Under the Volcano: Simple Pleasures in Costa Rica’s La Fortuna

You’d think that after seeing so many volcanoes so far on our Central American trip, we’d be sick of them by now, but you’d be wrong! Our time in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, was aggrandized by the daily presence of the majestic Volcán Arenal.

Costa Ricans live by the quintessential phrase “Pura Vida” which translates to “pure life” or the “simple life” and in La Fortuna, a small, picturesque town packed with nature’s simple joys, nowhere did I quite embrace the phrase as fully as here.

The Watchful Guardian

It’s something special to wake up every day with a volcano looming so close to where you’re staying, watching over you like an ancient sentinel. The sight feels simultaneously unreal, dangerous, and magical in all the right measures. We were incredibly lucky to catch Arenal on crystal-clear days — I’d heard many tales of disappointed travellers who never glimpsed the volcano through the persistent clouds that often shroud it.

I felt privileged witnessing that marbled grey cone piercing through the bright blue sky, its base wrapped in a ruffled neck of lush greenery. The contrast was both abstract and striking, it didn’t matter where you were, you couldn’t help but look at it.

Exploring Arenal National Park

We enjoyed a lovely walk through the forest in the surrounding National Park, playfully hiding among trees and gazing up at one of the most ridiculously enormous trees you can imagine.

The wildlife spotting added another layer of excitement to our exploration. We encountered charming peony-blue birds with white chests and black rings around their necks (almost like necklaces), complemented by black beaks and elegant plumes above their heads.

A flesh-pink-headed vulture perched upon a dead trunk, while speedy lizards darted across our path. One particularly fantastic specimen boasted a bright blue tail that transformed into a yellow stripe along its back — nature’s artistry on full display.

The Volcanic Hot Springs

One of the wonderful perks of being close to a volcano is, of course, access to volcanic hot springs, for which La Fortuna is famous. You can tell just by driving around and seeing the many upscale hotels offering natural hot spring pools on their premises.

Now, I’m never one to pay for something that I can get for free. We had heard about a local section of the springs not claimed by any hotel that could be accessed without charge, so off we went. Sure, it was busy (as expected), but it was delightful!

To sit in the stream and feel the flow of warm water running past your body while gazing up at the trees, with sunlight dappling your face through the leaves — who needs a fancy resort?

Nature is perfect just as it is.

Local Culinary Delights

In La Fortuna, we discovered our first “Soda” — a simple, traditional Costa Rican restaurant offering cheap and cheerful cuisine. This particular one served the best food we’d had on our entire trip. The menu was wonderfully straightforward: grilled marinated meat or fish with vegetables, rice, and beans. But oh, it was to die for! We returned three times during our brief three-day stay, and it handily outshone all the tourist-oriented restaurants in the area.

Between the commanding presence of Arenal, the soothing embrace of natural hot springs, and the simple perfection of local cuisine, La Fortuna offered us a perfect slice of Costa Rican paradise — authentic, beautiful, and unforgettable.

Pura Vida!

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This was originally published on Medium

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