Vulkan Arenal/La Fortuna

We leave the Pedacito de Cielo Lodge promptly at 08:00. The luggage is already loaded onto the bus. Our journey to La Fortuna de San Carlos takes approximately 2.5 hours. During the drive, there is time to look out the window and enjoy the landscape or to read. I finish the book “What I Never Said. Gretchen's Fate Family” and I am very excited about it. It has accompanied me over the past few weeks. It feels special to finish a good book. After a while, we stop at a pineapple plantation, and Jefrey explains to us some details about how the fruit is cultivated. Coincidentally, a delivery truck stops by us and hands us a pineapple, which we are very happy about. We will enjoy this soon. Back on the bus, we try new snacks repeatedly. Banana chips, coconut, and lemon cookies, among many others. Most of them taste really good to us. Gradually, it is time, and we reach the area around Volcano Arenal. Here, everything is noticeably greener and more saturated in color. Unfortunately, it is more clouded today, so we can't fully capture the volcano. Our first stop takes us to the associated national park. Here we go on a hike that is approximately 6 km long. It takes us through dense rainforest and along cooled lava flows. At the end, we reach an observation point that offers a good view of the volcano. Arenal is an active volcano, with the last eruption dated to July 29, 1968. At the viewpoint, we take a break. Finally, we head back to our bus, which takes us directly to the center of La Fortuna. We stop at Parque de La Fortuna and have some free time. A small part of the group visits a chocolate shop called Chocolate Fusión. Here, alongside a wide selection of chocolates, there are also fresh cakes, pastries, and coffee. Everyone enjoys their choice very much. I ended up with a lemon pie and a cappuccino. Everything tastes good. Unfortunately, we don't have much time left to go for a stroll, and we only manage to quickly hop into a nearby supermarket.

At around 15:00, a very special highlight of the trip is coming up. We reach the Ecoglide Arenal Park. Today, we experience 11 ziplines and fly through the air. The whole group participates in this adventure and is already excited. First, we are equipped with the appropriate gear and receive instructions, which we repeat at a so-called test track. Then, we take a special vehicle into the rainforest and mainly upwards. All 11 lines are connected to each other by so-called platforms. The team that accompanies us is great. They are reliable and safety is highly prioritized here. Experiencing the various ziplines is indescribable. They range in length from a minimum of 100 to a maximum of 430 meters. We are at a height of about 25 meters. There is also a suspension bridge. During the tour, we take photos and videos. This experience provides a lot of fun. It releases an incredible amount of energy and positive feelings of happiness. The tour ends after about 1.5 hours. At the end, we are rewarded with cold drinks. My impression is that everyone would have liked to continue longer.

We make our way to our next hotel. It is called Eco Arenal. We are warmly welcomed here. The hotel complex is truly beautiful and the rooms are well maintained. We all settle in a bit. A large part of the group hands in dirty laundry at the reception that needs to be cleaned. During our trip, we have opportunities to do this again and again. At 19:00, we are scheduled to have dinner together with our tour guide Jefrey. We visit the restaurant La Fonda 505. Here, there is a very diverse menu that has something suitable for everyone. We enjoy the time spent together. The group is well in contact and exchanging with each other. When we return to the hotel, a small part of the group drinks a beer together. Around 22:00, we all are in our rooms. Tomorrow we meet already at 05:50.