After a free breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn (thanks to Nicole’s Hilton Honors Gold status of course), we got in our car and hit the road. It was an estimated three hour drive from San José to our place at the foot of Arenal Volcano. While several blogs and forums told us to expect the time to take longer, we took almost exactly what google predicted. The drive was relatively safe and uneventful. All the roads were paved and in good condition. We were occasionally stuck behind a slow-moving truck, but the speed limits are also quite low (like 60kph), so such things didn’t necessarily slow us down that much.
We arrived at the Lost Iguana Hotel a little after noon. We were shown our room which overlooks the volcano. I booked it on ID90, and it seems that when we get a cheap rate through them or HotelTonight, we end up with a room that is inside the lobby, next to an elevator, or windowless. The large balcony with the view was appreciated.
After getting settled in, we made a lunch out of our remaining snacks like plantain crisps and pringles before reserving a slot at the Mistico Hanging Bridges sky walk. Presumably this is something that would normally be quite crowded, but these are covid times, so we practically had the place to ourselves. At one point there was a group waiting behind us at a bridge. So as if we were playing a round of mini golf, we let them pass and never saw anyone again the entire walk.
There were six long hanging bridges that we had to cross, and a densely foliated jungle path in between. We were hoping to see a sloth, but no such luck. I didn’t detect any sudden movement, but the sloth is not a very sudden movement kind of animal. Hopefully in the coming days we can spot this slow-moving creature.
Halfway through the 3.5 km hike, we arrived at a waterfall. It was nice to be there by ourselves, since it gave me time to dig out my tripod and set up a multiple shot composite to blur the flow of the water.
Slothless and tired we crossed another few bridges before arriving back where we started. It was not a hike for people with a fear of heights since the bridges do bounce when you apply weight to them. I imagine when it is crowded, things get rowdy. I can easily picture a group of Americans being obnoxiously loud and trying to scare each other as they bounce on the bridge with their excess weight. Fortunately such characters were not around us and we merely felt like we were walking drunk. Even after crossing the bridges, it often felt like we were still on them — like having sea legs.
After our triumphant return, we walked back to the Lost Iguana just in time for their Happy Hour, which as advertised, was exactly one hour. We had Imperial beers and began discussing our next adventure. The hotel told us to reserve a spot for dinner, which I think is more to make sure that the chef is there than to save a table. When I drove up today, the guy at the gate had a clipboard that had one name on it – mine. There are not many people staying here, and I’m more than ok with that.
The skies became cloudy as the day faded, but the views of the volcano still did not disappoint. As the sun went down, the noise of insects, birds, and other fauna became quite deafening. This is probably going to be one of those places where we make sure to zip up all of our suitcases at night. It’s more than plausible that we might get a stowaway.
passports & pepto bismol 