The Time We Climbed a Volcano (Costa Rican Honeymoon Part I)

For our honeymoon, we decided to go to Costa Rica. Not to relax at an all-inclusive... oh no, that's not our style. Instead we spent 10 days hiking through mud, climbing volcanoes, and trying to convince monkeys to come home with us. (We didn't get any takers.)

First up: A stay at the Pacuare Jungle Lodge - a hotel only accessible via a river full of rapids. And people pay good money to trust a wrestler-sized Tico to guide their belongings down the river on a raft. But what do you get in return? Rollercoaster-type rides through Class II, III and IV rapids. Breathtaking views of gorges in the rain forest. Your own personal thatch hut of much luxuriousness. (No, seriously.) Gourmet meals served by candlelight under the stars.

The main lodge:

The trees are so tall! (That's A way down there in the red!)

One afternoon we took a hike with our rafting guide, Antonio, to a nearby waterfall. It was just the three of us deep in the rain forest with the plants, animals and a gorgeous waterfall.

We stayed at the Lodge one night and rafted out the next morning. We learned the all-important emergency moves: lean in (self-explanatory), get down (jump down in the raft), and high right/left (jump all the way over to the specified side). These moves are designed as a last resort to keeping the raft from flipping over. Flipping over = swimming your way through the rapids, so it's very important to execute the moves as soon as your guide shouts them. Thankfully we weren't ever close to flipping, but another raft in our group was less fortunate. We ended up using our rescue techniques to pull a mother and daughter out of the river. (They were all okay!)

Waiting near a waterfall for the capsized raft to be flipped back:

After our rafting trip, we headed to the town of Arenal, made famous when its volcano unexpectedly became active in 1968. If you have any doubt of whether it's active today, just get within about 3 miles of it - you'll hear the lava rocks rumbling down the sides.




We could see the volcano from our room and sat transfixed on the balcony both nights we were there. A conversation held the first night as we sat watching the lava rush down towards us:
A: Ooh!
K: Aah!
A (after a particularly large explosion): Should we run now?




But we weren't just satisfied with watching a volcano. Oh, no. We decided to climb up the dormant brother of Volcan Arenal - Cerro Chato. We asked one of the employees of the hotel how difficult the climb was. His answer: "If you think you can do it, you can." With that cryptic description, we set off to attempt to see the lake in the crater.

This was the path - no joke - a 65-85 degree grade:

A made us some walking sticks (which saved my life!):

We spotted a toucan:

At points we had to squeeze through slippery canyons:

We made it to the top and saw the lake. However, we didn't make it down into the crater as our rock-climbing skills are lacking. But the view and knowing we climbed up a volcano were reward enough for us!

While in Arenal, we also took a hike around the park property with a guide who helped us spot howler monkeys, toucans and more.

A coati tried to be our friend:

This is how we had to get to our room:

This is where the lava used to flow (actual lava rocks!):

I really liked this sign:
We also saw a beautiful waterfall:


They have a museum with an active seismograph machine:

We were particularly fond of this research study giving estimates on the number of tourist deaths in the event of an eruption:

Coming up... giant bugs, bigger leaves, and watching our luggage float away from us for the second time!