Our next stop was the Volcán Arenal at La Fortuna. The vulcano has created several hot springs which is also a must while being in the region. Actually it is fairly close, but the road is blocked by the cloud forest and Laguna de Arenal, meaning you have to go around coming to about 110 km. The roads consists of mountain and rual roads and double lanes are seldom seen, which means the total time was about 4 hours including breaks. Well seated and with the aircon turned up we were ready for the drive in our 4-wheel drive.

On the way we passed a lonely roadside café on the mountainside. It had the most amazing view. In fact the drive from Santa Elena to La Fortuna was really beautiful. Green fields in a very hilly landscape was the first half of the way. The last part of the trip was along side Laguna de Arenal. Here we stopped at another café which is also said to have the best view of the lake.

Our house was in a remote place but from the terrace there was a perfect view of the vulcano. There were another house in the area and a pool but we were the only ones staying there so we really had everything for ourselves.

The house was quite simple in it’s interior design, One room with one bed. However the bed was quite big with three levels, top ground and a drawer at the bottom for an extra bed.

The garden or the whole area around the house was crawling with life. Coming from a town here you really had a feeling of being in the middle of everything. A lot of black vultures were constantly in the sky and well as small birds flying low in the trees around the garden. In the afternoon and evening howling monkeys would appear in the trees just across our house. Also in the garden we had a big colony of leaf cutter ants. It was great fun to sit and watch how the marched in straight lines carrying their harvest.

From the pool all night a constant quacking could be heard and combined with all the other nocturnal sounds we had found some of the goals we had set our minds to.

Continuing up the road past our house lies the Mistico Park. It offered all sorts of activities and this postcard secne as well. We did not visit the reserve here as we just had been in Monteverde but we booked a trip to the Spider Monkey Canyon. This is an adventure hike which includes both ziplining, jumping in waterfalls and rappelling. The canyon was just next door as our house was actually inside the reserve.

The trip was great fun and the tour down through the canyon was beautiful and a great mix of different activities.

Hot springs in La Fortuna

A very popular attraction is the hot springs in La Fortuna. These are created by the underground volcanic activity in the area. Are there many ways to enjoy the hot springs at all the various hotels and spa resorts you can find along road. We chose the backpacker way and found the way down to the free spot located at Tabacon. Very easy to find as you will see a lot of cars parked along the road and people walking with towels down to the stream, so we just tagged along.

There was a big crowd, naturally, but we had no trouble finding a spot for all of us. It was a cozy atmosphere, where people were just enjoying themselves in the warm water.

While resting in the stream we spotted a small lizard, one which could run on water. After the picture was taken it ran away, unfortunately I did not catch in on camera, but we witnessed it, awesome sight. After a while a family of White-nosed Coatis came roaming by, probably looking if there would be some leftovers.

The volcano

Every morning we woke up to the stunning view of the vulcano. Often its top was surrounded by clouds, so it became a sport for all of us to watch them disapear in order to get the perfect shot. Finally, on the very last day of our stay we had it free from clouds.

We took a small hike at the vulcano’s foot. Here we would have chance to gaze at the majestic vulcano, but on this day it was completly wrapped by one big cloud.

Santa Elena | Arenal | Samara | Glamping | Montezuma | Puerto Viejo | Manuel Antonio