilometers east of Guapiles, just outside of Guacimo. There, you will find a 120- hectare farm of heliconias with 600 varieties of these amazing family of flowers. These beautiful flowers are mainly exported to the United States and Europe, however there is a landscaped pathway with takes you through a section of the garden with ponds, fountains, and lots of gorgeous flowers!

(Tours and meals are available at both Las Cusingas and Costa Flores.)