Due to the three-hour time change from Halifax, we woke pretty early. The rain had pounded on the metal roof of our chalet most of the night, but with the sunrise, it stopped. The day started with the promise of some blue sky, but that was short-lived. Oh well, a balmy 28C and full humidity still made for a nice day, until the rains moved in late afternoon.
After a breakfast with a view of the Arenal Volcano, we set out for La Fortuna Waterfall, then headed to the western end of Laguna (“lake”) Arenal, where Mistico Park offers a dozen bridges through a rain forest trail. Following a late afternoon meal, we headed back to the chalet to wait out the rain, but all the walking and fresh air led to us falling asleep! We took a swim in the hotel pool before dinner, which was had at the hotel’s Peruvian-inspired restaurant.
Tomorrow, we will do an early hot springs visit before trying to find some sloths to observe and then heading south to another volcano and the big, scary city of San Jose.
Arenal Volcano, as seen from our hotel. The volcano erupted is 7500 years old but was quiet for eons. Then, in 1968, it blew without warning. The town of Tabacon was destroyed and 87 people died. The volcano continued to erupt until 2010, drawing masses of tourists. Then, it went silent again. We are just hoping it won’t blow again while we are here!
It’s not every day that one gets to eat bacon and eggs with a recently-active volcano behind them!
This is our accommodation while in Arenal — the Arenal History Inn. 10 individual chalets comprise the inn.
The hotel pool provided a nice cooling off at the end of the day today.
Flora from the grounds of the Arenal History Inn:
One has to stop and put their feet up while on vacation!
Costa Rica is known for its bird-life. This yellow fellow was interested in our windshield as we walked to our car this morning.
Having grown up with moose warning signs, it’s quite a novelty to see what Costa Rica has to warn the driving public about.
Two more colourful birds, this time at La Fortuna Waterfall.
La Fortuna Waterfall is 75m high and is one of Costa Rica’s best-known. With all the heavy rain yesterday, this ‘teaser’ waterfall was running adjacent to La Fortuna Waterfall. Even it was pretty spectacular.
But this is really what we came to see: La Fortuna Waterfall. Normally you can swim at the base of the falls, but that was prohibited today, given the strong current, due to the rains.
To reach La Fortuna Waterfall, you have climb down 500 steps. If only there was an elevator to take you back up those 500 steps, which are brutal in 100% humidity.
Flora from the orchid garden at La Fortuna Waterfall.
Some people arrive at La Fortuna Waterfall by horseback. This is the ‘horse parking’ lot, complete with hay for the horses to munch on while they wait.
Located at the western end of Laguna (“lake”) Arenal, Mistico Park has an amazing 3.2km trail through the rainforest, with a dozen bridges along the way, many of which are suspension bridges over the treetops.
Starting out on the 3.2km trail at Mistico Park.
This interesting thing is a “pollinator hotel” for bees and other insects.
One of the many hanging bridges at Mistico Park.
Some of the more interesting flora from the rainforest at Mistico Park:
A couple more of the suspension bridges at Mistico Park:
The rainforest is lush lush lush!
Not quite as dramatic as La Fortuna Waterfall, but this falls along the trail at Mistico Park is pretty impressive in its own right.
Mama and baby spider monkeys were swinging in the trees above our heads on the trail.
This colourful oxcart at Mistico Park is significant because, in 1988, the oxcart was declared a national symbol, representing peace and the hard work of the people.
Misticio Park affords exceptional views of Arenal Volcano. That is, when the clouds aren’t in the way! After our sensational morning view of the volcano this morning, the cloud moved in and the entire volcano was under wraps all day long. As we were leaving Mistico Park, the clouds started to clear a little. What a view those cows have on a clear day! Oh, to eat grass and view Arenal Volcano all day long!
The Arenal Dam is at the western end of Laguna (“lake”) Arenal.
We stopped at a wonderful cafe for a late afternoon lunch on the way back to Arenal.
As we sat on the cafe’s balcony, we could see the rain moving westward. As I took my last gulp of coffee, the rain reached us. When it rains here, it pours like you cannot imagine. From that point on, the day was like a tap being turned on and off.
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