On the drive from Sarapiquí towards Boca Tapada, I took a detour into the volcanic hills around Bajos del Toro, about two hours by road from San José. This area has spectacular mountain scenery that really surprised me, and some gorgeous waterfalls. It lies on the northern flank of the Poás volcanic complex, where rivers have cut deep valleys through lava and other volcanic deposits.

Catarata del Toro is the most dramatic single fall: the water drops about 90 metres (295 feet) into what the reserve describes as an old volcanic crater, with steep rock walls and dense greenery around it.

There are several viewpoints above Catarata del Toro before the long, 500-step staircase to the base. I went all the way down, and the close view of the falling water and spray was impressive. The climb back up was hard and time-consuming, however. If I returned, I would spend longer photographing from those upper viewpoints and save more energy for the amazing Blue Falls of Quebrada Gata across the road.

There are six of these beautiful waterfalls, three to the right of the trail and three to the left. Of the six, I would recommend the second in the series, Las Gemelas, or the "twins", so called because it consists of adjacent waterfalls fed by two separate rivers. The water at Las Gemelas is an extraordinary azure colour caused by minerals in the water flowing through this volcanic landscape.

The approach path is really well laid out and safe, and offers several places to photograph the blue river before the main fall, which is flat-out one of the most gorgeous waterfalls I've ever seen. The second fall is enclosed by a ravine around a corner and is reached over slippery rocks with a local guide watching. A terrific experience and one I would return to in a heartbeat. For these shots, I used the OM-3, hand-held with the 18–25 mm (36–50 mm full-frame equivalent) lens. If you ever go, I found that longer exposures both softened the water flow and brought out the intense blue of the river.

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