Costa Rica, La Fortuna- Arenal Volcano

Jun 8

3 min read

So upon landing in the country, I rented a vehicle to start my road trip. He said he was upgrading me to a 4 wheel drive vehicle, and I laughed and assured him I wasn't going off-roading. He smiled and proceeded with the rental. I take off and it suddenly started pouring rain. And the route that Maps was taking me, was all paved, but the roads were in really poor conditions. I think I saw a sign that said local traffic only, but I don't really read or speak Spanish, so I'm not sure...maybe that's why the roads were not in the best shape. Regardless, just over 3 hours later, driving through thick fog, sudden downpours, and thunder and lightning, I made it to the Arenal Volcano area and the hot springs! My first order of business was to grab dinner. I ate at 3am before my flight, but it was now 4:30pm and I was starving! I found a wonderful restaurant that was only 2 blocks away and it had stopped raining, so I could walk and not have to drive anymore. If you come to the area, Snappers House seafood restaurant was Fabulous! I had traditional seafood soup with homemade Panamanian hot sauce and it was honestly the best soup I have ever had. It was more of a stew, but so tasty and FULL of seafood! The service was top notch too. You won't be disappointed if you stop here for a meal-promise.

The next day I decided to go on a morning walk, check out the sloths and then I got to make Sugar Cane juice and tortilla's. I joined a tour that was just starting when I got there. They were so cool to let me join them- I think it made the experience that much better. The tour company is: La Fortuna Hikes and Trails. I think there were others advertised on Viator and Tripadvisor, but I didn't look too closely as I had planned to go alone and check out the sloths. But after such a good experience, I would recommend taking the tour, and I did pay after the fact. It was well worth it! $30 and I got fresh sugar cane juice and homemade lunch- that I got to make. I didn't make the dessert(cheesecake) but it was yummy. As was the homemade hotsauce and topping for the tortilla's. There was also a block of locally made cheese that I had and really enjoyed. This was a great way to start my exploration of the area. But it was HOT and humid, so I opted to go relax at the hot springs for a while. I then took the opportunity to cool off at the pool- a relaxing afternoon to say the least. I even found another great spot for dinner. Italianissimo La Fortuna- an excellent Italian restaurant was a great ending to the day.

These are all part of the ginger family. The one on the far right is called the shampoo plant. You touch it and the moisture just gushes out and it's slippery. Useful and pretty!

You have to look closely. We spotted some poisonous turtles and they blend in. Bottom pic, right in the center you can see one. Black legs and red upper body. Above that is one towards the top, he's an orange color. Top right another red frog. Top 2 on the left is a gecko. They moved faster than I realized.

And the Slothes, which is what I came out to see.