Since the 1980s, Costa Rica has of course made a huge name for itself as not only a beach but also ecotourism and soft-adventure destination. And it’s especially this last that has become a specialty of a region of Alajuela province in the country’s Central Valley, about a couple of hours north of capital San José, called Arenal. For adrenaline and the great outdoors, it doesn’t get much better.
The area takes its name from an active volcano and the lake beneath it. At 5,358 feet) (1,633 metres) high, Volcán Arenal was dormant until 1968, then erupted and destroyed the nearby town of Tabacón. For decades afterward, its active lava flows became both a tourist attraction and a focus of scientific study (visible at night for miles around). Today there are a number of hiking trails, as well as lodges such as the Arenal Observatory Lodge.
Below the volcano to the west is Lago Arenal, Costa Rica’s largest lake (33 square mi./85 sq. kms), with excellent fishing, kayaking, and paddle boarding, but most especially windsurfing, kite surfing, and wakeboarding during the windier months of November through April. The area around the lake, meanwhile, has tons of hiking, biking, birdwatching, and horseback-riding opportunities
Read more in my post In Costa Rica, Arenal = Adventure.
Comments