Arenal

Arenal

Lake Arenal with its surrounding is one of those places in Costa Rica where I would come back to in the heartbeat. Its greenery and flourishes land creates this calm and relaxed environment that charm with its exoticness. Arenal is nothing like the other parts of the country. Away from the Ocean, this beautiful lake is encompassed by hills that are either pastured or forested where Arenal Volcano dominates in the horizon. 

A bit of the history.

Lake Arenal is an artificial lake in Costa Rica, located in the northern highlands of the country. In 1979, Lake Arenal was enlarged to three times its original size with the construction of a hydroelectric dam. The towns of Arenal and Tondadora, which were originally sited on the spot where the lake now rests, were relocated to the northeastern side of the lake. (Lake Arenal, 2011)

Arenal Volcano is an unavoidable presence while traveling within this part of the country. Until 2010, it was Costa Rica’s most active volcano. Much to the enjoyment of its visitors, Arenal spewed enormous amounts of lava, gas and ash on a regular basis. That eruptive cycle – which began with the infamous eruption of 1968 – ended recently. In October 2010, Arenal entered into an indeterminate resting phase. For the time being, visitors will be unable to watch the much-loved explosions, although that could change within a matter of months or years. (Arenal Volcano, 2011).

We stayed at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, which I would definitely recommend; however don’t waist your money to get breakfast there, it is very expensive! The nice perk is that entrance to hot springs is included in the room price. Normally the cost of it itself is $60 per day. 

Tabacon hot springs are one of the kind. They are completely natural. They are  97% rain-based and 3% magma-based. Water is heated by magma found in the earth’s core where it flows by gravity and forms in-river pools, waterfalls and cascades. Those hot springs are absolutely amazing! I went to enjoy them twice in a day and I am so going back for more of that luxury, one of those days.

The other attraction worth to try is the Zip lining.  I went SkyTrek zip lining that offers 8 different lines. The length of the that adventure takes about 2 miles through the rain forest and gives a panoramic view of the volcano and lake from the completely different perspective.  The costs $60, whole tour takes about 4 hours. 

Another really amazing attraction in the Arenal Volcano National Park is the hanging bridges hike. We were able to experience the magnificent view and the peacefulness of the rainforest, see the wildlife up close and take great pictures of the Arenal Volcano. The hike takes about 2 miles, where we crossed 8 bridges. The cost of it is $25.

Last activity we planed to do was white water rafting, unfortunately we did not have enough time; although, it was highly recommended to us. Next time I will do that for sure!

For the nightlife and dinning experience I would recommend going to nearest  Nuevo Arenal that is the melting pot of local Ticos and foreign tourists. The town is surrounded by green mountains and cloud-covered cone Arenal Volcano.

Reference:

Arenal Volcano (2011). Arenal Volcano Costa Rica. Arenal.net Retrieved from http://www.arenal.net/

Lake Arenal (2011). Lake Arenal. Arenal.net Retreived from http://www.arenal.net/lake-arenal.html