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Arenal Volcano
Volcano Arenal Bursting to Life!
Costa Rica... lies at the heart of one of the
most active volcanic regions on Earth.
The
Pacific Rim of Fire!
Volcano Arenal Showering Lava into the Night!
Magnificent and Mysterious... a visit to Costa Rica... is not
complete
without a visit to Arenal Volcano. Continuously spouting lava since
1968, Arenal is one of the World's most active volcanoes and is
growing
by about 20 feet each year!
Hiking on the volcano itself, is prohibited... because it
is way too
dangerous. But you can hike all around it. One particularly great
hike... takes you to the "new" lava flow, which happened in 1992.
After hiking through a lush, secondary rainforest, you suddenly come upon
the stark contrast... of a 20-ft high wall of lava, totally void of
any vegetation. The top of the lava is a ethereal moonscape... with
a spectacular
view... of the volcano on one side... and Lake Arenal...
on the other. It is breathtaking!
This area of Costa Rica... is more than just the wild Volcano. Few
places on
Earth...
offer so much... in such a beautiful location.
Here you can visit the sensuous hot springs of Tabacon... or go
rainbow bass (guapote) fishing... in a boat or Wind
Sailing on the mystical Lake Arenal, you can hike to a magnificent, giant waterfall
in La Fortuna, to cool off and explore the lush rainforest and wildlife...
on a
Canopy Tour, or go horseback riding over the trails of centuries
of lava flows... and if you like exploring the mysterious... you can do
some cave climbing in the unusual, watery Venado Caves.
Arenal itself... is not always visible, because of the
cloud cover.
Cool misty breezes flow down from the volcano... with sprinkles of
the water of life.
Don't just visit Volcan Arenal for one day. Spend at least
one night or preferably two. at night... the volcano comes alive...
with crimson lava... escaping into a moon lit sky... it's incredible!
And the rumble of the volcano... touches something deep inside
your soul... primordial.
You may even want to drive out to Lake Arenal to watch the
skies for unearthly visitors... many ufos have been spotted
over the volcano and around Lake Arenal.
You can sail through the tops of the rain forest… on zip lines at
canopy level, sharing
air space with toucans and other exotic
species of birds and rare
orchids and bromeliads. In this mysterious atmosphere, one is awed…
by the brooding, smoldering Arenal
volcano… only a mile away.
An ever-present, plume of smoke… warns that the volcano could
erupt in fury on a whim; when the sky clears during the wee hours
of the morning,
the sky glows with an unusual light...as Arenal spits chunks of molten rock. The simmering
volcano… is in full view from the cabins at the Arenal Paraiso
Resort & Spa.
The
"other-worldly" terrain
of the Costa
Rican landscape.. is
sculpted
by the many
years
of active volcanic formations... that
are a part of the "Pacific
Rim
of Fire" that keeps
expanding,
stretching
out across the entire length of Central
America.
Volcano Scientists
have identified over 200 volcanic
formations... in Costa
Rica's territory... dating as far back
as 65 million years.
Some have the look...
classically associated with volcanoes... a
graceful, symmetrical
cone
rising to a single crater.
Others are sprawling, "much
weathered" mountains...
whose summits have
collapsed
into huge depressions,
called calderas.
Still others...
have smooth "shield-shaped"
outlines, with rounded tops,
pockmarked by
tiny craters, such
as on Cocos Island.
The abundance of volcanic activity over the
millennia...
has
contributed
greatly to Costa
Rica's landscape and its inheritance of natural resources.
Volcano Arenal and Lake Arenal
Mineral-rich, volcanic slopes reaching from the
sea...
to altitudes
above 11,000 feet... provide
year-round temperatures based
primarily
on altitude.
Fire and Water
Volcano Arenal with Lava
Flowing Down it's Slope.
Mystical Lake Arenal
Abundant rain... supplies
moisture for
agriculture...
plus the
necessary life waters for
hundreds of lakes, rivers
and dozens of spectacular mineral waterfalls. Inviting the
wild creatures of
the rainforest to the dance of the waters...
La Fortuna Waterfall...
Flows with the Waters of Life.
The rich compost of the volcanic soil, that is the delight of
agriculturists, supports some of the densest and
most diversified
rainforests...
in the world. With some of the strangest worms and
insects... that you could ever imagine... all tilling the soil to create
a warm and inviting place, for new plants and exotic flowers to take
root.
Tabacon Hot Springs
Waterfall Beauties... bathe in
the Healing Waters of
the Mineral Hot Springs...
The Wild World of the
Rainforest Jungles
Around Arenal Volcano
Toucan
The Mystical Rainforests...
surrounding Volcano Arenal...are
home to wild and unusual creatures, in a genetic pool of
strangeness and a kind of sweetness.
Nature evolved... and proliferated... strange animals like the Tree
Sloth... who have an unusual form of photosynthesis... (like in
a plant), in it's skin and fur... many tree Sloths, that are seen,
have green fur... and though they move slowly through the
rainforest trees... they have the ability to turn their heads
completely around!
Sloth Baby... Catching some
Sun Rays.
Two toed Sloths... have seven vertebrae in their necks, while
three-toed Sloths have nine vertebrae. These vertebrae...
enable Sloths to turn their heads 3/4 of the way around.
It's a little eerie at first, when you see them do this.
Adult three-toed
Sloths... feed on various species of tender new
leaves, while two-toed Sloths... feed on various fruits, stems, and
leaves. They practice thermoregulation, (as a plant & reptile
would), using the golden rays of the sun... to warm up, and moving to the
shade to cool down. This slows down their complex digestive rate.
During the rainy season... when Sloths are under cover of leaves...
more to stay dry, they often starve to death... even though their
bellies are filled with food.
Eating only leaves,
three-toed Sloths stomach's... have pouches
which store batches... of bulky food in different stages of
fermentation.
Mama Sloths create
cradles for their babies.. who are the size of
a thumb... when they are born. Baby two-toed Sloths are weaned
from their Mamas milk... after six weeks, but remain with their
Mothers for another five months. Sloths have only one baby per
year.
The Jaguar, Mankind, Harpy Eagle and the Ocelot… are the Sloth’s'
main enemies. Sloths sound off danger... to other Sloths, using
ultrasounds, the acoustic frequencies... inaudible to a human's ear.
Sloths are excellent swimmers. They can cross a river at speeds
of 45 feet per minute doing a sloth-stroke.
They have the cutest
face of a little gremlin... and they are always smiling... most are
completely trusting of humans and very gentle.
Be tender to them... and they will let you hold them.
And then there other
strange Mammals like: the silky Ant-Eaters, Tamendua, Pacuare, Wild Hogs,
Kinkajou, Foxes, Tayra, Margays, Jaguars, Ocelots, Jaguarundi, Coati
Mundis, Spider Monkeys, Howler Monkeys, Olingos, Hedge Hogs, Armadillos,
Porcupines, Lemurs, Marmosets, Coyotes, and More...
Silky Anteater in the Tree
Tops...
Sharing this lush jungle
home, are Tropical Birds, Amphibians,
Reptiles and Insects...
as well
as some of the most
unusual and beautiful tropical plants, flowers and trees...
you will ever see.
A Blue Morph Butterfly, Heliconia Flower, and Green Tree Frog
Share the Earthly Delights... of the Rainforest.
A Regal Iguana... who lives
in the Tree Tops
of the Rainforest! They love Mangos!
Colorful butterflies,
insects and exotic birds fill the air...
monkeys line
tree branches...
covered with mosses,
lichens and epiphytes. Reptiles,
Amphibians and mammals
roam the jungle floors. National Geographic, has described Costa Rica as
the: "Most bio-diverse
country... in the world".
A Little
Spider Monkey... Having a bad day!
An Exotic
Ginger Flower... shimmering in the Sun!
These Cute,
Fluffy and Rare "Albino" Fruit Bats...
Are Resting on a Banana Leaf... Bananas are one of
their favorite foods... and they love to feed at Hummingbird
Feeders at night time. They pollinate exotic flowers... like the
Banana Flower, and many Orchids and Bromeliads.
For Protein, they eat small insects... they are known
to eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in one night.
The Colorful
Mot Mot Bird, who loves bananas,
a rare Bromeliad Flower, and an Lemur... munching on a leaf.
Volcano
Arenal... Reflecting a Fiery Lava Burst...
over the waters of Lake Arenal.
The Colorful Blue
Tanager... who loves Bananas!
Life is everywhere. Costa Rica's "rich coast",
extends inland... to its highest, volcanic, mountain
peaks.
The Curious
Ring-Tailed Coati Mundis... greet humans
on the roads of Arenal... in hopes of receiving treats.
The Cute
Pacuare!
The Smiling
Sloth!
The Exotic
Jaguar of Rainforest Legends...
Thermal
Smoke... Rising from the
Lava Dome of Arenal Volcano.
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