This is my review of a rock climbing gym near the gulch. It's called Pura Roca (
http://www.puraroca.com) and is located in San Pedro. It was about 2k colones one way via Uber (from La Amistad). I went during the afternoon on two days and the daily fee for non-members at that time was 5k (by comparison the daily fee for non-members where I live is $15). Since I brought my own climbing shoes and chalk (found it before trip and new I was going - no, I normally don't travel with rock shoes and chalk
) I avoided the additional charge for these items. (Rock climbing shoes are highly recommended - typically rented at nominal fee- but you can do without the chalk). The gym is primarily designed for bouldering with several walls of about 15 feet in height at various angles and a small cave. It has a couple of top rope stations reaching maybe 30 feet. One station had an auto-belay device (no belayer necessary) and the few remaining stations required a belayer. Didn't use any of the top rope stations. To use the top ropes you'll need a harness (also typically rented at a nominal fee) and a partner to belay you. On the second floor there is a small training area with campus board, system board, pull-up station (climbing specific training equipment) and miscellaneous training equipment. One or two employees and a couple other climbers were present during the times I went.
Pros: close to gulch, reasonable price, decent bouldering with walls at various angles, decent route setting comparable to US gyms, lots of routes at various levels of difficulty, landing zone mats were reasonably thick and they had a couple of crash pads laying around for additional protection. Laid back gym vibe comparable to many gyms stateside.
Cons: I'm not sure sure when they last refreshed their routes (if ever) given the level of chalk and associated crud present that builds up over repeated use, I found their system of marking routes with tape confusing and hard to follow (in part because of the large number of routes and poor maintenance). No big deal if you're a a first-timer or beginner - just ignore tape and use whatever holds you want.
Overall: recommended as either a short diversion/workout for non-climbers or for a decent bouldering session for climbers.
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