Arenal: Where Mordor meets Degoba

We stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge for two nights. The lodge is the only place you can stay legally within the national park. Our room provided a great view of the volcano provided the clouds lifted enough to see the top! The volcano is very active and is usually only quiet for a week to a month at a time. Unfortunately/fortunately for us we were there during one of the quiet periods. No lava, no rumblings, just a silent cone shaped peak rising out of the jungle.


Our first evening we drove down to the park entrance, as we couldn't directly access the park from the lodge grounds. We did a short hike out to the 1996 flow and along the way saw some new to us birds.



The next morning multiple toucans were outside our window as we packed for our all day hike. We hiked from the lodge, up to the top of Cerro Chato, a dormant volcano next to Arenal. The hike up was fairly strenuous with steep climbs and only roots as steps. At the top you could see down into the lake filled crater. While we hiked around the rim I kept expecting to see Darth Vader in the cave of fears around every corner.


The rim trail was much more overgrown and soggy that the trail up. After only another 15 minutes we found the trail to hike down to the lake. Once in the crater it was time for a well deserved dip in the lake!



The way back down the other side was still steep but at least there were makeshift stairs to step down. Coming down was longer than going up and we were just about as tired when we got to the bottom. Luckily the La Fortuna waterfall was only another 10 minute hike away, so away we went to go swim under the powerful falls. Another 30 minute hike back into La Fortuna and we caught a taxi out to Tabacon Hot Springs for a luxurious soak in the volcano heated waters surrounded by lush tropical plants. And the swim up bar, we can't forget the swim up bar...
Needless to say we were pretty beat by the time we got a taxi back to our lodge.