29-30 December 2025
Up early (again) on Monday morning for a day crammed with activities.
First up- a walk up and back to a viewpoint of the volcano. Followed by a ‘hanging bridge’ ‘adventure’ through the rainforest / treetops ( 16 bridges, 6 of them long suspension bridges like you get on the great walks in NZ), then volcanic hot springs. The final activity being tortilla making and a home cooked meal with a local family.
The hike to the volcano viewing point was good. Including a steepish up and down bit through the 1968 lava flow field. What was interesting was how quickly the forest is taking back what was bare tracts of black lava. It was also cool to see a Coati ( like a Costa Rican rainforest raccoon) loitering in the carpark.
Then it was onto the ‘hanging bridges’ with six thousand of our new Costa Rican friends- the first place was extremely popular. There are some nice gardens on the approach paths
As we neared the first big suspension bridge we saw a troop of Spider Monkeys doing their thing among the tree tops. They were simultaneously fascinating and impossible to photograph through the vegetation. We did see and manage to photograph a variety of reptiles, including a yellow eyelash pit viper – which is apparently highly venomous.
After a late lunch it was off to the volcanic hot springs. A feature of the hot springs was a dude who brought beers and margaritas while you sat in the various hot pools. This feature was well exercised by the group.
After the hot springs it was back to the hotel and a quick split before heading out into the hills for a home dinner ( after tortilla making) in a local’s home. Dona Mara was warm, welcoming, funny and a great cook.
Tuesday came around and was one of those days described in the tour guides as ‘free time’. So …no early start! 😊
We used our free time to 1. Sleep in ( we are on holiday after all) 2. Catch up on laundry 3. Walk around town and 4. Have a fantastic massage at a local spa. A nice slow day. Tomorrow: up the dividing range to Monte Verde ⛰️
Ness’ and Mark’s Wandering 