The country side is
very scenic, and we make a stop along the way at a cafe for
a drink, and to watch some zipliners get ready to go.
No thanks, we'll pass ;-)
When we finally see the volcano it is partly shrouded in
clouds, and looks quite green.
By the time we drive around it (passing through La Fortuna
along the way), we see the barren result of years of
eruption.
The volcano is beautiful and spectacular. During
the day we watch as massive lava boulders are launched down
the side of the volcano, leaving steaming smoke trails
behind them, eventually rolling to a stop.
The lodge restaurant has a massive picture window onto the
volcano, and fruit feeders attract many birds and Coatimundi.
Our room is very nice, one of the
"Smithsonian" rooms. Originally, after the volcano
started erupting in 1968, the lodge was a farm, and the
Smithsonian realized it was a (relatively) safe place to
observe it. Over time, it has grown into a first-rate
destination, albeit a challenging to get to.
The staff leave interesting towel art for us each afternoon.
A reminder we're in the rainforest
It doesn't last long, but it rains hard. A pair of
Lineated Woodpeckers don't seem to mind it.
Watching the evening light show
Here is a YouTube compilation from CostaRicaAdventures
with spectacular footage, including the original eruption in
1968. Someone comments that some footage is actually
from a different volcano (probably the lava close-ups
-- not sure how you would get that at Arenal), but most of
the cool stuff is obviously from Arenal.
The view from our room is spectacular, and we sleep looking
out onto the volcano, with screened doors that let us hear
every burp and gurgle it makes. Pattie and I spend our
evenings mesmerized by the lava, that glows red and hot once
darkness falls.
We do a number of hikes around trails at
the lodge grounds. Once goes to a small waterfall,
another through a eucalyptus forest, and another, called the
"old lava trail", is closed, but we go down part of it
anyway. Not too far; we get nervous. Good thing,
too:
http://www.globaladrenalin.org/latinamerica/costarica/#ArenalVolcanoSafetyIssues
describes it as a "high risk area".
On tuesday, we get up early and start out on a long
trail, Los Toucanes, which takes us to a new lava trail
(from the '90s). It is full of adventure! We are
not more than a few hundred metres into the primary rain
forest than some very loud grunting and growling sends
Pattie about face and running smack right into me. I
guess I was trying to see what was making the noises. Pecarries suddenly burst cover and scream through the forest
away from us. Both Pattie and I are a little shaken
up!
We see a lot of good birds along the way,
and I hear a Three-wattled Bellbird several times. It
makes a very interesting sound that can be heard for miles.
Eventually we come to the lava trail, and it is quite
impressive. We can see our lodge behind us, in the
distance, and eventually we are joined by more tourists who
have come to the edge of (relative) safety to see the
volcano.
Around the Lodge
We spent most of the time relaxing around the lodge.
The food was quite good, we could bring our unfinished wine
back to our room.
There were also a number trails around the lodge where we
could see many of the local animals and flowers, as well as
constant views of the volcano.
Ready to go home: February 27, 2008
When we woke up on Wednesday, the sky was clear and the
summit of Arenal very visible. We could see some lava
fissures to the left of the cone, but as the day brightened
these gradually were lost to sight.
Ok, perhaps not our plane, but apparently Iron Maiden had
enjoyed CR while we were there too!
