|
With
spectacular rumbling and nightly displays of lava, the Arenal volcano area
is very developed for tourism. Plenty of hotels and tour guides around. You
can stay at a variety of cabinas in La Fortuna, or find a beautiful vacation
rental home overlooking Arenal Lake with volcano views. Visit the thermal
spas, hike through the rainforest, canopy tours and zip lines. The lake area
also offers water sports like kitesurfing and windsurfing, boat rides and
swimming.
To the east of Arenal, you will find the Sarapiqui or Maquenque areas to
be everything you ever dreamed for rainforest immersion. Some nice lodges
with education centers. Although rustic, these accommodations are surprisingly
comfortable.
The entrance to the Rincon de la Vieja
national park is just outside of Liberia, Guanacaste. The trails in the park
are a nature lover's delight, with thick rainforests, thermal streams, mud
pots and hidden waterfalls. The hike up the mountain to the crater is strenuous,
start early in the morning and expect to be back before the clouds close
in.
Poas Volcano is just a couple hours drive from San Jose, and has an
excellent visitors center with coffee shop and museum type educational displays.
Irazu Volcano is within an hour and is a scenic drive which is paved all
the way. You can visit it and look into the crater, then be back to San Jose
by lunch time.
If you
are looking for something off the beaten path, I recommend Turrialba Volcano
if you want a more remote experience. A beatiful drive through the Talamanca
mountains and over the pass named Cerro de la Muerte. Then it takes a couple
of hours to hike to the craters, nice trail and beautiful scenery. Then make
your way back around to the Orosi Valley and Paraiso for some birdwatching
or whitewater rafting.
The famous Monteverde Cloud forest has become the topic of hot debate regarding
tourism. The ecosystems in this tropical rainforest and cloudforest
area are rare and fragile, and many environmentalists worry that too much
tourism will ruin the area. If you go there, be conscious of your impact
on the very nature that you have come to see.
|
|
