Day 6 we got up a 6am for a walk in the rain forest and some wildlife spotting. There are some spectacular birds of all sizes and colours with the Hummingbird being one of the most spectacular but most difficult to photograph due to its size and speed.
The Toucans are also spectacular but being a bit larger they are easier to photograph.
After some breakfast we left the Hacienda LaIsla and headed for the Arenal Volcano where we were going to take a trip on the manmade lake that produces most of Costa Rica’s hydroelectric power. On the way, by the side of the road was a family of White Nosed Coatimundi which are related to the raccoon.
We then reached the lake for our boat trip in the shadow of the Arenal Volcano. Its last major eruption was in 1968 but has been active between the 1970’s and 2010 with volcanologist predicting that it will become active again, without giving a timeline.
The lake was another haven for wildlife, in particular birds, and we saw Kingfishers, Egrets and an Osprey, amongst others. The Osprey had just caught a large fish which was clearly visible as it disappeared into the distance.
An Anhinga bird was sitting in the sun dry its wings as these birds are apparently not fully waterproof as they do not have the oil gland required for waterproofing, which seems strange for a bird that fishes.
We then travelled a short distance to our next hotel, the Arenal Manoa, which has good views of the volcano. The hotel is set out over a large area with each room being an individual chalet. The hotel has extensive gardens with lake that has caiman in it.
Day 7 was another 6.30 departure as we were going on a three hour hike around the Arenal volcano on the 1968 trail.
We went early in the morning as the trails can get busy later and it is the time when the wildlife is more active. One of the intended reptiles we wanted to see was the Golden Eyelash Pit Viper which is one of the 27 poisonous snakes in Costa Rica. They are difficult to find but right at the end of our 4 mile hike our guide spotted a couple of juveniles in some trees.
Apparently, you can generally tell if a snake is poisonous as it has a triangular-shaped head although there are some exceptions.
We then had an afternoon to relax, the first since we got to Costa Rica, and tried the hotel’s volcanic thermal pool, which was very pleasant.
Tomorrow we have a long journey to Monteverde to visit the cloud forest.
You’re really packing in a lot, and there’s some great photos to bring it to life. If you go on a tree-top walk in Monteverde, watch out for the monkeys – they’ve got disgusting habits, which can make the bridges a bit perilous! Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the ‘big agri’ of the banana plantations, against the small local initiatives you described in your previous posts.
We didn’t see monkeys in the tree top walk of nine hanging bridges, but lots of birds and a tarantula’s nest. We would have liked to visit the big plantations to compare, but this was not on the agenda, although it has been non-stop. Now for the 11 hour flight home.