Picture: Glimpse of Arenal Volcano
So apparently, jungle birds wake up before dawn is even a faint reality. They also create a lot of sound which is hysterical to listen to as you lay in bed wondering if you are still in dream about The Land Time Forgot. Some birds whistled, others craoked, squawked, whapped and trilled. The best one is a kind of slowly rising whoop unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It gets so loud that I feared the bird must have exploded in a puff of feathers at the end. Our tent on stilts continues to delight.
We’d heard of a ‘secret’ local’s spot a few miles away located on the foothills of the volcano that was considered a very special place, so we got rudimentary directions and piled into Raul with swim gear and water shoes. The secret spot is actually a small river that flows with water heated by Arenal Volcano. It is as hot as a jacuzzi and is a few minute’s hike from the road where people just park on the shoulder. Nestled in and amongst the jungle, locals have arranged boulders and rocks in the shallow water to create family-sized pools. Melted wax adorns many overhanging branches and rocks as people like to sit by tranquil candlelight at night. We were a little out of our comfort zone as we sat in the river careful not to get any into our mouth or eyes as per instructions (I guess that there can be rare issues with bacteria at times). Sadly, I noticed there was some trash here and there on the shore.
However, after a little while it was actually very relaxing sitting in hot gently flowing water out in the forest and none of us had any ill-effects afterwards I must clarify. In fact, locals swear that the river has powerful rejuvenating properties bringing both physical and spiritual renewal. I’m not sure about the scientific analysis of this, yet I felt great for days afterwards. The place gets busy over the weekends although we had the place mostly to ourselves as there was just one other family who arrived as we were almost ready to leave. They shared that the night before, there were more than a hundred visitors, and the family had to leave without being able to get wet. I think this explained the trash somewhat as people tend to be the same wherever you go. All that being said-it’s definitely worth a visit; just go during the weekdays.
The next day, we took a hike around the base of the volcano at Arenal Volcano National Park. The trail follows the lava flow that blanketed the surrounding area in the eruption of 1968. There are steep sections providing wonderful views of the park and region, and also low-lying parts that wind around the lake. This was great, because there were toucans (our first viewing) monkeys, and a colorful tree viper that all make use of the lush forest around the lake. Of course, there were several colonies of the industrious leaf cutter ants whose trails and tunnels sometimes run for hundreds of yards. It was a great three-hour hike which can be extended to double that if a greater challenge is desired.
Note: There is a nice cafe at the park for food and drinks, but this is not always open. Hikers should ensure they have plenty of water and some salty snacks, and take bug spray for the lower trail around the lake as the mosquitos can be quite bothersome. The lower trail loop is great for even younger children.
Our time in this area is winding down. We have managed to stay in a great location and feed ourselves in order to keep a very tight budget. Essence provided an up close and personal interaction with local wildlife as well as information and views of a working fruit and coffee plantation. Even though the local store keeper couldn’t understand the concept of a drought while we discussed the merits California and Costa Rica, everyone was friendly and helpful. This is part of the backpacker or tourist trail, but only mildly so. No hard sells for experiences or tours.
