Costa Rica Day 5

​Monteverde Sky Park Adventure 

Like most days when there’s an excursion we are up at 6a to grab breakfast before the bus comes.

Here we are all trussed up and ready to ride.

We took a tram up 1000 feet into mountains. We were truly in the Cloud Forest at that point. Nothing makes your heart rate like zipping into the clouds!

Here’s Ed coming in for a landing on one of the seven zip lines you have to take to get to the bottom.

We survived!

We will spend the rest of the afternoon resting and recuperating.

We are planning to go to a restaurant in town called the Treehouse. It looks to be a building built around a giant Ficus (fig) tree.

Drinks and dinner were delicious 

Costa Rica Day 4

​Transfer from Arenal to Monteverde

We said goodbye to great couple we met hiking, Melissa and Eric. We might catch up to them later in Manuel Antonio 

As 

usual, Julie and Patrice never miss a chance to clown around. 

The ride from Arenal to Monteverde includes a shortcut across Lake Arenal, CR’s largest lake.

we are saying goodbye to the volcano as we take the 45 minute ride across the lake. This actually cuts our travel time by an hour and it’s a whole lot smoother!

Along the way, our boat captain hugged the shore to show us some of the wildlife. We saw cormorants and this Ibis.

On to Monteverde 

Once we got across the lake we began the arduous journey on mostly gravel roads to Monteverde. It took over 2 hours. It was a rough and jarring journey. You could see the scenery change from the dense rain forest to rolling mountain hills.

We arrived at our hotel, the Poco a Poco in late afternoon.

Costa Rica Day 3

​Hike Up Arenal

We hiked about a third of the way up this guy. It was only a “Costa Rica Mile” or so up to the vantage point… in other words, very steep.

Sloth 

This looks like a fake picture but it was taken thru a monacular of an actual sloth and her baby that we saw at the top of a tree.

Costa Rica Day 2

This day was all about exploring the tropical rainforest near the base of the volcano, Arenal. Like all are excursions, the day began at 6a to allow time for breakfast before an early pickup.

Swinging Bridges

We were picked up at the hotel and driven 30 minutes to the hanging bridges, set in a 620-acre reserve of primary forest. The 2-mile hiking trail has 16 state-of-the-art hanging bridges that introduce you to the forests rich biodiversity. The forest is home to many animals and birds like howler monkeys, poison dart frogs, red frogs, snakes, toucans, and parrots. (Only saw a Toucan thru a telescope and and a very tiny red frog) During this fun and informative 2.5 hr walk we had close contact with nature and learn more about the primary forest.

Hot Springs 

Then we went to the nearby Ecotermales thermal hot springs, famous for their therapeutic benefitsand well known for helping to relieve stress and tension in both the body and mind whilst detoxing the skin. Ecotermales is the smallest of the Arenal Hot Springs and accepts only up to 100 visitors at a time, perfect for couples, families, and groups looking for a unique and authentic experience in a tranquil rainforest setting. Owned by a local Costa Rican family, Ecotermales has 4 pools total varying in temp from 91º F and 105º F.

We spent 2 hrs bathing in the mineral enriched hot springs before enjoying an authentic, traditional Costa Rican meal at the Ecotermales.

After dinner it threatened to rain again so we hung out in the bar. 

Costa Rica - Day 1

​We left Charlotte early Saturday morning. Our good friend Murph gave us a ride to the airport.

We landed at SJO Airport on time and were greeted by our ride company before we even got to customs.

Our driver, Adrian was great. The trip from SJO to Arenal volcano was over 3 hours so he offered to stop someplace along the way for a light lunch. We told him we would like to try authentic Costa Rican coffee. He said he knew a little coffee bar and sandwich shop in Los Angeles which was along b the way. It happened to be owned by his wife!

We got to Lomas del Volcan hotel in time to crash and get dinner. Our cabina had a great view but you had to climb this hill to get there. It’s like 

getting a top floor room without an elevator. But …

Here is the view from our cabin…

The dining room where we had breakfast also had a great view..