hikes,  outdoors,  travel

Arenal Observatory Lodge and Trails, Costa Rica

November 15, 2023 /

The second planned outing in the region was a hike at Arenal National Park but after discussing choices with the resort’s concierge and looking at reviews, we decided to head to Arenal Observatory Lodge and Trails. The price was better for our family of 6, at $15 per person for a day pass instead of $25 (and they let our youngest in for free) and there were more trails and viewpoints.

We were welcome on the road to the lodge by a coati which was very exciting since we had not seen one until then. We saw him (or a friend) when we left too. We paid our fee at the entrance to the lodge gate and started with a little visit the the visitor’s center. It has a little museum with many pictures explaining the history of the volcano as well as the wildlife and flora you may find on the trails.

The lodge has a restaurant on site with beautiful views. From there we tried the river trail but found it to wild and difficult for the youngest boys. We then hopped on the monkey trail where we saw different fowls and many interesting plants.

We then arrived at this large observation tower which is 28 meters tall (146 steps). I almost turned around at midpoint (I am not a fan of ladders and such) but I am so glad I made it to the top because the views were amazing!

We continued through a couple short trails to reach the trail that leads to a waterfall. The property is really large and has different areas with accommodations as well as a spa.

Once again, we saw more interesting plants including the mamon tree, that spiky fruit I shared earlier that I really enjoyed!

The trail to the waterfall and hanging bridge was fairly easy and very shaded. We didn’t see any animals apart from some army ants.

This was right around the time of the solar eclipse and we observed the weird crescent moon shadows on the ground for a while.

Without clouds in the way, we were able to observe the gases coming out of the volcano. Pretty neat! We were so glad we were recommended this place: we even saw our one and only toucan for the trip!

A bientôt!

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