
We left hot and sunny Tamarindo and headed back inland. Our 3½ hour journey was split by a visit to the rescue Sanctuary for pumas and other native species. The majority of the work here is done away from the public eye, where animals and birds that are injured, or orphaned, are prepared for release into the wild, with minimal contact with humans. The visitors only see the animals which for some reason are not suitable for release. It gave us a chance to see some of Costa Rica's native species that we hadn't yet come into contact with... which was quite a relief in the case of puma and jaguars! All the enclosures were large, and the animals were in beautiful condition. I have attached stories to some of the photos! Jaguar

Here are a Puma, an Ocelot's tail(!) and a Sloth.
My favourite was the gorgeous Greater Grison, - hands up if you've ever heard of one!

They are related to otters and badgers, and look like a cross between the two. Apparently they are almost impossible to see in the wild here, despite being quite numerous! We also got to see a keel billed hornbill up close. They are stunning.

Chris found a friend too!

Our journey continued up into the mountains, and around huge lake Arenal. Man made, with a flooded village underneath, it is used for hydroelectric power, producing 12% of Costa Rica's electricity. The country generates 99% of its electricity from hydro, geothermal, biomass, wind and solar energy!
En route this large family of Agouti strolled across the road!
Our destination was La Fortuna, and the lovely little cabins at Vilas Vilma. At the foot of the active Arenal Volcano, and surrounded by beautiful gardens, we loved it!
There was even a small pool, and lots of birds. Someone called us to show us a sloth with a baby, high in a tree. On the edge of town, it was within walking distance of some restaurants, so we went to D'Balu, and had a super meal.
Our first day in La Fortuna was brilliant but exhausting, and for me, quite challenging! We spent a day with a superb guide and naturalist, Luis Rivera Mora. Our first stop was Mistico park, and these copies of 2 pre Columbian volcanic stone figures were at the entrance!

The Spanish 'took over' Costa Rica in the 1500's, and reduced the indiginous population to just a few thousand. However there are relics of Pre columbian culture, which involved tribes, shamans and deities, including gold and jade artefacts, clay bowls and figures carved in volcanic rock. These are some examples, which we did not see but are in the San Jose museum!
Back to the park, which is famous for it's wildlife, and it's hanging bridges! Suspended across deep ravines, they have metal mesh floors and sides, and sway and wobble as you cross.

Between 75 and 93 metres long, and high above the valley floor, my vertigo would be severely challenged. Luis was brilliant! On the first bridge he walked backwards and pointed out things in the canopy alongside and above, and I made it! By the third one I even let go and took a photo!
In the park we added 20 new birds to our list and saw agoutis, peccaries and squirrels.
But how is this for a beetle?

Next we headed to El Silencio, at the foot of the Arenal Volcano. There we walked and climbed to a viewpoint on the huge lava rocks thrown from the last major eruption in 1968.
There were some surprisingly beautiful flowers in this regenerating landscape.
Three villages were destroyed, killing 87 people, and we drove past the area where the villages had been, now covered in grassy craters where the huge rocks had landed and broken up. Next a super lunch of typical Casado, at a restaurant with a great view of the volcano, and the closest we came to seeing it with no cloud!
Then, finally, as if we haven't done enough today, we descended almost 500 steps into an incredible gorge to view the beautiful, 70 metre high La Fortuna waterfall.
And then, you guessed it, we had to climb back up them all again! What a day! Luis was an amazing guide, and his company is called Hidden wonders tours. We got back to our cabin and the heavens opened! We had apocalyptic cloudbursts throught the evening and night, which sounded pretty dramatic on our corrugated metal roof. We love the tropics!
Unfortunately, next morning was the next activity to take me out of my comfort zone. It was supposed to be gentle rafting down the river for 90 minutes to look at wildlife. The torrential rain, which kindly stopped for the excursion, meant we were greeted by a raging torrent of choppy brown water racing past the embarkation jetty, carrying tree trunks and huge leafy branches! Off we went anyway, perched on the side of the raft, with me hanging on, and Chris with a paddle!

The trip took 50 minutes instead of 90 due to the speed of the river, but it was beautiful and we saw some great birds, amazing green lizards, howler monkeys in the trees, and huge iguanas cooling themselves in the tops of high trees with no leaves. Who knew?! Terrible photo into the light but you can make out their shapes.
The most dramatic moment was when the second raft found a snake onboard. It was a boa, and I was able to hold it before it was returned to land!

A snack and drinks followed at an organic farm, with their homemade cheese, the ubiquitous plantain, and delicious homemade banana bread. Suddenly we spotted this tiny frog on the floor!
We returned to our cabin and had a lazy afternoon enjoying the birds in the garden, a passing agouti and the flowers. We even had a dip in the pool!
Then went out to try the local Caribbean restaurant, La Caribena, which was delicious, and Chris tried some more local craft beer.
Heavy rain again overnight, but next day we awoke to sunshine, and our volcano looked as if it was snow capped!

A short taxi ride took us to Ecothermales, one of the many hot springs here, fed directly from the volcano. This was a smaller one, that restricts numbers, and was delightful. The pools ranged from a 'cool' 27°C to a lovely 40°C. We spent a very enjoyable morning here, meaning my Swimsuit got wet 2 days in a row... unheard of!
In the afternoon we did the North Fields farm Coffee and Chocolate Tour. Family run, the farm provides work for many local families, and do a very well organised tour with explanations of the history and development of coffee, chocolate and sugar cane production.
Best of all, there were lots of demonstrations and tastings! We were given pure chocolate paste and encouraged to mix it with different flavours, like cinnamon, lime, nuts, coconut etc. Great fun. Once again, I really liked the chocolate tea made from the shell of the cacao bean, plus cinnamon and sugar. Children in Costa Rica start drinking coffee at age 2! They only grow arabica coffee in Costa Rica, to guarantee the quality, and are very passionate about it. The best quality coffee and chocolate are still picked by hand. There is a Costa Rican tradition of beautifully decorated carts which would have been pulled by oxen,and this is a modern example at the farm.

A simple supper meant Chis tried Hoopy craft beer.... ? Hoppy?
We have loved our time in La Fortuna, and all our adventures. In the UK we have tea vans, and occasionally fruit sellers on the side of the road.... but rice pudding?

We will miss 'our' volcano and the birds, as we head off for a very different few days!
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