Blog #5: La Fortuna and Monteverde

Hola chicos!

This past weekend was one to remember. So much happened in such little time, but I’m super excited to share with you all about my travels to La Fortuna and Monteverde!

Friday (1/27)

We departed swiftly at 1PM to La Fortuna – a 4.5 hour bus ride riddled with several traffic jams. We arrived at the Baldi Hot Springs – an opulent resort filled with – you guessed it – hot springs that progressively got hotter as we hiked through the resort. I was extremely excited for the hot springs because of the waterslides they had there, and they sure didn’t disappoint. This slide in particular should not be legal…. everyone that went on it practically got thrown around in the slide and came out as if they were free-falling. I apologize for the size of the video, as I can’t seem to make it smaller. Nevertheless, enjoy this video of me on the waterslide:

This entire night, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I couldn’t get enough of the waterslides, and I had so much fun bonding with my friends. Later on in the night, we found these over-the-top caves, where a little waterfall trickled in through the rocks and created a sauna-like experience. I felt so rejuvenated and relaxed as I sat in the hot springs sauna.

After our time at the hot springs, we departed to our hotel (it was too expensive for us to say the night haha!) and prepared for the following day.

Saturday (1/28)

After an early breakfast, we headed down to la Catarata de la Fortuna (La Fortuna waterfall), a mesmerizing sight to behold. We quickly learned that to get close to the waterfall, we had to trek down almost 500 steps (which also meant later trekking up the 500 steps). The steps were worth it though as the views were simply incredible.

I won’t lie – the hike up the 500 stairs was definitely not easy. I definitely rewarded myself with a smoothie after the hike as I was sweaty and tired. But the views were so stunning and it truly felt like I’d seen something from a movie.

After the waterfall, we had lunch and then took a boat ride across El lago Arenal (Arenal Lake), where we (luckily!) got to see the Arenal Volcano on full display. The boat ride was stunning with the views of the volcano and the surrounding rolling hills.

Once we crossed to the other side, we then had a 2.5 hour car ride through Tilarán, a district/area of land that was nestled in the mountainside. It was incredibly windy – a couple of wind gusts physically moved me – but the views were amazing and I was awestruck by the surrounding beauty of Costa Rica.

After making it to Monteverde, we spent the evening eating dinner and taking in the gorgeous sunset from our hotel. Again, the views from our hotel were unreal and incredible to take in.

I went to bed early that night to prepare myself for our final action-packed day of the weekend.

Sunday (1/29)

Today was the day I think we all were most excited about: ziplining in Costa Rica. I was SO excited to zipline in the woods, and it did not disappoint whatsoever.

After arriving and getting the safety training, we embarked on our zipline tour in Monteverde. The first several zips were shorter but in the middle of the woods. They definitely didn’t have much clearance, for if I stuck my legs out of the ball-like position I was in, I would’ve easily hit them on a tree.

After the small ziplines, I then did several ziplines that were incredibly long. One of the zips was the longest zipline in all of Central America, estimated to be over 1 mile long. It wasn’t until about halfway through the zip could I see the end point. Throughout the entire zipline, I saw the entire valley below as I zipped across the line. I couldn’t stop laughing as I watched the valleys pass below me. The photo below is the closest I could find to accurately showing what the views were like from this zip.

I then got to do the superman zipline – the one where I lay on my stomach as I zip across the valley. I was definitely trembling in fear, but I also had the best time too. I’m currently looking to see if I can find the superman photo of me – if I can find it, I’ll update the blog and put it here. For now, this is a good example of what I looked like doing the superman zipline:

After the ziplines were done, I got to my favorite activity of the entire trip: the Tarzan Swing. At this point in the zipline tour, my adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to take on any challenge before me. The video below is me experiencing the Tarzan Swing, and again, apologies for the size of the video:

My legs trembled for a solid 5 minutes after my jump, but I was beaming and felt so accomplished and satisfied that I did it. I wish I could’ve done it again. My next step is to (hopefully) find a place to bungee jump here in Costa Rica, as I am ready for my next adrenaline rush.

After our zipline tour, we headed back to San Jose and I recuperated from the busy but amazing weekend I’d just had.

Conclusions

This trip made me fall in love with Costa Rica even more than I already had. I felt so happy and comfortable with my friends, and I truly got to enjoy some of the beauty Costa Rica has to offer. I feel incredibly blessed that I had the opportunity to visit both La Fortuna and Monteverde, and this trip will definitely be one I will not forget.

Next weekend, I will actually be heading down to Bocas del Toro in Panamá – a collection of seaside islands where I will get to snorkel and swim with dolphins. I will likely write my next blog after that trip. Until next time, ¡pura vida!