La Fortuna favours the brave
Have a walk round the National Park, they said. Go for a dip in the natural hot springs, they said. Clamber over a wall to get there, they definitely did not say. That was the obstacle in the way to get to the water; that or scramble up a couple of small falls. We chose the latter option and it was as actually pretty straightforward, but some advance warning that the river wasn’t as easily accessible as we assumed it would be would have been nice. It was, however, well worth it. Sat in a river and series of natural pools, volcanically-heated water lapping over us, it was a very relaxing (eventually) end to our day trip to Arenal volcano.
We started with a light hike around the National Park, taking in trails, a waterfall where the brave went for a chilly dip in the pool below, a couple of hanging bridges, and a horde of friendly raccoons who seemed pretty non-plussed by the attention we were paying to them. Then lunch, then the adventure in the river, and then rum and nachos to cap off the day.
This was a step up on the previous day, which was a slow travel day from Tortuguero. Our boat stuttered down the river, taking twice as long as it should have done to reach land, barely overcoming some engine problems. It was still a lovely setting, just a bit overshadowed by the issues. Our pick-up was then late, as was the later rendezvous, but we eventually made it to La Fortuna village, the classic cone of Arenal looming large as we approached. This was actually the only time the top was fully clear of clouds, but we had a welcome cocktail at the hotel, a stroll around and holed up in a craft beer bar so it was a better end to the day.
And some days are pretty much perfect, with our third day being one of them. We started with as much of a lie-in as seems to be possible these days, before heading to the spectacular La Fortuna waterfall. It’s a narrow, high one, plunging down into a swimmable pool far below. We descended the 600 metres to the water, admiring the falls, the river and the rocks carpeted in so much moss you could play snooker on them. We had a quick turn round the orchid garden, which was nice but not much was yet in bloom.
Then it was off to Paradise Spa for the full hot springs experience, something I’d been looking forward to for ages. And if hope springs eternal, hot springs are thermal, and it definitely lived up to my high hopes. We spent a blissful few hours between half a dozen pools of different temperatures, three jacuzzis, cascades, and plenty of nooks, beds and seats. And it was amazingly quiet, especially to start with we pretty much had the run (swim?) of the place. Oh, and did I mention a swim-up bar with Champions League on TV? Winning at life. The evening brought an excellent Italian in a lovely setting (think al fresco, with plants and vines, and a peaceful vibe) in a way that positively screamed ‘holiday’ and rounded off a wonderful day and our second Costa Rican destination.
We started with a light hike around the National Park, taking in trails, a waterfall where the brave went for a chilly dip in the pool below, a couple of hanging bridges, and a horde of friendly raccoons who seemed pretty non-plussed by the attention we were paying to them. Then lunch, then the adventure in the river, and then rum and nachos to cap off the day.
This was a step up on the previous day, which was a slow travel day from Tortuguero. Our boat stuttered down the river, taking twice as long as it should have done to reach land, barely overcoming some engine problems. It was still a lovely setting, just a bit overshadowed by the issues. Our pick-up was then late, as was the later rendezvous, but we eventually made it to La Fortuna village, the classic cone of Arenal looming large as we approached. This was actually the only time the top was fully clear of clouds, but we had a welcome cocktail at the hotel, a stroll around and holed up in a craft beer bar so it was a better end to the day.
And some days are pretty much perfect, with our third day being one of them. We started with as much of a lie-in as seems to be possible these days, before heading to the spectacular La Fortuna waterfall. It’s a narrow, high one, plunging down into a swimmable pool far below. We descended the 600 metres to the water, admiring the falls, the river and the rocks carpeted in so much moss you could play snooker on them. We had a quick turn round the orchid garden, which was nice but not much was yet in bloom.
Then it was off to Paradise Spa for the full hot springs experience, something I’d been looking forward to for ages. And if hope springs eternal, hot springs are thermal, and it definitely lived up to my high hopes. We spent a blissful few hours between half a dozen pools of different temperatures, three jacuzzis, cascades, and plenty of nooks, beds and seats. And it was amazingly quiet, especially to start with we pretty much had the run (swim?) of the place. Oh, and did I mention a swim-up bar with Champions League on TV? Winning at life. The evening brought an excellent Italian in a lovely setting (think al fresco, with plants and vines, and a peaceful vibe) in a way that positively screamed ‘holiday’ and rounded off a wonderful day and our second Costa Rican destination.
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