La Fortuna/El Arenal Volcano

After spending 3 nights in Tortuguero, I continued my little journey first by boat and then by minivan – heading towards “La Fortuna” – a small, cozy place that almost exclusively relies on tourism, as it is located right next to the most famous volcano in the country: “El Arenal”.

The town has a cozy and relaxed atmosphere with few cars, noise, and stress. Visitors can enjoy numerous activities in the area, ranging from ziplining and rappelling to a visit to a hot spring. Since the place offers a wide variety of options, it truly attracts people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests, creating a cool mix! However, it is also clear that the highlight for everyone is the volcano itself, as the view of El Arenal is truly something unique.

The area is compact, has plenty of restaurants, bars, and a small green park in the center. It’s not too noisy, nor is it too quiet, which creates a perfect balance. What struck me immediately was that it was the cleanest and most well-maintained place I have been to in all of Costa Rica. There is little poverty, and buildings, streets, and other infrastructures are in good condition and rarely damaged or dilapidated. This shows how much such a place and its inhabitants can benefit from tourism. However, it also requires functioning and, above all, non-corrupt (!) local government authorities, so that the money flows where it should… and it seems that’s the case here - which is truly a positive aspect!

On the day of my arrival, I was really tired and just walked around a bit and had a cozy meal in the evening. The next day, I went closer to the volcano and walked the various trails right at the foot of the volcano. It was really beautiful. Also, there were hardly any people around because it had been raining continuously (which didn’t bother me). However, I hoped there would be more/longer trails and also a path that leads a bit higher/closer to the volcano. By the way, climbing it is illegal and punishable. An Uber driver told me that guides offer illegal tours, and sometimes you can see the flashlights shining - it was really interesting to hear, but of course, I’m not surprised that this is the case 😅 People, right? 😂

Right afterwards, I went to a particular river that looks just like any other. The special thing was that this one has warm water, and you could relax and lay in it for free. All the surrounding hot springs here are the result of underground lava. The experience was definitely something new and special. It was just really amazing!

I liked it so much that I bought a day pass at a thermal spring for the next day. The facility is built right around the natural hot springs and features several pools with different temperatures and water rich in minerals. With a few beers and cocktails, I really treated myself to a wonderfully relaxed day! In the afternoon, I was quite exhausted, hahaha, and spent some time just hanging out before having a meal at a really good and affordable restaurant to wind down my last evening in La Fortuna. Because the next day, I already had another transport at 7:00 AM to get to the next place.

In conclusion, I’d also like to share something that really stood out to me here in this place:

It’s incredibly cool to speak Spanish with the locals here. The people really appreciate it when a foreigner speaks their language. It was funny with the cleaning lady from the hostel - how happy she was to finally be able to talk to a guest. Since she can’t speak English, and most who come there can’t speak Spanish. It created an immediate connection, and she was funny too :D Generally, right from the start, you have a great connection here, because language connects.

Additionally, it leads to conversations with many who share interesting stories about life here. The people are super open, and I love that. Definitely different from Germany…😬 Here, you can openly talk about various topics, even if you barely know each other. Simple things like salary, for example: While in Germany, long-time friends/acquaintances often find such topics too personal to discuss, here you can openly talk about it with them. And that’s just one example of many that I’ve noticed here. And one thing is for sure: I will definitely miss this open nature of the culture. We Germans are often too uptight and reserved at home, and I simply wish it wasn’t so intense. Not only because it allows for greater information exchange and thus enables much better learning from each other, but primarily because it has a big positive effect on social life, as I have seen from my long-term experience here.