We enjoyed the best breakfast of our entire trip at Pura Vida. It began with platters full of fresh fruit (pineapple, bananas, watermelon, passion fruit and kiwi) and concluded with rum sauce bread pudding.
Then, we boarded our private shuttle to Arenal Volcano and the little town of La Fortuna. It was 2.5 hours along narrow, winding roads passing coffee and sugarcane fields. Yet, we saw a group of road bikers braving the shoulderless roads.
In La Fortuna we stayed at Arenal Green, which we booked through Anywhere Costa Rica. From our porch, we had a gorgeous view of Arenal Volcano, at least when it wasn't completely cloud covered. Disappointingly for tourists, it has not erupted in 18 months.
From the hotel, we took a taxi along the dirt road to the La Fortuna Waterfall. Current entrance fee is $10. Depending on your speed of descent, it's a 10-15 minute hot and humid stair step to the base of the waterfall. Once there, the cool mist from the thundering waterfall is refreshing. Smart visitors will wear swimsuits so that they can take a dip in the cool water. We, unfortunately, hadn't thought of that!
After lunch, the Sky Tram shuttle picked us up at Arenal Green. We were the only Sky Trammers at 3 pm that day, which meant we had a guide and the gondolas all to ourselves. Our guide, Cristian, spoke very good English. He pointed out different types of trees and even radioed the Sky Tram operator to stop when he spotted a howler monkey in a distant tree. At the top of the Sky Tram, our tour continued, as Cristian led us along a trail. He pointed out a maquenque or walking palm tree, which can "walk" up to 10 cms per year in search of the best sunlight in the canopy. Cristian said that these strong and flexible palms were previously used for house construction. He pointed out a translucent fern growing on a different tree. It's leaves felt slightly plastic. On this hike, I heard a word that I would hear often during the week--epiphyte. Epiphytes are plants that live on the trees without damaging them, usually near the top to get rain and sunlight. On our completion of the trail, we gazed across Lake Arenal to Arenal Volcano until the Sky Tram operator radioed Cristian asking for our return. Cost for entrance and shuttle was $54/person.
We enjoyed the food at only one restaurant in La Fortuna...Rufino's. It's among the pricier restaurants in town; and, like all restaurants in La Fortuna, it is full of tourists. But, even though the prices are 50% higher than listed on the current website menu, the Pollo al Estilo de la Abuela is worth it!
Then, we boarded our private shuttle to Arenal Volcano and the little town of La Fortuna. It was 2.5 hours along narrow, winding roads passing coffee and sugarcane fields. Yet, we saw a group of road bikers braving the shoulderless roads.
In La Fortuna we stayed at Arenal Green, which we booked through Anywhere Costa Rica. From our porch, we had a gorgeous view of Arenal Volcano, at least when it wasn't completely cloud covered. Disappointingly for tourists, it has not erupted in 18 months.
From the hotel, we took a taxi along the dirt road to the La Fortuna Waterfall. Current entrance fee is $10. Depending on your speed of descent, it's a 10-15 minute hot and humid stair step to the base of the waterfall. Once there, the cool mist from the thundering waterfall is refreshing. Smart visitors will wear swimsuits so that they can take a dip in the cool water. We, unfortunately, hadn't thought of that!
We enjoyed the food at only one restaurant in La Fortuna...Rufino's. It's among the pricier restaurants in town; and, like all restaurants in La Fortuna, it is full of tourists. But, even though the prices are 50% higher than listed on the current website menu, the Pollo al Estilo de la Abuela is worth it!
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