Arenal Volcano Hike

This morning we had a relaxing morning in the pool enjoying the swim-up bar and the views across to the volcano whose peak kept peeping out from behind the clouds. We got wood-fired pizzas for lunch by the pool overlooking the volcano and watching wildlife by the lake.

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We were picked up after lunch by Canoa Aventura for our volcano hike, which took us along the course of the 1968 lava flows to a view point where we had great views of the volcano and across to the Arenal Lake. The lake is man-made and covers the area to the west of the volcano which was destroyed by soot and gases from the eruption and is used to generate hydro-electric power.

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Along the hike we saw lots of epiphytes, in particular bromeliads and orchids such as the One-day orchid (Sobralia sp.), the Spanish flag orchid (Epidendrum radicans) and the endemic Arenal Bromeliad (Pitcaimia Funkiae).

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We finished the hike in time to watch the sunset over the lake bathing the volcano in a reddish glow before heading to Eco Termales to bathe in volcanic heated springs under the stars.

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on to Zip-lining