Day 1 – Sunday (03/17/2013)
We left San Jose in the morning following the maps we got at the hostel. We got a little lost on the way, but we had fun in the end. The road to La Fortuna, or Arenal, As some people know, it is very peaceful. The asphalt is excellent, the drivers are polite, there are many curves and there are mini cities all along the way, full of houses with lots of flowers.
Learn more about our stay in San José by clicking on this post.
We were looking forward to arriving in La Fortuna, not only because of the location, but also because of the hotel we had booked.
A luxury hotel in Arenal
We usually stay in simple hotels and save money on tours and other trips, but this time, when we were looking for hotels in La Fortuna, we came across Nayara and we fell in love. Since the daily rate was more than US$$250, we decided to have just one day of luxury, making the most of it. And that's what we did!
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted with delicious fruit cocktails and very friendly and confused staff, after seeing our backpacks. The fact is that they were not used to seeing backpackers in the hotel, but they could be more discreet, right?
We took a golf cart to our room and got to know the hotel well. When we got to the room, we were pleasantly surprised to see the good taste and peace of the bungalow. Look how beautiful it is:
We changed our clothes and went to enjoy the hotel pool, even though the sun wasn’t very strong. When we got there, we only saw couples and we understood that it was a typical honeymoon hotel. I felt like I was on my honeymoon too…
We were just hanging around in the pool, drinking drinks and eating delicious treats, admiring the wonderful macaw that shared the sun loungers with the guests. After the pool, we went to enjoy the hotel's hot tub and the bathtub on the balcony of our room and we were able to relax a lot, exactly as we wanted.
Day 2 – Monday (03/18/2013)
We woke up early to enjoy breakfast and the hotel. What a treat! breakfast.… lots of cakes, breads, fruits, juices… all the best, in a very pleasant environment, with a view of the volcano that gives the city its name – Arenal. We relaxed until checkout time and were very sad to leave. I wonder why? lol
A simpler hotel in Arenal
We went to the other hotel we booked in La Fortuna, also very nice and much more affordable, the Arenal Montechiari. We were greeted by the super friendly owner, who is always at the reception. She was very patient with us, explaining all the tours and attractions in the region. She made sure to put together a mini itinerary with us and called all the companies to book tours with great discounts. It was perfect! =D To top it off, when we were going to the chalet, we asked to stay in one with a view of the volcano and she got us one! upgrade for us? And the hotel wasn't even that empty, because some American teenagers were on a tour.
Arenal Volcano Trail
We left our things in the room and went out to hike the volcano on our own, since the other tours were perfectly scheduled on the other days. Getting to the base of the volcano was very easy, because there are signs everywhere and you can easily go by car. The cool thing about this volcano is that he is still active and you can see the smoke coming out of it. 10 years ago, you could see the lava coming down and my parents were in a hotel there and loved it! Cool, right?
We arrived at the park entrance and were told that it would close in less than two hours, which is exactly the right time to go and return. In other words, without much delay on our part… We started the trail with full energy. How peaceful, guys! We met few people on the trail, most of whom were returning, but we continued on our way anyway. We arrived at the area where the lava from the volcano reached and were impressed with the path that the lava took. The view is also very nice.
On the way back, we came across many animals... many indeed. Birds, monkeys, sloths, tapirs (?), peacocks, lizards, raccoons... in short, all of nature seemed to be there, all around us. I was even scared for a moment, thinking about accidents and scares that could happen, but it was worth it! A unique peace and contact with nature that left no words. We left the park right at the deadline, to our relief.
Dining in La Fortuna
As we were starving, we stopped at the restaurant recommended by the hotel owner before returning to the hotel. The restaurant is Laurel's Cottage and it was all great!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!
The food is excellent, the price is very fair, the service is efficient and best of all, it feels like you are eating like a local, the food is so homemade. We went back to the hotel and slept so well…
Day 3 – Tuesday (19/03/2013)
Zipline in La Fortuna
We woke up at the time agreed with the zip line company (http://www.arenalmundoaventura.com/) and off we went on an adventure early in the morning! We left in their van and when we arrived at the company base, we went through a quick training session and still had time to stroll through the gardens, with their animals such as butterflies and frogs. As soon as the rest of the team arrived, we got into a 4x4 and climbed to the limit. From there, we continued climbing on foot, much to my despair and exhaustion. We didn't stop climbing and, as usual, I was the bottleneck of the group, being the slowest and most out of shape... lol.
After a few minutes, we finally started hanging on the ropes and enjoying the speed of the zipline. The cool thing about this zip line is that there are more than 3km of ropes, in 10 different sections and they reach up to 980 meters high, that is, it has an animal look!
To top it off, they made a section that passes right over the Fortuna Waterfall and the view is spectacular! Too bad I didn't have any battery in my GoPro and couldn't record it.
Maleku Indian Tribe
After all the routes, we stopped at a Maleku Indian tribe, where we were able to understand a little about their lifestyle and see the beautiful crafts they make. I had to buy some for our home. On the way back, we got on 2 horses and rode for 20 minutes to the base. A very pleasant ride.
They left us at the hotel and we changed our clothes, as they were filthy with so much dirt that flew at us on the zip line.
The Springs Resort & Spa
Then we went to the hotel The Springs Resort & Spa, which is known for having several natural pools with thermal waters. Delicious, right? Well. The owner gave us a tip about there… in addition to the thermal pools, they have some really cool activities for tourists, such as inflatable kayaks or tubes to go down the river, horseback riding, rappelling, etc. And the cool thing is that you pay a very fair price to spend 1 or 2 days, enjoying a good part of the hotel's infrastructure, which is really cool, without having to stay there and pay a fortune… lol.
When we got there, we were shocked by the infrastructure of the place. We felt completely rich. We went straight to the area near the river, because we had the activity of kayaking down the river. Before this activity, we were treated to a delicious lunch.
Kayaking down the river
Right on time, they called us to go with the other people interested in the tour. We loaded our kayaks and off we went to the bus, which went up, up, up and down and stopped right next to the riverbank. We put our kayaks in the water and off we went!!! What a great tour… the river isn’t very rough, but the adventure of getting the kayak out of the tight spots and not falling into the water at the few falls was enough to make us laugh out loud. It was totally worth it!
Floating down the river
I think the trip down the river lasts about 1 hour and we still have the right to an encore… Good, right? =) After the encore, we rested until they called us for the second activity of the day – going down the river on inner tubes!! Same plan… we went up on the bus, stopped near the riverbank and put our inner tubes in the water. What fun, guys!!!! It was also a lot of fun… I can't say which one is better… both are very worthwhile, because the experience is a little different.
Animals everywhere
We got out of the water after the buoy encore and went on a tour to see the animals that are there, in a kind of zoo. I think they are animals that were mistreated or that were part of bankrupt zoos, so the hotel owner bought them and prepared an environment just for them. It's really cool, but it's a bit sad to see them caged.
Thermal pools
After the nature tour, we finally went to enjoy the thermal pools, late in the afternoon. Perfect, right, since it was starting to get cold. We went through all the pools and enjoyed the different temperatures in each one. We even went on the slide there, to complete the use of the infrastructure. What a delight, huh? It was worth every penny. Especially when we ate and drank inside one of the warm pools… lol
We left there with our fingers completely wrinkled and to end the night on a high note, we stopped at the same restaurant as the day before and ate again the wonderful dishes that we already knew.
Day 4 – Wednesday (20/03/2013)
We woke up, had breakfast looking at the volcano and went out to do the famous Rio Celeste trail.
Celeste River
To get to the start of the trail, we had to leave La Fortuna, take the road and drive for almost an hour to another city. We got lost a few times, but we got there! We paid the park entrance fee and off we went to the trail. I knew it was a complex trail, but I had no idea it would be so tiring.
It was a total of 5 hours, with lots of ups and downs, lots of snakes, lizards and some crazy tourists like us. When we finally reached the main waterfall, after almost 2 hours of walking, we were amazed by what we saw. What a place this is…
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful place… Mystical too, I would say, to complete the magic of the place. It is such a turquoise blue, that it seems like a dream… really. We only realized it was reality when we arrived We remind you that the water contains a toxic substance and that diving is not recommended. We just enjoyed the view…lol
We followed the trail, going up, down, up, down, and we passed other beautiful places too, always with that turquoise water. Until we reached the place where the regular river water receives that substance and from then on, it becomes turquoise blue...this encounter was really cool.
We continued the trail to reach the last point of the trail, which is a viewpoint with an incredible view! What a good feeling to reach the end… lol. After that, we started to go back, very tired, but very tired… everything hurt. =(
It was worth it, because the beauty is truly incredible, but I recommend that you do this trail if you already have a certain level of physical fitness, so that you can enjoy the trail more than I did. (lol).
We left there, got in the car and went back to La Fortuna. We were dead tired and even though we had the right to another day in the hotel's thermal pools from the day before, we decided to just stop to eat and go straight to our hotel afterwards to sleep. Guess where we stopped to eat? Right there, at the restaurant where we had our last 2 dinners. lol
Day 5 – Thursday (21/03/2013)
We woke up, had breakfast and did check out with the dear owner of the hotel. We thanked her for everything and even asked for tips on how to get there. Manuel Antonio, our next destination. We got some maps from her and off we went!
I told you all about our stay in MA in this post here. Come see more!
To learn more about our 30-day trip through Central America (Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama), click on the links below:
0 responses
Hello,
Can you tell me if it is worth going to Rio Celeste on a tour or if it was easy to go on your own? Did you hire a guide? How much did the entrance fee to the park cost? Thanks.
Hi Maíra, we went on our own, I don't know if it's worth hiring a guide. Cheers
Costa Rica is truly wonderful.
But Guarujá, with its beaches, is also a place worth visiting.
We look forward to seeing you here at Hotel Pousada Iracemar http://iracemarhotelguaruja.com.br/ to get to know our city.
Congratulations on the blog.
A hug.