18.12.2019 Costa Rica, Arenal Volcano

After a short night, breakfast is served at 5 o'clock in the morning because we want to drive to the Penas Blancas border crossing early. We leave Nicaragua and travel to Costa Rica. Everything goes well with us, even though the departure on the Nicaraguan side takes a little longer.
At the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, there are a crazy number of trucks waiting to enter. The line is several kilometers long and Esteban says it takes two days for the trucks to cross the border.

After 2 hours, we take a break and eat because there is no other opportunity later.

Here in Costa Rica, we have a new bus with a driver and new wheels. Since the relationship between the two countries is not so good, the temporary import of wheels would be too complicated. The new wheels are in different colors and have numbers. You can then recognize your wheel better. The wheels are transported on a trailer behind the bus. The bus here is as good as new.

We drive to the national park of the Arenal Volcano. At first, the route is hilly, but the surface is easy to ride. After a turn-off, it becomes very technical. Many stones, slippery and lots of slopes. You have to concentrate on the path. We have to wade through smaller streams three times. The feet get completely wet, but it is not cold. Then comes a river to cross. Quite impressive because of the current, but not too deep. Waist-deep at most.
The Land Rover, which was driven as the last vehicle on this route today, also crosses the river. The last 13 kilometers of the 45-kilometer route are therefore paved and wonderful to drive. While the wheels are being loaded, there is more food: watermelons and mangoes, which are twice as big here as they are with us. There were several falls today. Not serious, but unavoidable due to the terrain.

Then we continue to the tourist resort of La Fortuna, where we will stay for two days.