Costa Rica Day 4 - Arenal

We woke up pretty early to make good on the free buffet breakfast. It was a hearty meal well needed after our 10 minute trek uphill to the main lodge. Each day there was a variety of tropical fruits and fresh juices, typical Costa Rica fare such as fried plantains and beans and rice, as well as pancakes, donuts, scrambled eggs, toast, cereal, tea and coffee. We ate our breakfast in front of a huge picture window facing Arena Volcano. The staff hung fruit in the trees so we had some toucans and other colourful birds as entertainment as well. 

The road from our cabin to the lodge

After breakfast we hung put on the deck a bit to take photos when a coatimundi joined us and caught a wiff of the banana I had packed into my bag. I tried to shoo him away, but he was determined and managed to open my bags zipper with his snout. He sat there and ate it under a big sign that clearly read "Don't feed the animals" while a bunch of guests laughed and took photos.

The goal of the day was to hike up Cerro Chato. Of the hikes available in Arenal, this was rated 'difficult' and was estimated to take 4 hours. We had a beautiful day with perfect weather and set off down the road. 

There was a half hour hike to the start of the trail and we saw some bizarre cows in a field on the way there. I called them "cow-mels" but we later found out they are called something like 'Vamya'.

Cow-mel = Vamya

Our hike started uphill and lasted that way for 2.5 hours. I was so glad to have brought a hiking pole, if only for this hike alone. We were consistently climbing, using the tree roots sometimes as steps, sometimes as ladders. It was pretty challenging for all of us, but especially for Sabina who had dislocated her knee only a few days before our vacation. We stopped a lot for breathers, disguised as an interest in taking photos. It was beautiful though and felt like we were in Jurassic Park.

Once we reached the top of the crater there was a look out over the centre, which is now a mineral-rich lake. In order get down to the water we had to hike some more around the edge, which was hilariously muddy. I think I did a decent job of keeping my shoes clean while everyone else destroyed theirs. Caroline in particular just walked through the swamps.

The path down to the centre was even steeper than the mountain we hiked up. It was so steep it was nearly vertical and we slipped a few times. When the odd fellow hiker tried to make their way up the crater, it was difficult to accommodate both bodies on the narrow path.

Finally, at the bottom we were so incredibly sweaty and muddy that Sandra, Christine, Heidi ad Sabina couldn't resist and jumped in. Theoretically I would have loved to jointed but despite the sweat, it was just too cold for me. Caroline and I were content to just wading knee demand take photos. The guidebook warn tat swimming isn't a great idea due to the minerals so they didn't stay in for too long.

After the near-treacherous climb to the top we rested at another scenic look out and were able to photograph the entire Arena Volcano, which only 40% of visitors get to see! While there we chatted with some other tourists and guides, and they shared their snacks with us.

We then began our hike down the other side of the volcano. This route was still somewhat steep but no where close to what we'd already gone through. it was a good hour before we emerged from the forest, but as we were soon to find utter a good 2 hours from reaching the finishing at Fortunate Falls. This 'home stretch' took us through a farmers field that was lumpy with huge mogles. It was honestly worse to walk through than the initial climb!

I swam in that!

We reached La Fortuna waterfall and I surprised everyone by not only getting into the cold water, but also being the first to do it. I was regretting not swimming in the crater of a volcano and was dog-determined not to miss out again. The water fall was beautiful and huge. We swam a bit in the first pool before opting to go into the safer second pool instead, where the current was significantly less strong.

Our day was capped off by a visit to the thermal hot springs. We purposely paired our first major hike with a soak in the thermal hot springs and it was wonderful! We were sore, stinky, and tired and we deserved it! We arrived just after dark (which isn't hard when the sun sets before 6pm) and the scenery was just incredible. The hot Springs themselves were natural, but had pools built around them. A total of 6 pools ranging from boiling to hot, and one cool pool made up most of their facilities, with lawn chairs around the decks. The pools flowed into each other via waterfall and one pool had a lava-hot spot on the ground that burnt your foot if you left it there too long. We jumped from tub to tub for over an hour and finished our session by hanging out on the pool chaises.