Feb 13, 2008 – Wednesday – Arenal Volcano
2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest
I have a nice breakfast of waffles with fruit and chocolate sauce, coffee & fresh fruit juice at 5:30AM. Today is obviously starting off early, since we go on a hike to see a volcanic flow on Arenal Volcano. A woman in our group sits on an unstable rock and rolls to the ground, resulting in some cuts and bruises. Otherwise, everyone coped well with the sometimes rough terrain. There is some rain at the start of our hike, and it is cloudy to clear the rest of our time on the mountain shrouded in cloud, which is not unusual for Arenal. The last time I was here 10 years ago, Arenal was in cloud as well. We watch the volcano spit hot boulders for awhile and then return to the bus.
The Arenal Volcano Observatory is our next stop – a sublime place which has a nice restaurant overlooking the volcano, a resort, Lake Arenal, and the observatory operated by the Smithsonian Institute. We have a leisurely lunch, observe the volcano from the deck, and have fun watching the tropical birds feeding on some fruit left out for them at a feeding station. There is also a Coatimundi foraging in the gardens. From this vantage point I take better photos of the mountain than from our hike earlier in the day. Steven O’Meara shares a bit of history about Arenal, and then we get back on the bus and return to Tabacón.
The rest of the afternoon is free, so I go to the hot springs and spa and soak in the hot pools. Some of them are very hot (41.5°C) and others are as cool as 25°C. I find a hot pool away from the crowds and alternate between hot and cool for about an hour. Our hotel room booking includes admission to the hot springs, so many of my group are also taking advantage of the facility. Normal admission is $60/person for a day pass. There is a free shuttle between the hotel and the hot springs – they are located about a block apart.
We enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Arenal Kioro Hotel, a resort located toward La Fortuna not far from Tabacón. This two year old resort is situated on the mountain and has wonderful views of the area. The whole complex is quite spectacular. After dinner, we drive back to Arenal and park along an access road, trying to spot the hot lava rocks as they tumble down the mountain, but it is so cloudy we only spot a couple before giving up to return to Tabacón.