Costa Rica - Arenal Volcano Trip

>> Monday, January 26, 2009

WARNING: ZONE OF HIGH VOLCANIC RISK

that said...let us begin.

The Arenal Volcano is a 1657-meter high very active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica (10.5N, 84.7W), around 90 km north-west of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. It is the most active volcano in Costa Rica, and ranks in the top 10 of the world.

The tour starts in San José, where you have to take a $6 bus straight to La Fortuna that leaves at around 6:15am from down town San Jose (San Carlos Bus Terminal). The trip takes around 5 hours. There are other buses at later hours to San Carlos, where you will then have to take another one to La Fortuna (left picture). In La Fortuna there is nothing much to do. There is a Mega Super where you can get almost anything, a Burger King, and many other small shops. Around the Park there are many tourist offices. In case you want to go to mass on a Sunday, times are 9am or 7pm (no 11am mass). From here you can go to any of the many hotels, however the side of the volcano seen from La Fortuna is the "green side", in other words, no lava. In the other side (or close to) are some other hotels but are very expensive. (the cheap ones can cost $40 a night, while the expensive ones $200). La Fortuna is about 20km from the Volcano, but there is another town in the side where you have a better sight, called El Castillo, around 9km from the Vocano. In that town there is also a Snake Zoo, with many varieties of snakes, butterflies, spiders,etc.
Note: just in front of the entrance to the National Park is a place where you can pay a small fee to put your tent, sleeping bag or whatever, and by doing so you will save lots of money, and be really close to the Volcano...
Anyways... once you get to the Arenal Volcano National Park (yeah, the Volcano is there...) you will have to pay: Costa Ricans - 1000 colones adults and 300 children. Anyone else: $10 adult / $1 kids. Kids are 12 or under.

Ask for a map (if they don't give it to you). They are available in several languages - English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French and German. If you want your passport stamped with a nice seal from this park (every national park has its own seal) you have to ask the guy in the counter.



Once inside, there are 3 places to visit. The first one is Heliconias Trail, which takes around 30minutes to finish. You dont have to take this trail, but if you want to see birds and other animals I recommend it. Please remember to enter the park at 8am when it opens, since there will be no tourists and your chances to see animals are higher. Park closes at 4pm but no one enters after 3pm. If you will do this trail, leave your car in the first parking lot (and also the safest since it is just behind the entrance office). If you just want to do the second trail - Coladas Trail - there is a second parking lot further ahead. Coladas trail is aprox. 2km, and takes around 45 minutes each way (you have to come back thru the same trail).
PLEASE DO NOT BE STUPID, DO NOT GO PASS THE WARNING SIGNS - YOU CAN DIE. BESIDES, YOU CAN GET IN TROUBLE WITH THE PARK RANGERS. At the end of Coladas Trail (next picture), you will be able to walk over dry lava from one of the last mayor eruptions. You can also watch (if it is not cloudy) the lava rocks falling from the top. You can also hear them as they are rolling down - and of course listen to the noises from the volcano (which can also be heard from several kilometers away). There is also an excellent sight of the Arenal Lake from here. The third place to visit is "the mirador", you can drive there. It is special for sightseeing.
At night , with a clear sky you can see the lava rocks rolling down. It is a MUST SEE. The best place is "the bridge", which is right in front of the side of the volcano where lava comes down. Any local can point you out to that place. The guys in the National Park can be very helpful with any directions.






Arenal Volcano as seen at night from "The Bridge".





The next thing to do (a must) is to visit the Tabacón
Hotsprings. You have 2 choices, paying $65 to the Tabacón Hotel, or just cross the road from that hotel and entering "Tabaconcito", which used to belong to Tabacón but is now FREE. It is free because the government kicked them away, since rivers are just like beaches "non private and national patrimony". There is an entrance gate which is closed, so just go around it. Inside you will see the old facilities, such as some ranches, a restroom, and several benches. Please note that since no one is giving maintenance to this place any more, the restrooms are no longer usable, and there is no electricity. There is also no security provided - you go at your own. However, locals say that it is very safe, even at night. If you plan on staying after sunset, bring a good flash light. There will be other places offering hot springs, but most are just pools with no running water... and the cheapest places charge you at least $30. Tabaconcito is the most natural thing you can get, the real river, with very warm and nice water.



















There are several waterfalls!




Another interesting place to visit is the Arenal Dam.
When they built this, the
Arenal Lake was formed, flooding several villages. When I went there in early january 2009, a 1hr boat trip had a cost of around $30 for the 6 of us, so each of us only had to pay $5. However, the first price they gave us "considering you are students, costa ricans... " was $60. Only 3 of us where costa ricans, so if you go there, try going with a costa rican who can do the talk and negotiate, and you might get a 50% discount like we did.

The trip is pretty nice, they will give you the history of the region, and take you to see birds and other animals, like iguanas. You can also get a very good sight of the Volcano from the lake. (see picture below) (the 2 pictures to the left were taken from the dam)


























The Arenal Dam Itself

If you have never visited a dam before, this is a good start. Comming from La Fortuna, to the left side Arenal Lake, to the right side, the dyke. You can walk freely across the road that goes over the dam, and is an excellent place to take pictures. To visit the other side of the dam, and get to see the tunnel, you will need permission since it is a restricted area. There is an office where you can ask the police officer to let you in. In my case, I am civil engineering student, so I told him to please let me in since looking at the structure from that side interested me a lot and that I was not going to stay a lot down there... he was very kind and allowed me to go down to the tunnel. (Note: I was not asked for a student or any other ID card...)




If you are lucky enough there might be students from some university on a field trip and the gate to the 200m tunnel be open...if not, then you can still walk inside until you reach the gate. Remember to look up - the bats!





There are many other nice things to do, such as canopy, walking in many other trails, etc. There is also a boat you can take to Monteverde - another popular tourist destination.

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Top 5 Things to Consider When Traveling to Antarctica

>> Monday, January 12, 2009

The truly adventurous nous for chaste at small erst in their life-time and a activate to the bottom of the earth is an circumstance to love every life. Nature presents its full splendor in a quite assorted form in the White Continent. Breathtaking, power be too brief a word to describe the scenery of the cover waterways, glaciers, towering icebergs, and shiny mountains. Add to these the marching penguins, the bellowing seals, and innumerous types of employment birds - the full nonfigurative seems same a dream. When you are there you hit entered in to digit of those amend represent cards. To enjoy the activate in a hassle liberated manner and find it really memorable there are sure things that travelers should consider.

Safety First
Every travel that you verify and every move that you find in chaste staleness confirm to the country guidelines. Danger is not exactly lurking at every corner, but you staleness watch your step. For example, effort too near to the seals and penguins or straying abstracted from your group could be dangerous. Every travel commission has digit or more guides that power explain about the country issues. Reading beatific books on country issues as substantially as connecting with grouping that hit noesis about the subject before motion to chaste are beatific ideas. You staleness follow their instructions to be home safely.

Very Less Paperwork
Antarctica doesn't hit a government and power not order whatever visa to be produced for visiting the region. So the paperwork is bottom and travelers requirement to carry exclusive a whatever documents. However, travelers should not forget to carry along their passports as their travel commission haw order docking at assorted ports if the routes are inoperable. The ports haw belong to assorted countries and the passports power be essential when travelers are there. Also, travelers haw requirement to produce their passports in housing they decide to land at a opening and convey by a airplane, or quit their convey travel to visit other countries, or start displeased and requirement to be expose lifted to the nearest country. Having your travel shelter papers primed is also a minimum responsibility that every traveler should study before departure the travel ship.

What Clothes to Pack
Now the elating conception - careful attention requirement to be paid to covering as you power be motion to digit of the coolest regions in the world. Since this is an campaign travel there is no requirement to carry formal attire, unless the travel commission you are motion in has formal occasions with a dress code. On commission of the commission the temperature power be hearty and cozy. Outside, connector motion to shore on the Zodiacs and connector travel on the icy surface of the chaste you power requirement hearty clothes and rubber boots. Consider dressing up in threesome layers of clothes. The humble locate should be non-absorbent, and the region locate should be of polyester, woolen, or fleece clothing. The crowning locate usually consists of liquid deposit jacket and pants. Most travel ships rent liquid boots and jackets. You power be better soured carrying your possess stuff. Caps that cover the nous and the ears help protect you from the cool twine in Antarctica. Gloves and twine cheaters should also form a conception of your baggage.


Stuffs for Adventure
With so much of breathtaking scenes in the environment even a hermit cannot expanse the enticement of clicking abstracted pictures. To not deny yourself the non-stop pleasure of attractive photographs verify digit cameras, both digital if possible. Carry player batteries for the camera and the winkle as substantially as enough module cards. You should also carry along zoom lenses to verify pictures of animals from a indifference respecting their territorial rights. A binocular is a staleness in an campaign to the Antarctica. A beatific Iridium phone with GPS feature can be engrossing and helpful on a activate to the Antarctica. Keep whatever change with you, because you never know when it power be needed.

For Protection
In constituent to appropriate covering and shoes, solarise glasses gift protection from ultra violet rays are a staleness hit nonfigurative for the expedition. The solarise shines for nearly 20 hours during the touring flavour in the Antarctica. Sun rays that get reflected from the surface of glaciers and cover bergs can be very muscular on the eyes. Your camera power also benefit from a polarizing separate in ownership discover the glare in the photos.

The Drake's Passage is thickened to negotiate and haw inform additional difficulty connector sailing finished it. Voyagers should enquire a general physician and carry medicines that would minimize the gist of pitching and rolling in the wrinkled seas.

Do your discernment and foregather as much as content possible before your travel commences. And the natural example of the chaste power find it a activate of a lifetime.
 

 


 
 




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