Blogs from La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean

La Fortuna was billed as this big backpackers hang-out at the foot of a massive volcano. There's no doubting the first part of that statement, but what volcano? All we saw was low cloud and drizzle! It was good to sit in a bar drinking craft ale and playing Jenga, but there wasn't the party vibe we had expected. Food, drink and accommodation were generally way overpriced, but we did manage to find some value. We had big plans for our stay. A walk on a trail where we were more or less guaranteed to see sloths was definitely on our itinerary as was a trip to see a series of hanging bridges close to the volcano. Both bit the dust as the rain was relentless leaving us spending more or less a whole day in ... read more

It’s our last day in La Fortuna and there is no rain forecast for a full 6 hours. However, the volcano remains stubbornly hidden behind the clouds. I manage to sleep until gone 6 then get up to watch the hotel staff hoist bananas up a flagpole to attract the birds, and watch as group after group of different species turn up for breakfast – things get particularly fractious between the budgies and woodpeckers. My breakfast this morning is (not surprisingly) from the bakery – bread stuffed with cream cheese and pineapple. This morning’s activity is a trip to La Fortuna waterfall, which is accessed via a flight of 530 steps – a jolly sensible activity for two old codgers with dodgy knees! We drive to the top of the waterfall, pay the £25 foreigners’ entry ... read more

This morning is our first full day in Costa Rica. I am awake at 5 am (which is actually 11 in the UK and my stomach). 2 hours till breakfast and I’m starving. At 6 it gets light and I can brave going outside to sit in the garden without standing in anything. It’s a pretty little garden with a gazebo and plunge pool set among the shrubs. Breakfast is served in a clearing in the garden and is very tasty – fried rice and beans, omelette, sausage and plantain. Although I go off my food a bit when I see quite how often the cook fondles the shitty little dog whilst cooking. Then we take a walk to find a shop to stock up on supplies. We’re staying on the main road to the airport ... read more

After a dreaded 5 AM wake up, we got Tiffany and Alexa to the airport successfully. Apparently they had no problems, their plane was on time, and they’re now enjoying the relative cool of Canada, including a fresh layer of snow at home.It was about 2 1/2 hours to Fortuna and we had most of the day ahead of us, so we decided to try the local hot springs. They naturally mix with the river so there’s different temperature pools so going to the hot springs in a tropical country isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Options range from free public pools to high-end and swanky. We opted for high-end and swanky. It was expensive but it was very nice and apparently the only place where the water is not treated - just routed through seemingly ... read more

Our first stop out of San Jose is one of the top destinations in Costa Rica, La Fortuna, 136km from San Jose and 4 hours by bus over the range of volcanos that stretches across the middle of the country. It’s home to Arenal, an active volcano, though you almost wouldn’t know it’s there, as for the 3 days we are here we only see a glimpse of the volcano on one day, the rest of the time it’s shrouded in cloud and down in the town we are drenched in rain. As well as the volcano and hot springs, the rainforest experience is the main attraction here and if you have the time and money there are a myriad of rainforest experiences to be had, ranging from guided nature walks to zip-lining and rafting. We ... read more