Roca Grande Traditional Cache

This is a short detour from Ruta 3 between Atenas and San Mateo. The detour will take you through a residential neighborhood leading to an old cobblestone road connecting Alto de Monte and La Union. Today the only traffic you see here is from farmers and ranchers working the fields, so the muggles are few and far between.

To discover this geocache, take Ruta 3 west from Atenas toward San Mateo and Orotina. When you get to the first waypoint at   9°58'22.35"N 84°26'26.13"W, turn northwest at the junction. You don't need 4-wheel drive, but the vehicle should have reasonable clearance between the undercarriage and the road. It would not be fun to hunt for this cache in one of Costa Rica's tropical rainstorms. The first 2 KM will take you through a typical Tico residential neighborhood and then the pavement will end. Continue on the cobblestone road for 1 KM and you will reach the geocache site alongside this public road. The geocache container is a small plastic snaplock container hidden near the Roca Grande (Big Rock). Inside you will find a log in a plastic bag to keep it dry, a pencil and some swag for trading. There is no place to pull off the road to park, so you will have to stop in the middle of this infrequently traveled road. Stay alert for vehicles, horseback riders and pedestrians. Happy Geocaching!

WARNING: Caches in Costa Rica are frequently muggled. The Ticos are naturally curious. Even though you will not see many muggles on this road, if they see you grab the cache, or hide it back in it's place, you are almost guaranteed the cache will disappear before the next geocacher comes along. Please heed this warning and do not attempt this if there are people in the area.