We’ve been near volcanos before, but never like this. There is something phenomenal about seeing a perfectly symmetrical cone plunging out of the ground, a little over a mile high, before you. Arenal has been dormant since 2010, but we still felt a few tremors here and there.
Our risky personalities decided to visit the area during the rainy season. We weren’t sure if we would even get a clear view of the mountain. It did rain a lot, but we had enough good periods to hike the volcano and see the lava fields up close. We didn’t get a perfect view of Arenal, but we still got a beautiful one.
The best part of the 4 mile lava field hike ended up being the coffee shop at the end. It had beautiful views of the volcano and excellent coffee of course. It was a nice resting point where we could watch the storm clouds roll around us.
Our bungalow at the Montana De Fuego Resort, had an even more beautiful view of the countryside along with a good variety of large insects and birds. The hotel’s springs weren’t quite hot, but the boys absolutely loved them. I absolutely loved the hummingbirds. Jason absolutely loved the swim-up bar.
We came for the volcano, but the La Fortuna waterfalls stole our hearts. The La Fortuna waterfalls hike isn’t that bad… that is if you ignore the 500 step staircase to get to the bottom! Every step was worth the stunning view from the bottom.
Between the light rain and the waterfall splatter, we were soaked but still happy all while channeling the Pura Vida. We had good hopes that the rain would hold out for us at our next stop in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. but we were wrong…
Until next time,
