LA FORTUNA – A VOLCANIC HAVEN

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Wow! It’s been a while since writing in this blog. Over 4 years since I’ve been on the road backpacking and it has been long overdue.

What a 4 years it’s been. Covid has been a bitch, right? So many highs and so many lows, during this time, but let’s not get into all of that; let’s get onto the trip and the new journey that’s ahead of us.

KICKING THINGS OFF IN COSTA RICA

Hols and I had 3 months ahead of us for a trip of epic proportions, but no specific restrictions as to where to start. You would have thought it was an ideal opportunity for a dice roll, eh, but we’d always wanted to explore Costa Rica, so with minimal research we booked a flight to San José  to start things off and see where it led us.

Getting to Costa Rica wasn’t as simple as expected though. With a flight from Heathrow booked on 31/01/22, via Amsterdam, the total journey time was set to be ~14 hours. Sounds good, right? Wrong.

It was a really early flight, so we’d booked a hotel at Heathrow to make it simpler for us in the morning to get cracking. So there we were; settled in at the hotel room, bags packed and ready to get an early night before our 6:30am flight when I heard an exclamation from Hols – NO!!!!

Our flight had been cancelled due to the storm raging in the UK and we had no alternative option. The airline was saying that they were trying to sort out an alternative flight for us, so we had no choice but to sit tight and wait to hear what they came back with.

Fortunately, the next morning we heard back from the airline and they’d been able to put us on an alternate flight leaving at 6:25am the next day. Great news. The only downside was that this flight had 2 layovers in Paris and Mexico City and the flight time was now going to be a little over 24 hours. Bugger. Still, first world problems and all that.

We booked another night at the hotel and before the crack of dawn, with weary heads, we boarded our flight to San José!

Dealing with the layovers wasn’t a problem for Hols – she was able to utilise the time to get in some impromptu yoga. Namaste.

2 NIGHTS IN SAN JOSÉ

We arrived in San José around 1am local time (7am UK time), after 28 hours of total travel time. Feeling the strain of lack of sleep, jet lag and looking like the walking dead, there was a huge sense of relief when we were greeted by our taxi driver. We were close to a proper bed.

En route to the hotel our driver waxed lyrical about how great Costa Rica was and how safe it was compared to other countries in Central America. I mentioned that we might try and hit up Nicaragua. His response – “Dangerous”. Maybe we’d try Guatemala. “Dangerous.” El Salvador? “Dangerous.”

He may be right, but it’s hard to be deterred when you have a dice making travel decisions for you.

We were staying in a small hotel called La Sabana, on the outskirts of town. A fairly basic place, but it had everything we could have wanted at that moment. A comfortable bed, a nice pool and they were able to accommodate a pretty decent gluten free breakfast.

Now these are two happy swimmers:

There really isn’t much to say about San José itself. It’s a city. And not a great one. We went for a stroll around town to get a feel for it, but it didn’t seem to have any character to it. We’d been told that it wasn’t somewhere to stay for long, so we just stayed for 2 nights to get over some of the jet lag and then made our way swiftly on to our first stop – La Fortuna!!

HEADING TO LA FORTUNA

After the two nights in San José and having caught up on a whole lot of sleep we were ready to get on our way and the best option appeared to be an Uber.

Uber operates in Costa Rica although it is illegal apparently. To get round this the driver will insist that one of the passengers gets in the front of the car making it seem as though he’s just driving his mates around. Hmmm.

Also, some drivers will ask to handle the payment in cash, outside of the app. Makes total sense I guess to cut out the middle man and I’m more than happy for the driver to get a better cut, also allowing for a bit of wiggle room in discussion over the price.

The drive was to be around 2.5 – 3 hours and we agreed on a price of 50k CRC (Costa Rican Colones) – equivalent to around £55.

The driver didn’t speak any English and with my Spanish being non-existent comms were gonna be difficult. We passed phones back and forth with Google translate offering a helping hand for making small talk. This wore thin quite quickly and was getting a little frustrating, so I started to respond in one word answers or just the nod of my head to try and close down the chat. It seemed to work pretty well.

About 30 mins from La Fortuna we approached a small bridge. The kind that narrows and only allows one car to cross at a time. Both our driver and a woman from the other side tried to cross at the same time, resulting in a ridiculous stand off. Neither driver wanted to back down and a large queue of traffic started to form behind the woman.

The woman got out of her car and the shouting match commenced. Reading between the lines it was clear to see she was infuriated as it was her right of way. I can’t say I disagreed with her, but our driver was just being a stubborn dick. We must have stayed like this for at least 10 minutes with neither driver willing to budge. It really was quite ridiculous and awkward.

Finally a policeman came along to mediate the situation and told our driver to back up as there was only one car behind us and maybe a dozen the other side. After a minute of grunting in frustration he agreed to do so and put the car into reverse which prompted the car behind us to start backing up.

We backed up a little too hastily and he crashed into the bloody car behind us, to which Hols announced, “maybe we should get a hire car after all” 😂 

ARRIVING IN LA FORTUNA

After the 3 hour trip, still feeling amused by the standoff at the bridge and with Hols feeling terribly car sick, we stumbled out of the cab, paid the driver and checked in to our accommodation.

For the first couple of nights, we were staying at a really lush apartment just a short walk to the centre of La Fortuna town.

The town itself has a relatively small centre with all the essentials: bars, coffee shops, restaurants, excursion agents, supermarkets etc. and a very relaxed touristy vibe. All of this basks in the shadow of the breathtaking Arenal Volcano. Quite a sight! Although sadly the peak was almost always shrouded in cloud, so we couldn’t get a clear picture of it. This one is probably the best I captured.

Here’s a couple of shots from the air to give you a better sense of the layout:

THE FOOD

A key focus of our trip was going to be healthy living both in terms of diet and lifestyle and La Fortuna didn’t disappoint, as there’s loads of options for plant-based and gluten free options, such as this local favourite – gallo pinto – a mix of eggs, avocado, plantains and rice & beans. A great breakfast option:

One place I would particularly recommend if in town is Jungle Bowls. A tiny kitchen ran by a sole woman, who creates these beautiful bowls of fruit, nuts and seeds:

I couldn’t get enough of this place and would stop by daily to get hold of the ‘cold brew coffee smoothie’. It was without a doubt the best smoothie I’ve ever had. The place opens at 9:30 and even on the day we were leaving La Fortuna I made our driver wait for 15 mins just so I could get one more of these heavenly smoothies before we set off, much to Hol’s detest at making him wait. The behaviour of a true junkie. Just one more fix please, babe.

Another couple of places that I’d recommend worth trying out – Pollo Fortuneño, where I had a ribeye steak the size of my head:

And India Curry House; I assume you can guess the cuisine. A real top quality curry to be had here:

LA FORTUNA WATERFALL HIKE

On our first full day we decided to get out and see more of what the surrounding area had to offer. We’d heard about La Fortuna waterfall, that was only a few miles outside of town, so we decided to make the hike to see what it was all about.

In total it was about 1.5 hours hike, but it took us a bit longer as we kept getting distracted by the amazing scenery and wildlife en route – vultures, macaws, toucans & lizards.

Against our better judgment we’d started the hike in the midday sun and during the last km or so, which was quite a steep uphill, it was starting to take its toll.

Upon arrival we paid the entrance fee and made our way over to the lookout point. A beautiful sight:

The journey down to the base of the waterfall was around 500 steps down a very clear and well maintained path:

Once at the bottom we came face to face with the sheer power of this force of nature. Understandably you weren’t able to swim beneath it!

In need of a cold dip, to cool off from the hike, we wandered around to the side where there was a separate pool we could wade into. It was a perfect way to end the hike.

An afternoon well spent and got us well and truly settled into the sights and sounds of La Fortuna.

If you want to check out a video of the hike to the waterfall take a gander below:

WHAT NEXT? TIME FOR A DICE ROLL! 🎲

Another day in La Fortuna and we wanted to see what else was on offer in the surrounding area. I was itching to get the dice involved in any way possible, so deciding on what trip to do next seemed like the perfect opportunity.

So as not to ruin the surprise with a write up and a photo dump, I thought I’d drop the video here first, so give this a watch before reading on:

HANGING BRIDGES! 😱

So there we have it. The dice, although not a particularly risky roll, had burdened me with the task that was least to my liking and played directly into my sensitivity towards (read – fear of), heights.

Assuming you’ve watched the above video you’ll realise that the fear of heights didn’t really come into play and was overridden by the beauty and serenity of being in touch with nature from those heady heights! This was the case for me, certainly, but for Hols she announced at the end of the hike that she hated every single minute!

The hanging bridges is about 30 mins out of La Fortuna, so we got ourselves an Uber there, which was about $30 and entrance to the location was ~$26pp. The hike itself was straightforward. A well maintained and clear simple trail of around 2 miles overall, meant that it could be completed in roughly 2 hours, dependent on how freaked out you are about the bridges and how many opportunities you want to take to get some snaps – of which there are many!

The first sense of the hike was how surreal it was to be so high up in the canopy of the rainforest. To be that close to and integrated within nature was so settling and serene. Within a few moments of walking through the forest we saw a family of howler monkeys swinging through the trees. Quite the sight to start things off.

To try and give you a sense of quite how high up we were for this trek, here’s a landscape snap:

Away from the trail, early on, we walked through this separate section, where there was a beautifully landscaped and very zen garden:

Here you can see the type of path we followed on the trail. Very well paved and even. All in all a very low difficulty hike hike, with clear signposting throughout.

Here’s a few shots of the flora and fauna:

The main draw of the route were the hanging bridges, of course. There were 6 in total and these ranged in height from the canopy floor – up to 100m high, and span – just over 100m. Quite dizzying.

Oh and did I mention the bridges wobble substantially as you stride across?!

And here’s me trying to play it cool, as if the height and structural integrity of the bridges were nothing to be concerned about 😅:

For all the potential room for freaking out by the prospect of crossing these bridges, I have to say I felt an incredible sense of peace while up in the canopy looking out at the vistas – something that only Mother Nature could create so beautifully. I felt a sense of belonging.

Moving further along the hike there was a slight deviation that could be taken to view a waterfall. Nothing as significant as the La Fortuna waterfall we’d seen earlier in the week, but worth the 3 min detour nonetheless.

Another sight that we didn’t expect, but gladly encountered, was running into a pack (I have no idea of the group nomenclature) of Coatimundis.

These raccoon-type creatures didn’t seem to mind us as they went about their business snuffling around in the dirt trying to feast upon unsuspecting insects.

Overall a fantastic afternoon experiencing the sights and sounds of the hanging bridges.

Upon finishing we got another cab back to La Fortuna, but not before spending a few minutes looking out over the viewpoint at the Arenal volcano in the distance:

RIO CELESTE HIKE

Time for one last hike while in La Fortuna and having met up with an old traveller friend, Wes, who I’d met 5 years ago in Thailand, we decided to take the hike together.

Rio Celeste is a river that is famous for having a very vivid blue hue, due to the chemical combination of 2 rivers combining at a certain point. More on this later!

The hike was to be around 3 hours and a good 1.5 hours away from La Fortuna, so Wes and I arranged a driver to take us there and back and wait around for us throughout the hike for an agreed fee of $100. Not bad considering how expensive private transport is in Costa Rica. We were learning this the hard way and learning it fast.

THE TRAIL

The first part of the hike was through forest. The terrain wasn’t too bad, but you might want to leave your flip flops at home.

The main part of the trek led us to a pretty epic sight. A sizeable waterfall which flowed down into a pool of strikingly vivid, crystal blue water. Easier to explain with pics. A picture tells a thousand words after all and I could try all day to sum up the beauty of this sight.

What a sight!!

It seems a lot of people, once seeing the waterfall, head back out to where they came from, but this isn’t the end of the trail. There’s a lot more to see and I’m pleased that we carried on and saw it through until the end.

After hiking back up to the trail we continued on and past the top of the waterfall where we walked alongside the blue waters of the Rio Celeste.

TIME FOR A SCIENCE LESSON

Now this is where shit got really interesting. At the very end of the trail we were able to see the very point that the two rivers combine to create the perfect conditions for the vivid blue colours of the water to appear.

Here’s some science for you:

The resulting optical illusion gives rise to what you see in the below pics. Really a sight to behold. One for the next generation of chemistry teaches to try out perhaps. I certainly would have been more interested in school if I’d seen something like this. Well now I have and I’m interested!

LEAVING THE TRAIL

After staring at the chemical reaction in awe for a few minutes, we made the hike back to the car. One more surprise was awaiting me, however.

As we walked back through the jungle, I sensed in my peripheral vision, something drop from the trees above to the undergrowth just to the side of me…. then this guy crawled out in front of me!

Some sort of jumping spider, that I can only assume is one to not come into contact with. I kept my distance, but only after getting a couple of snaps.

I’ve not been able to identify it, but if you have any idea please drop a comment below! If it turns out to just be a normal house spider then my masculinity will take a bit of a hit though, so I’m hoping it was the most dangerous spider in the world and I have a much better story to tell. 🕷

GOING FOR A DIP

After the 3 hour hike we were pretty exhausted and wishing we could only have taken a dip in the cool, sky blue waters of the Rio Celeste. There was an area a mile or so down the road, where there was public access to the waters further down the river and didn’t want to pass up the opportunity, so we asked Oscar, our Uber driver whether he would mind us getting out for 20 mins or so to enjoy the water. He gladly obliged, so we were able to have a dip before heading back to La Fortuna.

This was absolute bliss.

VIDEO TIME

You can look at the photos all day, but I don’t think you can beat a video to get a better idea of the beauty of the Rio Celeste and to experience the chemical reaction in motion.

Well I tell you what, that’s exactly what you can do below. Enjoy!

MOVING ON

An amazing afternoon spent on the Rio Celeste trail and a fantastic week overall in La Fortuna – thanks for sticking with me for a ridiculously long post!! There was a lot to talk about 😅

Feeling well and truly settled into backpacking again and with a fair understanding of Costa Rican life it was time to move on again, but where to????

Sounds like a dice roll to me 🎲

Keep reading to find out what we got up to next!