Arenal Volcano

The Arenal volcano is about four hours north of San José in the central valley by car. The drive is through the central valley and beautiful rainforest's but be warned that the roads contain potholes and are fair at best by North American standards.

Arenal is most impressive at night with visible eruptions (if clouds permit) and frequent flows of lava. Many hotels and lodges are available at Arenal with varying amenities. La Fortuna, a small town close by, provides less expensive lodging.

Here are some fun things to do near Arenal :

The La Fortuna waterfall is a beautiful picturesque location. A combination horseback ride and hike takes you right to the waterfall for a swim in a crystal blue pool. (The hike is challenging!)

The Arenal Observatory Lodge built in 1987 by the Smithsonian Institution provides some of the best photo opportunities in the area and is definitely worth the trip.

The Arenal Botanical gardens, is a lovely place with a complete botanical collection close to Nuevo Arenal.

The Tabacon Hot Springs is an extremely popular stop for many visitors to the Arenal area in Costa Rica. The springs are soothing, clean, and are in a beautiful setting including a manicured tropical garden.

Lake Arenal provides world class wind surfing surrounded by beautiful forests and incredibly diverse wildlife.

The Arenal volcano area also provides a zip line canopy tour of the surrounding rainforest. This is for the adventurous traveler only. This activity provides a unique view from the top of the rainforest treetops including 2 waterfalls from a moderate distance. Expect to see plenty of flora but few animals. My experience is that monkeys and the like know where the canopy tours are and stay a good distance away.

More Arenal Volcano National Park pictures
Tabacon Hot Springs Pictorial
Baldi Hot Springs Pictorial

Costa Rica volcano links Arenal Volcano (this page) Poas Volcano Rincón de la Vieja Volcano Costa Rica Volcanos

More volcano links Cause of volcano eruptions 3 types of volcanos Volcano vocabulary & definitions

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