Volcanic Vistas at Arenal & Moving House

Breakfast at Soda La Hormiga before a gorgeous 5 mile hike of the lava fields from the 1968 eruption of Arenal volcano. It last erupted in 2010, though it was a bit disconcerting the rangers had everyone reverse onto the parking sports incase a quick escape was needed due to another eruption! The loop was a gorgeous one, over the solidified magma formations, and we spotted various wildlife on the way - a huge snake coiled in the tree above, butterflies, colourful geckos, birds (montezuma orependolas doing the most fascinating mating dance), and the woodpecker was a real treat, along side an array of beautiful colourful fauna and huge entwining jungle trees. We heard the bees and deafening crickets as we negotiated the rough volcanic ground, but found the route well marked. We stopped to munch our snacks on the mountain viewpoint but were still mourning the ant infested pizza from a couple of days ago that had to be binned earlier.

Afterwards we enjoyed fresh juice at the cafe/restaurant with panoramic views, then a delicious coffee/lunch stop on the way home. This was followed by a much needed siesta (I was getting a bit grumpy after my disrupted sleep due to the stifling heat and inadequate fan - Dom, ever the gent kindly trading fans for tonight).

This kind trade was however not enough. Rach and I woke from our slumber again dazed, overheated and discombobulated. We made an executive decision that as nice as £12 per person per night was, we need some foist-free air con luxury in our life, and for £100 we upgraded to a lovely little apartment “The Bees House” for the next 2 nights. Absolute best decision of the trip so far - a lovely home from home, perfect for our evening cooking up cheese on toast, a couple of beers and more laughs and games (with our new sloth playing cards).Read more