Our Bike Arenal driver was clearly not running on Tico time (translation: notoriously late) and arrived at 8:10 am, just as planned. I was greeted by our friendly guide, Moises, and driver, Pampa, before we picked up a honeymooning couple from a nearby hotel. Outfitted with lightweight Kona and Cannondale mountain bikes, helmets and gloves, we began the 16-mile journey along a rock and gravel road to Castillo village and Rio Negro.
We paused to watch howler monkeys and spotted a fat red pizote (coatimundi) crossing the road. The rocky trail started off flat but gradually morphed into rolling hills, perfect for beginner or intermediate cyclists. While the ride was far from technical, I lagged behind the group and began to question the cardio benefits of my kickboxing classes. The uphill drags were the hardest, and at one point I was passed by a small girl on foot and her dog.
We back tracked a mile or so to a nice grassy spot by the lake for a picnic. Noticing my disheveled appearance, Pampa asked me if I was feeling all right. I explained that I was from the lowcountry of the Carolinas and not used to cycling such terrain (and especially not with a camera the size of a small refrigerator in my daypack).
The hour-long ride back to our original starting point went fast, the last mile almost purely downhill. Moises and I hunched over our seats, enjoying the ride. Pampa and our support van were never far behind. Our three and a half hour ride was perfect, and although Bike Arenal offers several tours, some more challenging, I knew I had chosen wisely.
That afternoon I moved to the Arenal Observatory Lodge, set high on a ridge less than two miles from the volcano. The lodge is a landmark in the area, and one that I had always wanted to visit. Its history dates back to the early 70's when ICE (the Electrical Institute) was constructing a dam to create Arenal Lake. The owners purchased 870 acres of farmland in an effort to protect the area near Arenal Volcano National Park.
My room was in one of the newer additions, set a few hundred meters from the main lodge, and had a large patio with a lake view, perfect for morning coffee. I dropped off my bags and explored the hotel grounds. After crossing a small hanging bridge, I passed the pool and Jacuzzi, and found one of the main buildings that housed a museum filled with scientific reports on Arenal along with a working seismograph that was monitoring the volcano's activity.
Since 1968, Arenal has been in a constant eruptive phase with gas emissions, lava flows and eruptions that cast lava rocks and ash into the air. Although I could hear Arenal's explosive popping and gurgling, the clouds continued to cover the cone, revealing only the base of the volcano.
The lodge has two observatory points, but guests tend to congregate around the main deck just off the dining room, which has floor to ceiling windows for prime volcano viewing (as well as easy access to cocktails). A group of us gathered to enjoy the acrobatics of a troop of howler monkeys playing in the trees and watched the sun set over the lake.
Getting There: During the rainy season (May through October) a 4x4 is definitely helpful to get to the Arenal Observatory Lodge. Take the main road out of La Fortuna toward Arenal Lake for fourteen kilometers. Follow signs to El Castillo andthe lodge and turn left on a hard-packed dirt road. Continue for nine kilometers, following signs for the Observatory Lodge. At the time of this writing, cars had to ford a small river as the bridge over the Rio Caliente was being repaired.
