A girl in...: May 2012

Our long awaited trip to Costa Rica finally arrived and I was so excited! Our itinerary was pretty jammed packed with: zip lining, canyoneering, hiking, white water rafting, surfing, beach bumming, shopping and more!

We split our time between the Arenal Volcano/La Fortuna area and the Papagayo (Guanacaste region) on the Pacific Coast. If we had the opportunity to stay longer, I would have loved to visit both the Caribbean coast and the Manuel Antonio area.

We picked up our trusty rental 4x4 Daihatsu "BeGo" - we laughed at first too, but it served us well to the end - from the San Jose airport area and made the trek to La Fortuna. We took the opportunity to stop in Sarchi, known as a little handicraft sort of town.

Picture of a large painted ox cart - quintessentially Costa Rica. You can easily pick up (smaller) ox cart souvenirs to bring home.

The drive from the airport with a stop in Sarchi to La Fortuna took about 4 hours. We had some difficulty with getting out of the San Jose area, which was partially due to a GPS unit that wasn't providing clear directions and somewhat confusing turnabouts and the chaotic traffic. Once out of the city limits, however, driving around Costa Rica was much simpler. Take note that many of the roads are one-lane highways or small, dirt or unpaved roads. A 4-wheel drive car is definitely recommended.

Driving up to La Fortuna, Arenal volcano looms large on the horizon.

The volcano is dormant and in speaking to those who lived there, hasn't had any lava flow in a number of years. It's still great to gaze at however, especially when it's top is slightly fog covered.

We spent our first night at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, the closest accommodations to the volcano. Note: it's a little bit of a trek on an unpaved (read: teeth chattering in our little 4WD vehicle) road on the turn-off to get to the Arenal Observatory Lodge. However, it was well worth it. We were treated to a great view of the volcano from our balcony. Other highlights of the property:

Tasty, complimentary breakfast every morning
Great hiking trails on the property itself -- we explored the old volcano trail, which leads you through verdant forests to a little lazy river. There's also a waterfall trail and a trail to a hanging bridge. Additionally, the staff lead free, early morning hiking trips most days.
Wonderful pool area, with infinity pool surrounded by the forest. You can swim to the sounds of beautiful song birds.