February 28–March 6, 2007, Number 136
This is Arenal Volcano, at the top you can see that it is smoking. (Click on images to view them larger.)
La Fortuna
Hola! This past weekend I traveled with a group of students to La Fortuna, Costa Rica. La Fortuna is located about 4–1/2 hours north of Puntarenas. The bus ride was really long and the roads were very windy. Once we finally arrived in La Fortuna, we were greeted by a massive volcano. La Fortuna is a town that is located at the base of the Arenal Volcano. The Arenal Volcano is the youngest and most active volcano in Costa Rica. It was thought to be extinct until July 29, 1968, when an eruption destroyed the entire town of Arenal. No one knows if or when the volcano will erupt again. Clouds often hide the volcano tip and to see the entire volcano without clouds blocking it is said to be good luck.
Upon our arrival to La Fortuna, we were able to clearly see the entire volcano. That night, we went to a park where we saw lava shoot out of the top and run down the side of the volcano multiple times. It was really amazing. After watching the lava for a while, we went to the Baldi Hot Springs. Baldi has about 20 hot springs that are naturally heated by the volcano. All the pools vary in temperature. Some of the pools were so hot that you could barely touch the water. We spent the remainder of the night soaking in all 20 of the hot springs. I felt completed rested and relaxed after that night!
Right: I'm sitting on a rock next to the first waterfall that we walked to. Below: This picture is of the group that went horseback riding. Arenal Volcano is in the background.
The next day, we took about an hour walk to a waterfall that was located just off the main road. Some of our friends who had made this trip before had told us about it. At the waterfall, there was only our group and a couple of local people. The waterfall was really pretty and there was a refreshing swimming hole that the waterfall emptied into. There was also a swinging rope that was tied to a tree. We spent the afternoon jumping and swinging off the rocks to the pool of water that was about 20 feet below. Some of the local guys would swing off the rocks and do fancy flips before diving into the water. What a great morning!
Later that afternoon, we stopped by a stable with horses that we had seen during our walk to the waterfall to ask if we could go horseback riding. The local man who owned the stable was really friendly and offered to take us to a waterfall for only $10 a person! I have ridden horses a couple times but some of the people in my group hadn’t been on a horse before.
Before long we were introduced to our horses. I had a white horse that was really well behaved. The tour guide gave us a quick horse-riding lesson and we were off. Our destination was a waterfall and the trek would take about 4–1/2 hours. I could not believe the terrain that we covered with our horses. We walked up a river, up and down muddy, rocky trails on the edge of the mountain, and through deep ditches.
It was kind of cold in the mountains so I wore pants and a sweatshirt. By the end of our river hike I had fallen into the water twice and was totally soaked.
We finally arrived at our destination, got off our horses, and started walking to the waterfall. Our tour guide told us that if we saw any poisonous snakes or frogs to just freeze. Needless to say, this information terrified me, especially since I had found out earlier in the day that there is a type of snake here in Costa Rica that is one of the deadliest in the world. We followed our tour guide through the forest as he used a machete to clear a walkable path for us. Next, we had to walk up a strong river, which is easier said than done. I think it is safe to say that not many people get the opportunity to see this amazing waterfall. When we finally arrived at the waterfall, I couldn’t believe how incredible it was. It was big and completely surrounded by green, lush forest. It was so exciting to be somewhere that, thus far, is unexploited by tourism. We swam for a while in the pool underneath the waterfall, but then headed back to the stable since it was getting dark. We ended up giving our tour guide more than the $10 per person he had asked for, since the trip was so absolutely amazing.
Here I am zipping through the jungle during our canopy tour.
The next day we had plans to do a canopy tour. The tour began by us riding a tractor really high up into the mountains. Then, our tour guides strapped us into harness belts. We walked up to platforms and were connected to thick zip-lines that extended in various lengths over the trees and waterfalls below. There were ten zip-lines in total. Some of them were very long with rides that lasted about a minute and others were short and really fast. It was a complete rush to be zipping along hundreds and hundreds of feet above the beautiful Costa Rican canopy.
I had a great time in La Fortuna, it is an incredible, naturally beautiful place. This week I am back in Puntarenas for classes. Speaking of them, my classes are going really well. I feel like I am learning a lot of Spanish and I am able to communicate better every day. I have a big exam coming up in a few days so I better go study! I hope that everyone has a great week.
- Adios,
- Michigan Technological University
- 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295
- 906-487-1885