Volcano and Rain Forests

I really enjoyed the canopy tours with the speed and heights on the cables, but I cannot discount my fascination with the flowers. I took many pictures of what is considered a house plant at home as well as wild orchids and ginger plants. The fact that Arenal Volcano is active, accounts for the hot springs and night lava show. The Northeast side blew leaving 4 craters, the Southeast florishes with streams and a spectacular rain forest.

Quick Tips:

La Fortuna does not have an airport. You can fly into Tamarindo, Liberia, or San Jose and either take an express bus or rent a vehicle. Credit cards are not readily accepted, cash (including US)and traveller's checks work best.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive as are public buses and express that run between cities. Rental vehicles in this area are all SUV's due to the road conditions and the two types of insurance required can make renting expensive.
Walking is safe except at night on the main highway as there are no streetlights and no shoulders. I walked to my hotel in the evening just once.

After riding for about 45 minutes through pastures and the beginning of the rainforest where we saw a variety of banana plants and ferns, we stopped to tie up our horses and walk to La Fortuna Waterfall. The steps are windy and narrow made out of flat rocks, rebar and pieces of bark. I was glad to have a chain link fence to hold onto especially where it was damp. The waterfall was beautiful and a short distance away from the actual falls was a nice sandy beach and swimming hole with a maximum depth of about 4 feet. It was clear enough to see trout. After playing around for about 1-½ hours we walked up the 457 steps and returned to the horses.

The trip with Luis, telephone number 506 479-9959 was excellent. He is well versed on the names of animals and plants in both Spanish and English. There is no minimum number of people required and he comes to your hotel with the horses at the time you request. Three hours cost $23 including entrance fee. Luis was so impressive; I requested he return the following morning for a different ride.

If you choose to walk or hike to the entrance it is 2 ½ miles off the main highway and the entrance fee is $1000 crones or about $3.50. The booth has a few postcards, beverages and film.

The horseback ride to the rainforest side of the volcano begins with a 45 ride to Los Lagos Hotel for an hour stop. Here there are trails around crocodile ponds and ponds with koi fish. The variety of ginger flowers, bird of paradise, and passionflowers created the need for an additional roll of film. There is also the Baldie Hot Springs complete with showers and changing rooms. The number for information on the hotel and/or hot springs is 506 479-9126.

We continue up the trail behind the hotel for another 2km to Mirador Observatory, which offers views of Los Juncos Lake and Rio de Lava (cold lava flow), Muro de Lava (lava wall), and the top of Arenal Volcano.

Luis can be contacted at 506 479-9959, speaks exceptionally good English, providing the names of flora and fauna along the way. He requires no minimum number of people and brings the horses to your hotel at the time you request. I paid $25 for 4 hours including entrance fee

The Fortuna Canopy Tour begins with pick up at your hotel and then a 45 minute horseback ride through pastures and streams up a muddy trail to where we tied off the horses. This stop is where the rainforest begins and is also the last platform of the canopy tour. From this point we have a small hike up a hill to the first platform where we are given instructions before we take our first zip line. The canopy tour is a series of heavy-duty cables from platform to platform in trees. From the first platform a zip line lands you at another platform in a tree, 115 feet above the ground. While in the tree, we walk up a several steps to a higher platform and another zip line. After three zip lines we rappel 90 feet from a tree platform to the ground. From this point we walk down hill a short distance to the last and longest zip line, which brings us to the end where the horses await. Back onto the horses and back to our hotels.

The Fortuna Canopy Tour is about 5 hours with pickup at your hotel at 8:30. The cost is $44 dollars and can be booked via www.arenaltouristica.com or just about any tour company in town.

The Tabacon Hot Springs and Volcano Hike begins with a drive to the northwestern, or active, side of Arenal Volcano. From here you take a brief hike to the vista point for about 45 minutes where you view the very barren side of the volcano and notice occasional dust stirring. Looking through binoculars you realize this dust is the trail following tumbling lava rocks. Afterwards we drive to Tabacon Hot Springs to enjoy the many hot springs pools from a natural flowing spring. Services and buildings were constructed around the springs to keep it in a natural state with pools, waterfalls, streams and small bridges. The entry points into the water are where ever you wish with no special entry points. And the vegetation is lush with coconuts, bananas and lots of flowers.

If you choose not sit in the hot springs or wander around, spa services from mud baths and manicures to massages and steam baths are offered. The massages and mud bath cost from $60-100.

Another option is the small canopy tour that last about 1-½ hours and costs about $45.

After 1-½ hours in the springs we sit back in the restaurant that overlooks the hot springs. Because it is a clear night, we are able to see red lava very sporadically from the top of the volcano.

The cost of this tour was $43 with pick up at your hotel at 4:00pm and return at 8:00pm. It is bookable through www.arenaltouristica.com or Sunset Tours in La Fortuna. Day use for Tabacon Hot Springs should you take a taxi is $17 and includes showers, towel and a locker. It is about 11 miles west of the city of La Fortuna. For additional information call 506 256-1500 or www.tabacon.com.

With a horse brought to my hotel, I ventured out for a 3-hour hike along the lower rim of Arenal Volcano National Park. After a 30-minute ride up an old lava flow, four trails were available for the hiking portion. El Silencio, the most rugged, also ended near a stream.

This trail of palms, ferns, orchids and bromeliads was so dense in areas that Luis would have to break branches to get through. It was also thick with leaves on the ground that covered vines which you could easily trip over if you didn’t pick up your feet. The places without leaves were so muddy and slippery you had to reach for hanging vines to steady yourself. This was a challenging hike in the rain forest with such incredible beauty and only the sounds of birds and an occasional howler monkey.

Since the horse trek portion of this tour was short, Luis charged $15 for the 4 hours. His number 506 479-9959.