Costa Rica Day One: A Scenic Drive Through The Cloud Mountains To The Arenal Observatory Lodge
My flight from Newark to San Jose Costa Rica arrived about a half hour early. After my unexpectedly quick exist through immigration I was a little worried my driver to the Arenal Observatory Lodge and Trails may not have arrived. I walked past the long line of drivers and tour companies holding signs for their passengers. I was glad to see one with my name on it. It was held by Luis, a pleasant and knowledgeable young man, who worked for the lodge and would take me on the three hour 90 mile drive to the lodge. 
It was partly sunny and hot when we left the airport. It was humid with temperatures in the 80’s. This is my kind of weather and I was happy to get away from the cold and snow back home in Northeastern Pennsylvania. There was some traffic as we left the city on the winding one lane road. Luis told me there are no express highways in Costa Rica because of the mountainous terrain. 
I was thirsty so we stopped at a local market along the way,
where I got some water and explored the small store. I love visiting supermarkets and small stores in foreign countries. You can learn so much about a country and it’s culture here. 
We continued on our journey passing many small town and villages along the way. 
I believe we took Highway 1 until we got to San Ramon the “city of poets” . Luis explained that a number of the nationally famous poets of Costa Rica lived in this quaint city. 
We drove past the beautiful Catholic church in the center of town. I would love to visit and explore this city someday. I think I want to return and explore and visit every city I pass through.
We left this small town and continued on Highway 702, at first passing a few small towns, 
then entering the mountains and windy roads of the cloud forest. 
Luis told me it is always cloudy up here, and that this was actually a fairly clear day. 
I enjoyed the lush green colors of the trees and vegetation of the mountainous rain forest, and learned so much about the people, the plants and animals of Costa Rica from Luis. It was an educational and pleasant, but slow, drive. 
I got my first view of Arenal volcano in the distance as we left the cloud forest. This volcano erupted in 1968 destroying two villages and killing 85 people. It continued to have smaller eruptions until 2010. The rocks, boulders and lava flows that spewed from the volcano have become a tourist attraction. The volcano and surrounding forest are now part of the Arenal Volcano National Park. There are also hundreds of species of birds living in the rainforest as well as snakes, monkeys slots and other critters, and this is the reason for my visit.
We now drove through some small towns with the volcano in the distance. We made a stop to rearrange my luggage and we saw this toucan perched in a tree above our van.
We continued through a few small towns and now saw Arenal volcano in the distance, getting ever larger as we got closer.
We soon entered the largest city in the area, La Fortuna. The volcano loomed over the city. 
It was crowded with tourists visiting the volcano, the hot springs it created and a large lake that was built in 1972 to provide electricity to the country. I hope to visit the town during me week stay . Luis said it has many attractions and good restaurants. 
We drove out La Fortuna and passed a lot of lodges and resorts, many with hot springs and spas, 
and drove to the other side of the volcano. 
The Arenal Observatory Lodge is the closest lodge to the volcano and is the only one within the National Park. We drove a few miles on a dirt road and arrived at the lodge under overcast skies. The summit of the volcano was shrouded in clouds as I left the van. I said farewell to Luis, who I hope will be driving me back to my airport hotel next week, and checked into the hotel. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog webpage with some more photos from my drive to the lodge. Costa Rica Day One drive to lodge January 5 2024. 
It was almost 4 p.m. when I checked into the lodge and settled in my room. I wanted to explore the lodge a bit. The sun sets around 5:30 p.m. so I knew I didn’t have much time. The lodge is situated on about an 800 acre tract of land at the foot of the volcano. It was an abandoned cattle ranch with large stands of primary forests when the current owners built the lodge in the 1970’s. It was originally a small lodge used by scientists from the Smithsonian Institute to study the volcano. It is now a popular eco-lodge especially loved by birders. Hundreds of species of birds have been sighted here. 
I left my room and first stopped at the observation deck next to the restaurant. I took in the view of the cloud shrouded Arenal volcano and Arenal Lake in the distance, 
I saw my first bird, a beautiful Montezuma oropendola. These birds visit to feed on the the melons put our be the lodge staff. They have a haunting call. 
After watching the birds feed I walked over the “spider bridge” through a thick forest of pine trees. I learned these trees were imported and planted after the eruption of the volcano to replenish the land and serve as a windbreak for the hotel, 
I heard and then saw this collared aracari peeking down at me from up in the tree top. 
I crossed the bridge and entered one of the many beautiful lush gardens surrounding the lodge. I would see hundreds of birds here the next few days.
And I saw my first hummingbird here a rufous tailed humming bird. 
The path took me past the pool and spa and some of the many other rooms in the lodge. There are about 45 rooms and I believe everyone has a view of the volcano. As I continued through the gardens, I enjoyed the many tropical flowers and
saw a few more birds including this scaly breasted hummingbird
this big beaked variable seedeater 
and this common toady flycatcher. It was last and the sky overcast so I wasn’t able to get good photos but I enjoyed seeing these exotic tropical birds.
I left the gardens and walked past the Green Gate. This is were most of the trails that are part of the lodge are located. 
I walked out to the Farm House Road where I found some more large pine trees. I loved this remote place already and couldn’t wait to explore it during the next week. 
All along the road were large ferns and other tropical plants. 
I hiked out about a mile to a private Villa with a beautiful view of the volcano, still, however shrouded in clouds. 
It was getting dark, but I still saw a few birds including another rufous tailed humming bird sitting on a barbed wire fence, 
another collared aracari high in a tree top 
and this bird. I am not certain if it was a western or a tropical kingbird
.
On my walk back to my room I noticed the fragrance from this flowers, I think they are angel’s bells and they give off a heavenly aroma in the evening. They are planted in all of the lodge’s gardens.
I finished my walk in the evening twilight, 
and took one last look at the Arenal volcano before 
I returned to my room, quickly showered, and then had a delicious dinner of red snapper and seafood in the quaint restaurant with a view of the lake and volcano.
It was a long day, I left my home at 4 a.m. and Costa Rica is an hour behind so I was ready for bed. I was soon fast sleep looking forward to waking up early and exploring this beautiful lodge and it’s many trails. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my evening walk around the lodge. Costa Rica Day One Arenal Observatory Lodge January 5 2023.
As the eco- and adventure-tourism capital of Central America, Costa Rica has a worthy place in the cubicle daydreams of travelers around the world. ―Lonely Planet
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