The most interesting place for a rain forest and mountain vacation is the area of the Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna.  The reason is that this area has a diverse eco system.  It has a rain forest with hundreds of beautiful tropical birds and a great variety of monkey and other wildlife.   And of course the biggest attraction is the Arenal Volcano itself which spews and spurts lava and hot rocks from its summit.   At night is looks like the 4th of July fireworks celebration.

What activities do you recommend?  Depends of course on what you like to do.  My favorite is the zip line over the rain forest canopy.  There are two companies in Arenal which do this.  1. Arenal Mundo Adventura Ecological Park  and   2. Sky Trek   Can’t really say one is better than the other.  I went  with  Arenal Mundo Adventura which had 11 platforms and was very high so I could clearly see the tops of the large trees.  Plus I saw a group of Toucans playing in the trees.

My next favorite is the hot spring.  I especially like the Tabacon Hot Springs because the water is just the right “hot” and cascades down so you can sit under it and let it roll over you.  The botanical gardens there are spectacular.   Also the spa is very very good.  The massage therapist are excellent and have extra training from Sweden.  There is another hot springs called eco thermales but I haven’t been there yet.

Of course hiking around the base of the volcano inside the Arenal  Volcano  National is a unique experience.  You can hear the volcano “breathing”  We saw an eyelash viper snake.  Very small and green in color.  Our guide told us not to dare get near it, it’s very poisionous.

You can choose from so many different activities.  Mountain biking, horseback riding,  ATVs,  river rafting,  river float,  birdwatching,  Day trip to Cano Negro Wildlife Reserve to see marine birds, crocodiles, monkeys, and much more.  There is a tour to a farm which uses only organic methods and you get to eat luch from all the different organic vegetables.

You can learn more about the tours  at  www.sunsettourcr.com

Also www.desafiocostarica.com

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These months you can get nice sunny mornings and rainy afternoon.  However I have been there in these months and experienced  a full day of sun.  You should get up very early, and do your outdoor activities in the morning.  Also you have a better chance of seeing the Arenal Volcano early in the morning since clouds cover it later in the morning.

We  like to stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge since it has the best view of the volcano.  We  like photography and start around 9 p.m. photographing.  Sometimes earlier if the Volcano is fully visible.   We  rent a boat and so out on Lake Arenal where the possibilities for photography are very nice.  The view of Arenal from there is beautiful and many marine birds are active early in the morning.

The Arenal Volcano National Park has nice trails and I used to be able to hike to the old lava beds, but recently I was there and the park ranger said this part is closed because the volcano was very active that day.  This area of the old lava bed is great for photography.  The lava bed have hugh black lava rocks and you can hear the volcano huffing and puffing.

Around the Arenal Volcano Lodge are many beautiful  birds.  Early morning around 6-6:30 a.m. is the time to see these.  If you have a telephoto lens for your camera-well that even better to get close up of these gorgeous birds.

The Tabacon Hot springs has a wonderful botanical garden filled with flowering tropical plants, great for photography.

So don’t  let the weather hold you back from vacationing this unique place in Costa Rica.

eyelash viper found in Costa Rica's rain forest.

Don’t  let the eyelash viper scare you!   We encountered him along the hiking trail, almost  brushing him as we passed.  Camouflaged in the jungle bushes, he was lazily taking the morning sun.  The Arenal Volcano National Park  is my favorite tourist destination in Costa Rica, if I can say I have a favorite.    I never tire of going there, over and over again.  always finding  something new.  But if I had just three days,  I can certainly tell you what to me is the most exciting!  First the zip line or canopy tour.   Very unique and unusual like  “Tarzan and Jane.”

I  choose Arenal Mundo Adventura for the zip line tour.  www.arenalmundoadventura.com It was a clear sunny morning with the mighty Arenal Volcano  was in full view.  What a sight!  We were transported high up into the canopy of the rain forest in a flat bed truck, kind of exciting since it bumped and squeaked all the way up the side of the mountain, almost drowning the sounds of the howler monkeys.   A large platform appeared before us, at the base of a rain forest tree, the biggest  I’ve ever seen, where we put on the “gear”.  Ken, my husband had a video camera and was set to capture it all.   I got a little scared when I looked down.  It seemed forever to the bottom,  where I imagined myself.  Visions of my husband collecting my life insurance ..  (Bad thoughts!)   My  turn came and I was zipped, moving easily along the cable,  high above the pristine rain forest canopy, passing  lush green flora and two waterfalls which seemed as tall  as skyscrapers.  Easier than I thought!    Eleven platforms later-  the end of the journey, and I must say I could have taken eleven more platforms.  WOWwww!

Next came  the tour of the Maleku Indian village. Sitting  on wooden benches inside the Spiritual House, we listened to  Twelve of the Maleku tribesmen and two women perform a religious ritual praying  for rain and good fortune,  in their own language of Maleku.   Beautiful hand painted mask were neatly displayed  inside the House of the Spirits.  I bought  a  small jaguar’s  face beautifully painted in multi colors of reds, green, yellows, and black.

Later that afternoon  we visited the Tabacon Hot Springs and Spa, a tropical fairyland.   Cascading hot waters coming down the side of the volcano set in the mist of a lush rain forest surrounded by tropical flowers and plants-zillions of them.     Sitting under the cascading hot water I was sure I had died and gone to heaven.   Dinner time came too soon.  Sitting in the  “land of make believe” we feasted on fresh baked chicken and five different picadillas  (a la Costa Rican)  while watching the old Arenal spit and sputter fire and hot lava rocks  from its summit.

Day two: Very early we set out to explore the Arenal Volcano National Park by  hiking  around it’s northern base.  Right where the infamous 1968 massive eruption destroyed a village killing 87 people.   Not a very good thought at this moment!   “You  are not to get off the trails”,   said our naturalist guide.   “It’s dangerous for snakes and other jungle creatures”.  Then, we heard the hissing and puffing of the volcano which seemed much closer to us that it actually was.  Out of nowhere came a band of howler monkeys starring us square in the eyes and even throwing tree twigs in our direction.  Didn’t want strangers invading their territory!   I got a very discomforting  feeling knowing  I  was at the mercy of this mighty  keg of dynamite… finally we arrived to the old lava rocks and were allowed to climb up  to the top.  My camera couldn’t  snap enough  of these huge black jagged  lava rocks, some two meters in diameter, and just plain weird looking!  We had been hiking now about 1 hours and the rain started to come down, unusual for March since this is usually a dry month around here.    So we started back to the park entrance and suddenly down a steep winding path thorough the rain forest our naturalist guide yelled freeze!  On a tree limb  along side the trail was a small  pinkish- yellow snake called an eyelash viper.  (photo above).  The naturalist guide told us to stay far away from it and it wouldn’t  bite us.  The eyelash viper  is  a very poisonous snake and its venom affects your central nervous system and cardiovascular system.  It’s  named eyelash viper because  the bristly weird looking scales above the eyelids  which resemble eyelashes. Gruesome!  Bet  you never seen one of these!

By the afternoon we were ready to take a rest and get ready for the early evening outing leading up a dirt gravel road to a place called El Silencio.  Here the  crater of the mighty Arenal seemed to reach out and touch us.  Big balls of fire were coming out of it’s cone shaped top,  just like fireworks on the fourth of July.

Our third and last day, I was not ready to think about going home.  I wanted to stay. We had to choose carefully what we wanted to do, among the many options:  Horseback ride to La Fortuna water fall  ( I don’t care much for horses)  Cano Negro Wildlife Reserve ( already been there)   Hiking to the Blue River  (guide said it was a tough hike and I’m chicken for tough hikes).  River float (seemed a little too sedate for me)  So, the winner was:  the Arenal Hanging bridges which are man made bridges high  above the rain forest canopy.  We were looking for more monkeys and colorful tropical bird, and luck we did have.   A group of howler monkeys were swinging thorough the rain forest, making lots of noise with their shrill howls.   Early morning was the best time to find birds and the jungle was a symphony of birds sounds.   And of course I had forgotten my bird binoculars!

For the full range of tours, descriptions, and  prices  of all the awsome things to do around Arenal go to the wonderful tour operator. (Office is  on the town square in La Fortuna).      www.sunsettourcr.com