Lava Love

Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Located near the town of La Fortuna, Arenal National Park’s star attraction is the 1,633-metre Arenal Volcano, closely followed by the smaller inactive Chato Volcano which has a picturesque lagoon in its collapsed crater. Arenal’s striking cone shape dominates the landscape, which is a carpet of verdant green forest. There are a number of hikes in the 12,016-hectare park including the Arenal 1968 Volcano Forest Trail, a 4.7 km loop, the 1.7 km Coladas Trail which rewards with spectacular views to the volcano and Lake Arenal and the hike to beautiful Rio Fortuna Waterfall, where you can have a dip in the cool, clear water. You can also ride a horse to the falls, do a safari float down the river and soak in hot springs. The park is home to myriad bird and wildlife, including three-toed sloths, coatis, howler monkeys, jaguar and ocelots, along with chestnut mandibled and keel billed toucans.