La Fortuna (day 8)

This morning we quickly had a breakfast and then we headed into the direction of the volcano Arenal. This was about 15 minutes to half an hour driving and it was also a race against the time, because in the early morning the top of the volcano is still visible. During the day the clouds climb up against the volcano and so the top of the volcano will be shrouded in the clouds. It was close, but we were just in time, it took only 10 minutes before the park opens up. Once inside it was a short while driving to the parking place and after that a long hike through a dense but passable jungle.

About halfway you could see the lava flow of the volcanic eruption of 1992, in the shape of volcanic rocks. From here you have an excellent view on the volcano (the top was already shrouded in the clouds). This was literally and figuratively a highlight, at 600 meters altitude. By far not at the top of the volcano, that was quite a disappointment. Beeing on a volcano but not a crater in sight... After this deception we hiked down again, via another route that went past a massively huge tree (I call it the 'tree of life'). Once back in the car after hiking for about two hours through the warm and moist jungle we drove to the Sky Adventures park. Upon arrival at the pay desk of the park the rain started flowing, luckily we could take shelter and luckily we had bought umbrellas! When the worst rain had passed we started (with umbrellas at the ready) hiking through the cloud forest. Uphill, crossing the bridge, crossing another bridge and into the direction of a waterfall that consists of two levels. Next we crossed some more bridges and walked downhill towards the exit. This was as well a physically tough walk, 3,6 km through the heat and moist / rain. Wet because of the rain or sweat (don't know which one of them...) we were finally back at the car. Because of the weather conditions this hike was also a disappointment. Haven't seen any wildlife (except for a tucan), no or barely a view (on the road there were some lookout platforms, but because of the clouds there was not much to see). With the first hike we did see some wildlife... On the parkingplace there were two vultures sitting in a tree and there were two other beautiful birds to see. Furthermore we also saw a lizard and a Central-American gold hare (officially called agouti). After the second hike we drove back to the city La Fortuna to have lunch there and do some groceries and after that we drove back to the bungalowpark, to freshen up, dry up and relax. At a certain moment it was dinnertime again so we went to the restaurant to eat and after about that we went to bed. Tomorrow we will be driving to Monteverde, on our way we will be stopping at a hot spring / spa. More about that tomorrow, see you then!

Day 7

Travel overview

Day 9