La Fortuna

September 4, 2005

On this bright and sunny morning we caught a bus to La Fortuna, a misty mountain village nestled near the base of the active Arenal Volcano (Volcán Arenal). This 4 1/2 hour trip on the bus was an adventure in itself! We were the only English speaking people on the bus which seemed to slowly drift from one remote village to the next, picking up passengers at any point along the way. The narrow and curvy roads through the mountains made Laure quite nervous. And if we didn’t know better, we would have thought that the bus driver was playing a joke on us because the drive seemed to loop back, go up, go down, turn left, turn more left, loop around, go up again, etc! We had a good laugh about it and imagined drawing a bus itinerary for the next tourists with multiple loops, circles, twists, and curly q’s. Just like something out of Pee-Wee's big adventure! Ha!

We finally arrived at La Fortuna, a village marked by charming típico restaurants, cozy guest houses, and a wide variety of plants and animals that could belong to ingredients of a witch’s brew (honey creepers, tanagers, quetzals, sooty robins, mountain Elaenias, and silky flycatchers). We could tell that the sleepy provincial village was transforming into a major tourism hub, but it somehow managed to keep its small town feel (probably because you can walk around its entire perimeter in ten minutes). This town is a gateway to the volcano which fills the horizon with smoke and flames as lava descends down its sides. “Lava” is a bit misleading because what you actually see are heated boulders (glowing orangish-red) tumbling down the volcano’s side.

After checking into a hotel room, we wandered to the sleepy town center where we caught a taxi. Laure, masterfully using her Spanish, got us a ride to the Catarata Fortuna, or Fortuna waterfall, just outside of town. The taxi driver rambled on and on, in Spanish I might add, about all the things to do in the town. We thanked him for the information and were dropped off at the entrance path to the waterfall. We walked down the rocky trail and came across the awe-inspiring view of the Rio Fortuna (Fortuna River) tumbling down through 70 meters of rainforest canopy! This is the most impressive waterfall we have ever seen so far! Once at the bottom of the waterfall, it is simply breathtaking. The roar of the water crashing into the translucent pool, a refreshing mist filling the air, rainforest all around you… you feel smack dab in the middle of paradise (or at least we did!). This is David's favorite waterfall. After a relaxing swim in the clear water, we hiked our way out of the rainforest. You can definitely feel the humidity there!

We had heard about a trail from the waterfall to Cerro Chato, the dormant sidekick of the Arenal volcano and decided to make an expedition to this place, not knowing exactly what it was. We had been told it was a steep and muddy hike, but that the impressive crater lake at the top was well worth it. And it's a sight not often seen by tourists because it’s well off the beaten path. So onward ho! We took off on the trail, which seemed to go straight up for thirty minutes until leveling off slightly. We could hear the volcano Arenal rumbling loudly, beckoning us to proceed. Interestingly, there's a particular type of tree that can have its branches cut off, then planted in the ground, then each branch will grow into a tree itself! They use these as fence posts to make "living fences" and the land here was sectioned off with living fences. Very neat.

But our good fortune would end as the trail split into three and the heavens opened, releasing a trickle of wet discomfort. We took a chance and hiked the most steep trail in spite of the weather only to find that it ended at a barbed wire fence. *sigh* We decided to cut our losses and head back into town for a quick bite to eat and evening activities. Of course, town was 5.5 kilometers away, which was a good hour hike on a pleasant road. We stopped at a local’s front yard and David lounged on the hammock and drank coconut water straight from a coconut with a straw! Oh David loves the agua de pipa fria! We tried to soak in the atmosphere: to the north stood the volcano, still vocalizing, to our west, fields of coffee, and to the east, the small and quaint village of La Fortuna.

Back in town, we each had a full meal and fruit drink (by the end of our visit, we tried all the flavors of fruit drinks and even ventured out and tried a kiwi cappuccino which we wouldn’t recommend). With our stomachs full and spirits high, we went on a night nature walk with a naturalist guide in the Ecocentro Danaus. During the walk, we each held a flashlight and the guide pointed out many nocturnal animals. Of the many animals we saw, the most memorable were the two two-toed sloths. Sloths are very unusual creatures which look like something out of a Star Wars film. They have a flat face with sunken, dark beady eyes, a strange fur, and long arms that end in menacing claws. Their fur is covered with algae (as many as twenty different species that serve as camouflage) which serves as a home for beetles and moths. Sloths and their algae exhibit what is called symbiosis (mutual gain from living together).

We also saw a basilisk lizard. These lizards have a huge crest on the head, giving them the appearance of a dinosaur. They are nicknamed the “Jesus Christ lizards” because of their amazing feats of acrobatic skill - that is to say, they run very fast on their hind legs (which are partially webbed) and can literally run on water. Gravity defying geckos were seen everywhere during our entire visit in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is actually home to roughly 200 species of reptiles and 150 species of amphibians.

Our favorite creature was the red-eyed tree frog (we saw two here) which is virtually certain to be in any postcard or travel brochure because they look so uniquely beautiful. The poison dart frogs, which we saw numerous times, are also exuberantly colored. We saw both the bright green with black markings type and the bright red with blue legs type (nicknamed the blue jeans frog). We learned that they breed in water collected in bromeliads or in holes in the trunks of trees, which is where you should look for them! They are brightly colored to warn predators that they are dangerous. They emit neurotoxins from their skin which natives used to extract and apply it to their darts to kill large game animal, hence their name poison dart frogs. Among other things spotted this night were caimans (similar to alligators), butterflies, boa constrictors, insects, birds, bats, and too many plants to name! Once back in town, we headed straight to bed where we fell asleep almost instantly.

The next day we woke up to a magnificent sunrise behind the Arenal Volcano. We walked around town until we settled upon a place known as Java Jungle for breakfast where we ate gallo pinto (beans, rice, and scrambled eggs - a Costa Rican classic). We then headed out with a naturist guide to the hanging bridges. This is a collection of 7 suspended bridges and 6 regular bridges through a tropical rainforest. We had an excellent view of Arenal volcano and then we departed deep into the forest seeing countless birds and animals. The bridges were mind-blowing, the views spectacular, and we had an awesome time there. This was the location of our first toucan sighting. No other word really fits them - toucans are fantastic animals. Their tropical quintessence makes them the “poster child” of Costa Rica. Also, when they fly, it looks as if the bird is following its own bill! Our guide continued to point out creatures along the way, such as poison dart frogs, central American whiptail lizards, and many plants which locals used for medicinal purposes. We came across a group of howler monkeys jumping and singing in the forest. We observed them for about ten minutes, heard their calls, and watched as they carefully eyed us, then retreated back into the depths of the forest. Towards the end of the walk, the guide picked up a round fruit of some sort, opened it up, and explained that the tiny red collections inside were paprika. He also picked out tiny green puffs which he placed in our hands and told us to touch. Not knowing what was going to happen at all, David poked his without hestitation. It immediately exploded, spitting its seeds out all around him and causing David to release a quick scream of terror. Hahaha! Oh the funny jokes they play on tourists! It was also at this point that we saw one of the most breathtaking butterflies - the famous morpho. It has a 15cm wingspan and electric blue upper wings. We also saw butterflies that look just like leaves and the bark of trees on which they rest. Some of them have spots that resemble owl eyes. There were just too many animals... David felt like he was in heaven!


Costa Rica is actually a favorite destination for many naturalists from all over the world because its bird population is one of the biggest: over 850 species have been identified, far more than have been seen in North America, Europe, or Australia. Additionally, over 35,000 species of insects have been recorded in Costa Rica. Most noteworthy among these are the butterflies. It is estimated that 10% of the world’s butterfly species reside in Costa Rica. Perhaps the neatest sighting on this day was the troop of army ants. They march through the forest and can turn small creatures into skeletons within minutes. We personally observed them moving the remains of a giant millipede across the trail in a matter of seconds. It was truly amazing to see them work so quickly and competently. The army ants’ jaws are actually so powerful that native Indians once used them to suture wounds by holding them over a cut or wound, letting the jaws shut (clamping flesh together), and then pinching off the ant body. Genius!

We also learned about the leaf-cutting ant on this day. This is a mushroom-farming insect that carries pieces of leaf upright in its jaws. They set off from their nests, day and night, in long columns to demolish trees. Now don’t be confused, while they cut and carry all those leaves, they don’t eat them. Instead, they chew the leaves up to form a compost on which they cultivate a nutritional bread-like fungus whose tiny white fruiting bodies provide them with food. Wow.

Afterward, we returned to town, ate a nice lunch, and headed off to our next adventure: Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal, or the Arenal Volcano national park. Our guide told us all about the history of the volcano and many other interesting things about volcanoes. He also warned us that it was still active and that we were in a dangerous spot, being so close and all. Good fun! We hiked along the side of the volcano on a well worn path. At first there were mainly weeds growing, with some interesting ferns along the side. Actually, these were the ferns that if you touch the leaves (which look like a Mimosa tree’s leaves) they contract and close. A spectacular adaptation and a lot of fun to watch! We continued until we saw our first coati, or raccoon-like creature. Then we walked through rainforest and observed howler monkeys again. Our guide howled back at them and they seemed to carry on a conversation of sorts for several minutes. Eventually the monkeys tired of our presence and departed into the thicket of forest. Our trail soon became a balancing act upon large volcanic rock from a previous eruption. We hopped, leaped, and danced our way to a clearing where we had a stellar view of the volcano against a backdrop of lush rainforest. We sat there and watched brilliantly colored orange and red heated rocks tumble down the side of the volcano towards us. As we slowly and leisurely walked out of the park, we kept looking back at the volcano and the lava flowing from it. You just don’t see these things in Miami!

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